An Auckland pianist, who was told he could not play a public piano at Britomart train station, is calling for more support for young musicians.
Jon Christie, 29, posted a video on social media of an awkward encounter with an Auckland Transport (AT) worker earlier this week, after his performance at the downtown transport hub was abruptly cut short.
Christie sat down to play the piano around 2pm on Tuesday inside the entrance hall of Britomart, delighting travelers with his arrangement of Lana Del Rey’s Young and Beautiful. However, his performance was interrupted within minutes by an AT worker, who instructed him to stop because the station was at “peak hour.”
AT has since apologized for the incident.
In the video, Christie calmly ceases playing, but later shared the clip online, expressing frustration over the situation. He questioned, “Why install a public piano if you don’t want people to play it?”
Christie told the Herald that he understood AT’s preference for limiting performances during rush hour to avoid distractions from live announcements. However, he felt that his 2pm performance should have been allowed. He noted that in the past, whether he could play seemed to depend on the staff member working at the time.
Christie claimed the worker who approached him had asked him to stop in the past, and he could tell it was coming when the staff member began watching him closely while he played.
A pianist since childhood, Christie has performed on public pianos around the world, and he is experienced in adjusting his playing to fit the environment—sometimes becoming background music when necessary. He emphasized that he doesn’t play for tips; his performances are simply for the joy of the music.
Christie, who was classically trained as a child, explained that family pressure had initially caused him to lose interest in music. He returned to the piano as a young adult, seeking relief from stress. He’s now speaking out to prevent similar experiences from discouraging other musicians, particularly younger ones who might lose their confidence if told to stop playing.
He pointed out that owning a piano is expensive, and keyboards aren’t always a convenient option to carry around. Public pianos give young musicians the chance to perform in front of an audience, something Christie believes is important for their growth.
“I’ve heard stories where people stop playing entirely after an experience like this,” Christie said. “That could be the one time they worked up the courage to play in public, and being told to stop could crush their spirit.”
The video Christie shared quickly garnered tens of thousands of views. Many viewers expressed their support for him, with some noting that certain AT workers had been more welcoming in the past. In fact, one AT worker even joined Christie once to sing along with his playing at Britomart.
“It’s not about what you play, it’s about community and coming together,” Christie said. “That’s the whole point of the public piano—to bring people together.”
In response to the video, an AT representative apologized and assured Christie that he was welcome to play again. A spokesperson later confirmed to the Herald that they had contacted Auckland One Rail (AOR), the company that operates Auckland’s train network and manages Britomart station on behalf of AT.
AOR clarified that Jon should not have been asked to stop playing and confirmed that they frequently receive positive feedback when people play the piano. The company reminded all staff working at Britomart that members of the public are allowed to play the piano.
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