"We thought the young people were only on Tiktok, and suddenly they are playing compositions on the piano. It's amazing"

The "Station Melody" project of the Israel Railways was originally born to give a platform to young artists, but since then it has gained momentum and as part of it, pianos are already spread out in 30 stations in the country.

The person in charge of the project: "It's hard to believe how many people come and play. People sit down to play and people stand around them and enjoy themselves. It's amazing"

In collaboration with Israel Railways

09/19/2022

Monday, September 19, 2022, 12:12 p.m

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Israel Railway Project Sasha Beckman (Israel Railway PR)

The "Station Melody" project of Israel Railways - in the framework of which pianos were set up in the train stations in Israel for the enjoyment of passers-by - was originally born with the intention of giving a platform to young creators, but very quickly it gained surprising momentum - and a prize of wings.

"The project started seven years ago when we paid money to young artists to perform at the train stations with the pianos we distributed," recalls the person in charge of the project at the Israel Railways, Semyon Gorodinsky.

"We encouraged these artists to provide a pleasant experience on the train and very quickly we saw that it was progressing. At first we were with a few individual pianos and today there are already 30 pianos spread out in 30 stations throughout the country - both in the center and in the periphery, both large and small stations, in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, In Karmiel, Beit Shean, almost every station has a piano today.

"The main goal is to enjoy the time of the passengers who pass through the various train stations every day," adds Gorodinsky.

"The stations themselves are very focused on usability. Many times the passengers arrive before time and it was important for us to make the atmosphere pleasant for them. So we have a project of a library in the stations, there is a project of various exhibitions in four train stations, and of course the pianos that are scattered in the stations. We want to create culture in the train stations, And it's happening a lot."

"It's unbelievable how many come to play."

A tune at the station (photo: creator, producer and director of the series: Yigal Lerner, photographer and editor: Udi Goren)

Did you imagine it would be this successful?

"The truth is no. I didn't believe it would be this successful. I didn't personally know so many people who play the piano in Israel and there is a stigma for the younger generation that they are on screens and Tiktok all day, and then you get to the train stations and you notice the amount of people who come to the train stations, including very young people, and play On the piano - and it's just unbelievable. Young guys come who play complex classical pieces on the pianos and you're just amazed to hear it. You come to the train stations today and you meet all kinds of people - Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians, Russians, ultra-Orthodox, religious, Seculars - and what unites everyone is the piano. People come to sit down to play and passers-by just stand up to listen to that player. It's amazing to see it."

"Literally everyone. You can see a doctor of physics, a doctor, a little boy, a soldier.

What surprises me the most is that soldiers come and play classical music.

Every time I see someone playing, I say to myself 'Wow, I can't believe he plays the piano - and so beautifully.'

There, at the train stations, you realize that literally everyone is playing."

"Yes, because they work literally non-stop.

We tune them all the time.

If at home people tune pianos once a year, here we tune them much more because people play them with great intensity and non-stop.

Regarding security, there is indeed security around the train stations but despite this there is vandalism here and there.

They already broke one of our pianos."

"In Tel Aviv the piano works the hardest."

A tune at the station (photo: creator, producer and director of the series: Yigal Lerner, photographer and editor: Udi Goren)

In which stations does the piano "work" the hardest?

"In Tel Aviv, the piano works non-stop, from morning to night. We also have people who come regularly and at certain times. They come, sit at the piano for an hour - and leave. Not everyone can own a piano at home, so there are people who come to stations and play. In Jerusalem, for example , guys from the music faculty come and play at the station. After all, thousands of people pass through a train station every day, sometimes even thousands. When suddenly someone plays beautifully, a crowd of tens or hundreds of people gathers around him. It's simply amazing to see it. What does an artist need in the end What's wrong? Crowd, feedback, applause. In Rishon Lezion there is an officer every morning at the same time, just before he gets on the train towards Kriya, he plays for a few minutes, receives applause - and gets on the train. In Ashdod there is a boy who comes regularly to play classical music. When I see them, I tell myself that there might be another chance."

"We have demand from the stations that want us to expand it. We also want to expand to as many train stations as possible because we understand that we really make culture there accessible to people."

• culture

• music

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• Israel Railways