Piano Player Brings UES Block Together With Nightly Concerts

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Side musician Cameron Hart was three weeks into quarantine when he decided on a whim to mount a speaker on his window to face the courtyard behind his building. It was a nice night, and Hart felt that his neighbors who were stuck inside to adhere to social distancing measures amid New York's outbreak of coronavirus would appreciate a free concert.

It's been more than a week since that first impromptu concert, and Hart has performed for his neighbors every night. Each night Hart notices more people popping their heads out of the window or cheering after he wraps up a song.

The response "blew back" the Upper East Side native — who before quarantine was performing about three or four gigs a week — so he decided to take the next step and stream his shows live on his Instagram account. Hart, who has a background in audio engineering, uses recording studio experience to provide crisp sound to both his neighbors and a growing online audience.

"I figured a lot of other people are stuck at home and maybe they would want us a source of some sort of distraction from like all the craziness that's happening in the world," Hart said. "It's like bringing the whole — this whole courtyard on every side of like, I don't know, 20 buildings — it's like bringing them all together."

The response from neighbors and strangers on the internet has been "wonderful," Hart said. Hart is a full-time student a Baruch College — studying the workings of the music industry — so he is unable to collect unemployment. Like thousands of part-time musicians, Hart said he was losing out on a much-needed source of income. Hart set up a GoFundMe drive where people who enjoy his music can contribute to his living expenses such as rent. The fun has raised nearly $4,000 as of this writing.

"That blew my mind, how generous people were," Hart said. "I was thinking about how, you know, bills aren't stopping and renting in New York City is tough to begin with, especially when you're like part-time working like three, four nights a week, and then going to school full time."

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments on the Upper East Side, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

Hart, who has played piano since he was five, told Patch the nightly concerts have been one of his "most gratifying" experiences with music. Donations aside, the concerts have brought Hart closer to his neighbors, who have chimed in with song requests and sent Hart heartfelt messages expressing their thanks for the music. One neighbor even posted a thank-you note to Hart's door.

Going forward, Hart plans to keep playing each night as long as the concerts continue to get a positive response. So far, Hart hasn't repeated a song, but he'll see how long that holds up. The piano player is also considering adding additional music elements or figuring out how to incorporate other musicians — provided good sound quality can be preserved.

"You really don't think about how many feet out. We all live so close and on top of each other, but there's this distance still. I feel like the music has helped break down that distance and, you know, be something for someone who's stuck in their apartment alone all day," Hart said.

Check out videos of Hart's past performances on Instagram.

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know