Classical pianist gives curious toddler an impromptu piano lesson on train station concourse

Karim Kamar is joined by an unexpected duet partner... Picture: TikTok @ kingkarim_kamar

By Sophia Alexandra Hall, ClassicFM

@sophiassocials

 

This very cute duet has gone viral on TikTok, drawing in new fans for both the street pianist and his young protégé...  

Music has the power to surprise you – you never know where that next duet or inspiring collaboration could come from.

Karim Kamar is a contemporary classical pianist & composer from London. He’s performed at some of the country’s most iconic venues, from Ronnie Scotts to the Royal Albert Hall, but his latest viral moment took place on a rather more unusual stage.

Kamar has racked up millions of views across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok for his #StreetPiano performances – where the musician films himself playing impromptu concerts on public pianos.

Pianos in train stations have become surprisingly commonplace across the UK and other countries, as a joyful way for travellers to bring music to each other at the start, middle, or end of their journeys.

In his latest video, Kamar is filmed being adorably ambushed on a piano in London’s St Pancras International train station by a musically curious toddler. What followed was an unexpected duet between the two musicians. Kamar helps the young child up onto the piano stool, lifting them up (both literally and figuratively) so their small hands can reach the massive keyboard.

The classical pianist then takes the toddler’s right-hand, and helps them to start playing the familiar tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Kamar accompanies them both with chords in his left-hand. 

The young (and perhaps first-time) pianist’s joy is evident from the toddler’s expression, and the wonderful duet has left TikTok fans in a similarly giddy-state.

One TikTok viewer commented, “You just created a core memory & maybe inspired the little fellow!!”, while another added “This [interaction has] probably sparked a lifelong love of piano in this little one ❤️”.

Karim Kamar plays piano for people in St Pancras

And it’s not just children who are entranced by Kamar’s performances. Adults are equally impressed by the musician’s prowess. In the above video, Kamar has passersby bringing their daily commute to a standstill just to listen in.

But, if you don’t happen upon Kamar during your next train station journey, you can always follow him on Youtube or his other social media platforms for more of his musical adventures.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 | Menahem Pressler, Gulbenkian Orchestra & Leo Hussein

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 | Menahem Pressler, Gulbenkian Orchestra & Leo Hussain

5,559 views  Oct 20, 2022  “Concerts make me feel alive” – the motto of veteran star pianist Menahem Pressler. As part of the “Pianomania!” concert series, Pressler plays Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major together with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under the baton of Leo Hussain. The performance took place in 2018 in the Grand Auditorium at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

00:44 I. Allegro

13:15 II. Adagio

20:06 III. Allegro assai

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) wrote the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 in the year 1786 – one of the major Viennese concertos composed by Mozart for his own subscription concerts. It’s one of three piano concertos where Mozart swaps oboes for clarinets. The Piano Concerto No. 23 is regarded as one of Mozart’s most famous works, created at the same time as his opera “The Marriage of Figaro” in the Austrian capital Vienna. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in the city from 1781-1791 as a freelance composer.

Menahem Pressler was born as Max Pressler in the German city of Magdeburg in 1923. His family is Jewish. He and his parents fled Nazi rule in 1939; going first to Palestine, and then emigrating to the US in 1940. The rest of his family were murdered by the Nazis.

In the year 1946, the young Pressler won the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco, studying thereafter in California. In 1955, he founded the world-famous “Beaux Arts Trio” and remained a member throughout its existence. The ensemble played some 100 concerts between 1955 and 2008 and released more than 50 recordings with different constellations of musicians, before performing its final concert in 2008. Menahem Pressler still gives solo performances to this day.

British national Leo Hussain, born in 1978, is a regular guest at Europe’s major opera houses and concert halls. He’s seen as a leading interpreter of Mozart and is especially fond of works produced during the composer’s years in Vienna. In this concert, he conducts the Portuguese Gulbenkian Symphony Orchestra.

The San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra (Great Filipino Love Songs)

56,112 views Aug 26, 2019 The San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra (SMPO) was one of the two major performing arts groups (along with the San Miguel Master Chorale) under the San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts. As a young ensemble, its wide selection of works encompassing musical genres attests to its versatility and dynamism. Together with the SMMC, the SMPO aspired to produce and perform new orchestral works that will ensure the growth and development of Filipino music. The SMPO, together with the San Miguel Master Chorale, was disbanded in late January 2007 by the San Miguel Corporation. 00:01 Bato sa Buhangin 04:22 Maalaala Mo Kaya 08:48 Ikaw 11:20 Minamahal Kita 15:38 Dahil Sa Iyo 19:49 Buhat 24:02 Hindi Kita Malimot 27:45 Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig 30:19 Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal 35:02 Katakataka 38:42 Ikaw ang Mahal Ko 44:34 Minamahal, Sinasamba 47:51 Saan Ka Man Naroroon 52:40 Lahat ng Araw

The Music Of The Night

The Music Of The Night

2,280,836 views  Oct 30, 2018  Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Music Of The Night · Andrew Lloyd Webber · Gerard Butler

The Phantom Of The Opera

JAYA, POPS FERNANDEZ AND KUH LEDESMA OPM divas look forward to girls' getaway to Coachella

The country's top OPM queens Pops Fernandez, Kuh Ledesma and Jaya are due to perform in Southern California in November.

By Tessa Mauricio-Arriola, Manila Times

It isn't just the immeasurable Filipino community in SoCal (Southern California) that's looking forward to the day and date of November 12 — that is, the much-anticipated performance of the Philippines' top three music divas at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Coachella, California. Queen of Soul Jaya, Concert Queen Pops Fernandez and Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma are just as eager to get the concert started for a number of reasons.

The first is, of course, the honor and opportunity to spend time with our countless kababayan in the US after the long pandemic, while the second reason is more personal.

In a digital interview, Pops — who had just completed an American concert tour with the all-male Hitmakers (Nonoy Zuniga, Marco Sison, Hajji Alejandro and Rey Valera) over the summer — told The Manila Times, "It's going to be a different kind of fun for us compared to what I experienced with the boys."

With a glint in her eye, she continued, "Yon kasi, magulo talaga — tawanan all the time — but very male ang humor. Like I said before, I really had so much fun with the four of them on the road, but this one — I have to say it's more of the bonding with the girls that I'm really excited about."

The Concert Queen explained that much as the public sees them together now and then on TV or in pre-pandemic shows, she, Jaya and Kuh haven't been able to catch up in a very long time now.

Of course, Jaya now lives in the US, while Kuh prefers to be tucked away on her farm when not working.

Pops, on the other hand, constantly shuffles between Manila and the US to be with family on both sides of the globe.

"Iba kasi when we're all together doing a show abroad. We really get to talk about life, our kids, our plans, and I always come out of it learning something from the both of them."

Nodding in agreement, Kuh interjects, "Having fallen in love and coming out of those relationships, we can really relate to each other. But while it was all tears before, ngayon iba na ha. We've long moved on and happy na kami!"

For her part, Jaya simply longs for friends and colleagues from here and just can't believe her luck that she'd be in a show again with the Concert Queen and the Pop Diva of the Philippines.

The special concert is fittingly titled Three Divas. According to its showrunner, Enteng Perez, "This is produced by New Paradise Entertainment and Fantasy Springs Casino."

Very confidently, he added, "Three Divas will reactivate the Filipino concert scene in the Coachella Valley again. It's been a while since there were Filipino shows in this market, so Jaya, Pops and Kuh will definitely jumpstart more shows in the desert region of Southern California."

Coachella Valley is known to have big music festivals in the US, and the fact is not lost on the three OPM queens.

It simply adds to the excitement that keeps growing in their diaphragms. Seasoned as they are, all three divas always savor working with each other. Their individual achievements, both in their professional and personal lives, have taken them far beyond the need to compete with fellow performers.

"Exposure-wise, we'll have many production numbers together as a trio, but we will each get 20 minutes where bahala na kami what to sing and do," shared Kuh.

Filipinos in SoCal should therefore expect this one-night-only to be one for the books filled with the three divas' most memorable hits. There will surely be "Dahil Tanging Ikaw" and "Wala na bang Pag-ibig" from Jaya; "Don't say Goodbye and "Bakit Ngayon Ka lang Dumating" from Pops; and, "I Think I'm in Love" and "'Til I Met You" from Kuh, just to name a few.

With that, there's just one more thing left to say. And that is: "Please, Three Divas, promise to bring your show to Manila too."

Tickets to the US concert are available via VP Entertainment with phone number 702-8569723.

José Mari Chan's Greatest OPM Medley by Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra

José Mari Chan's Greatest OPM Medley by Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO)

100,325 views  Aug 22, 2022  Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra celebrates José Mari Chan's Music held at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA with Maestro Robert Shroder conducting.  August 20, 2022.

Filipino American Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Jesus Christ Superstar Arr. Henry Mancini

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Jesus Christ Superstar Arr. Henry Mancini

12,198 views  Feb 1, 2020  Andrew Lloyd Webber: Jesus Christ Superstar (Arranged for orchestra by Henry Mancini)

Novaya Russiya Orchestra

John McLaughlin Williams, Conductor