In a busy student cafeteria, Andy Morris shocked everyone when he sat at a piano and began to play Shostakovich’s ‘Waltz No.2.’ Students who didn’t expect their lunch to be accompanied by a classical masterpiece stopped to look and listen in amazement. Things stepped up a notch when, out of nowhere, a saxophonist stepped forward to join in. Jaws dropped as a trumpeter and violinist began to play, too, but nothing got as big a reaction as when tuba player Griffin Collins suddenly joined in.
The big, bassy sound of the tuba seemed entirely out of place in the everyday cafeteria, but Music Man fans won’t be surprised by the reactions of the listeners when they hear the astonishing sound it produced. The people listening in the cafeteria were amazed, sharing astonished looks as the tuba added its powerful bass to the song. One online viewer noted just how intense the sound must have been in the space, commenting, “That cafeteria probably reverberated so hard.”
When I first watched the video, I was struck by the reaction of those listening. While it is an understandably special experience to hear such talented musicians play this piece so well in an environment as ordinary as a cafeteria, I was touched by how engaged many of the young people seemed by the impromptu performance. While it may not be the kind of music associated with young people today, it’s clear from their joyful reactions that it still resonates with people of any age.
Music Man fans who want to see more from Andy will be pleased to know this is not the first time he has taken the public by surprise with an impromptu performance. While many of his performances have been just him and his piano, there have been other instances of him collaborating with other musicians in performances that take people by surprise. One of the most unexpected is a video of him in an airport, playing the ‘Halloween’ theme in a Mike Myers mask, while Catwoman joins him on the violin.
Andy Morris is clearly very talented, but the best part of his music might be the way it brings people together. His collaborations allow talented musicians to come together and make beautiful works of art. The fact that he performs them impromptu in unlikely settings brings them to listeners in a moment of beautiful surprise, and his videos capture the way these performances truly bring joy to those who hear them.