09 April 2007

The DC Metro is no place for a debut

How sad is it when Joshua Bell (one of the most talented young violinists in the world) can't even earn $20 after playing an hour on his $3 million Stradivarius violin at a DC subway stop?

Apparently, this is the case as reported by the Washington Post.

I'm not sure how to interpret this "street" case study. Are we Americans so busy that we can't appreciate the world around us? Are we conditioned to distrust our own judgment and to only approve critic-approved art? Or perhaps classical music is on its last legs in the US?

One of my favorite moments in Paris was when I was walking along the river and stopped to listen to two opera singers. There was a huge crowd.

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