A little wonder, every day

Joshua Bell in the Metro

Joshua Bell after a San Francisco Symphony performance (2010), not the 2007 Metro experiment. Photographer Alexduff; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joshua_Bell.JPG; CC BY-SA 3.0. Attribution: “Joshua Bell” by Alexduff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. No edits.

Upper level of L’Enfant Plaza station, photographed in 2009 (not the exact 2007 playing spot). Photographer Ben Schumin; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%27Enfant_Plaza_upper_level,_facing_outbound.jpg; CC BY-SA 3.0. Attribution: “L’Enfant Plaza upper level, facing outbound” by Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. No edits.

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Joshua Bell after a San Francisco Symphony performance (2010), not the 2007 Metro experiment. Photographer Alexduff; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joshua_Bell.JPG; CC BY-SA 3.0. Attribution: “Joshua Bell” by Alexduff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. No edits.

Listen to fact0:00 / —

In 2007, virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell played during rush hour in the passage by Washington’s L’Enfant Plaza Metro station. Disguised as a street musician, he performed for about 45 minutes: 1,097 people passed, seven stopped to listen, and only one recognized him—near the end. The Washington Post organized the experiment to see whether commuters would notice a famous musician in an ordinary setting. [1, 2]