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In these COVID times, music lovers have missed the joy of live concerts. Many have even missed listening along with 30,000 other screaming fans. 

Not wanting to settle for a year-long silence, the Kaufman Music Center found a new and creative way to bring smiles to people’s faces: the Musical Storefront series. These free pop-up concerts take place behind a transparent glass window on the Upper West Side. The audience stands outside to avoid large crowds and keep social distancing measures. 

Whoever happens to stroll by West 63d Street and Broadway at the right time, until March 31, will be able to hear about an hour of joyous classical music on the streets of New York.

About the author(s)

CHRISTOPHER ALVAREZ is a disability activist, reporter and filmmaker based in Queens. His work has appeared in New New York, Columbia News Service, Mas Latinos and NY City Lens. He co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed and acted in a feature film, El Padrino, about a disabled young man and his home aide on an emotional journey to avoid deportation by U.S. ICE agents in 2018.
email: a.christopher@columbia.edu
Twitter: @JournAlvarez
Instagram: @ChristopherAlv__ and @theywantca

XIANG SHEN is a multimedia journalist originally from Beijing, China. Prior to attending Columbia Journalism School, she graduated from the University of Washington, double majoring in journalism and French. Xiang interned at NetEase in Beijing, where she participated in brainstorms to develop story ideas and headlines, produced stories together with her colleagues and designed layout sfor the company’s online news platforms. Reach her via email at: xs2401@columbia.edu. Or find her on Twitter: @xxxiangshen and Instagram: 8eixi