Over 200 musicians and bands from Russia got the opportunity to gain new listeners and admirers by playing at the Moscow Metro stations. Unlike buskers and struggling musicians that are normally associated with railway stations, these musicians were part of Moscow’s Music in Metro entertainment project.

The project called for auditions in April, in which over a thousand musicians of all kinds, both professional and amateur, participated. A jury consisting of experienced professionals – including musicians, producers and sound engineers – made the final selection. Among them were classical musicians, street performers, singer-songwriters and bands. The project itself kickstarted on 27th March, with about 15 stations as designated performance venues.

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“This is a long-awaited event for many city musicians who can now officially act on special platforms on the metro. They now have the opportunity to speak to the Muscovites, to find new listeners and fans,” said deputy head of the Moscow metro, Dmitry Komendantov, reported the Moscow Times.

The Moscow metro, with its spacious underground halls which offer great acoustics has previously hosted classical music and ballet performances. The concerts are well-organised and regulated and held during non-peak hours on weekdays for the metro’s 6.5 million daily commuters. They are absolutely free for the commuters, though the willing commuter may make donations to the musicians. The project will continue until September, and may potentially be expanded even further, reported TASS.

Anray, a musician, says in the video (below), “It’s [the project] very important because people should listen to more music, it makes them kinder... Many people think that musicians are just drunkards who sit in doorways, strumming a guitar and demanding money, but it’s not like that at all.”