One of the most beautiful articles I've read on music. It's a very long article, but well worth the read.

I'm amazed that Joshua Bell can play the Bach Chaconne on a Strad and hardly have anyone notice.

Joshua Bell plays in the Washington DC Metro.

Before starting university, I worked for a month as a musician in a hotel cafe, and I used to be hurt when people wouldn't even notice that I was there. I was playing sappy popular music arrangements, so it was mostly background muzak to many people.

In the summer before coming over to the US, I had planned to spend the summer working as a busker in the London Underground. However, that required registration and an audition before being a licensed busker, so I sent in my application in May...and they only asked me to come for an audition in October, well after I had arrived in Princeton.