Auckland pianist Jon Christie was stopped from playing a public piano at Britomart Train Station. Christie shared the encounter on social media, highlighting the need for support for young musicians. Auckland Transport apologised, stating anyone is allowed to play the public piano.
An Auckland pianist who was told he could not play a public piano at a downtown train station says there needs to be more support for young musicians . Jon Christie, 29, shared video of the awkward encounter he had with an Auckland Transport (AT) worker earlier this week when his attempts to perform for the public at Britomart Train Station were cut short. Christie sat down to play around 2pm on Tuesday inside the entrance hall of the busy transport hub, entertaining travellers with his own arrangement of Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey.
But his performance was cut off within minutes by the arrival of an AT worker in a high-vis vest, telling him he needed to stop because the station was at “peak hour”..
