Revamping the Subway's Program for Musicians

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1:02directly to patients, closing caregabs, identifying risks earlier and improving patient outcomes. In 2025, patients received over 19 million home visits. Learn more at unitedhealthgroup.com slash commitment. This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Allison Stewart. The MTA operates more than trains and buses. For many years, it has also operated the MTA's Music Under New York program, which brings thousands of live performers to the transit system each year. This year, the program is undergoing some changes, so we wanted to talk about it and also bring some of the music out of the subway and into the WNYC studios. And just a few minutes, we'll speak with one of the MTA's featured performers, trumpet player, Eganam Cebefia. He'll also play some music for us. Hi, I go. Hi, man. And but first we'll hear from Tina Vaz,

2:03the MTA's Art and Design program, the head of the MTA's Art and Design program, Hi Tina. Hi. Why is it important for there to be music in the transit system? The transit system is not just a way to get from point A to point B. It's really the backdrop against which life plays out in its rich tapestry, especially in a place like New York. And so as we do with all of our programming and arts and design, which includes visual art, graphic art, poetry, and music, we want to be part of elevating that journey. What does it do for commuters? It does a lot of things. It really depends on what that person may be experiencing that day. For some people, it's a drop shoulder moment. For some people, maybe it gives them a spring in their step. I think we really want to aim to create those interior moments for people that are so hard to find these days. How is the MTA's music programming changing this year? Well, for starters, we have rebranded as MTA music,

3:06which replaces the music under New York name. We are celebrating our 40th year as a program collectively. And music has been a part of the program since its very beginning. One of the things we are doing that's new this year is we've just introduced a new monthly station series, which is focused on organized performances in celebration of cultural moments at five stations across the five boroughs. And in fact, Allison, as we speak, we are doing our Women's History Month celebration, which is ongoing from 12 to 6 p.m. today. I understand that you're going to be doing different months based on different celebrations. It's going to be September is Classical Music Appreciation Month. April is jazz appreciation month. What happened then? Well, we have ensemble scheduled for the five stations across the boroughs. And that will be happening on April 23rd. How you choose your performers, Tina?

4:07Well, historically we've had live auditions, performers audition to enter the program. And then when they join the program, they go through an orientation. So they understand the specifics about performing in the system. This year we are looking at ways to really more deeply engage the more than 150 performers we have on our roster who are already responsible for about 8,500 performances a year. So we really want to engage them. And the station series is just one of the ways that we are working to do that. What does the program do for the musicians? For the musicians, you know, I think these are musicians who have active careers outside of the time they spend in the subway. For some, it's a way of getting additional practice. For others, it's almost, you know, we have performers who have been with us for 20 years.

5:08It's just really a part of their practice. It's about connecting with people. It's about being part of the energy that moves New York. If someone wants a schedule to find out where they can see musicians, where should they go? They should follow us on Instagram at MTA Arts Design or go to our website, MTA.info slash music and sign up for our newsletter. That's Tina Vaz, the director of the MTA Arts and Designs. We've been talking about musicians in the subway. Let's talk to one. This is Ego Cebefia. He's a trumpet player who has been forming in the subway for years. How did you get hooked up with MTA music? Thank you first and foremost. Thank you so much for having me. Of course. I got hooked up with MTA music because I was at school in South Carolina State University at the time and New York's music scene was very small. A friend of mine said, why don't you go on a subway and play? You never know who you'll meet. I was at first to it at first and I went out and I played and the first day I played I made 8,045 minutes.

6:08I said it was kind of like minimum wage when I was doing it at the time. I said, go back and play again. So the same day I went back and played I made 45,035 minutes and I said, well, that's the benchmark and that was June 5th, 2013. And I'm 13 years in it and I've been blessed to say that I've made a little bit more than $45. All right, I'm glad to hear it. Could we hear a little music from you? Absolutely. What are we going to hear? We're going to hear a friend like me from Aladdin. All right. This is Ego Cebefia playing trumpet.

8:20That was trumpet player Ego Cebefia performing a friend like me. So Ego, how did you get started playing the trumpet? I started playing the trumpet in the fifth grade about seven months after I moved to New York City from Lagos, Nigeria. My mom won the visa lottery and so we migrated here. What do you like about the trumpet? I love that the trumpet, the bell and your eyes and your face have to face the same way in order to play. So whenever the sound comes out and you look at someone your head is tone, it's the one instrument

9:21that it's face forward. So you have to mean what you say and you have to say what you mean. And that responsibility is something, you know, because a lot of the times, you know, we may say things. So that's one of the things I love about the trumpet. After you moved to New York, you live in the Bronx, right? Yes, please. All right. So what experience did you have with subway musicians before you became a subway musician? So the experience I had with them was like, I almost looked down on them. You know, unfortunately, that was my ignorant way of looking at things until I was in that same footstep. And then I was like, wait, oh, you got to have, you really got to be able to put yourself out there and be bold and take whatever comes with it. And now I have the utmost respect for musicians. Every musician I meet, I tell them you got to, you got to play in a subway and earn that. What do you learn by playing in the subway? You learn everything, but I base it down to two things. Every day you got to show up with a good attitude and a strong work ethic. That's the, that's the bedrock of authenticity. One cannot be without the other.

10:24And everything else will fall into place when it's supposed to fall into place. Are you up for another song? Absolutely. Okay, what are we going to hear next? We're going to hear you got a friend in me from Toy Story. That's my jam. All right, let's do it. Yeah.

12:42We are bringing subway musicians out of the station and into WNYC Studio 5. I'm speaking with trumpet player Ego Cebefia. You can catch them a few times a week playing at Grand Central Terminal as well as some other venues. But he joins me in studio now. What makes a good song to play in the subway? How people react to it? A musician is a service man or a service woman to society. You got to play especially in a subway in New York City. People are from everywhere. And so the music has to be a shuffle. It has to be a gumbo of that. You know, it's got to be in that. I studied classical music and I found very quickly. New Yorkers will tell you what they want to hear and how they want to hear it. So that's how I choose what songs in a subway.

13:42You primarily perform in Grand Central Terminal. What do you like about playing there? First and foremost, it sounds like I'm in a cathedral when I play classical music. And there are times, especially when it's not as busy, where the sun can reverberate through. Another thing is there are four police agencies there. So safety is very important. You know, because people are putting tips in there. And so you can become a target really quickly. The third thing also is the foot traffic, the people. New York City is the executive capital of the world. And so most of the executives come from Westchester or come from Long Island. Now that Long Island is connected to Grand Central, you know, there's a saying you hang around a barbershop long enough you get a free haircut. So there's a birthday celebrated every day of this year. And so if you're there and you play songs like friend like me, oh, I got my son. He's turning two years this year. Are you available? Yes, I am. I have to say that you look quite fashionable. Thank you. That's very important. Why is it important how you look? They say, never judge a book by its cover, but appearance is everything.

14:43Also, it's a live audition every day, every time I'm out there. So if someone sees me in a tuxedo, the first thing they see is he's serious about what he used to, he's playing. And then also when I tried it as an experiment, you know, it changed literally the way people spoke to me. You know, when people come up to me they come with you with respect. Also, you never see a police officer who's on duty without his uniform on. Same thing with the nurse, same thing with the firefighter. You know, and in classical music, whenever you go see musicians on stage, they're always in a tuxedo. So if I'm going to bring that experience, I have to honor that. And I have to make sure that I uphold that responsibility. Let's hear another song. What are we going to hear? We're going to hear Bumble Buggie. And Bumble Buggie is the jam that I play usually during rush hour, because people look like bees in a colony. And so sometimes the Bumble, the bee has all four wings running. Sometimes people are limping. So he's going. Let's do it. Let's do it. This is Ego Cebefia with Bumble Buggie.

16:36This is Ego Cebefia with Bumble Buggie. We are bringing subway musicians out of the station and in to WNYC's to studio five I've been speaking with trumpet player Ego Subbaphia. Do you have your

17:41favorite subway musician do you like till here? Oh he put me on the spot. Next question. I got a few. I got a few but the first one is Gabriel Aldor, also known as Galdo Gumbo and he was the first musician who came and spent time and listened to me and he said wow I love your music but also gave me some pointers. I love when people can be honest and be graceful in being at honest and give you honest critique and so I love that. I love his spirit and I can see when he's playing. He touches people. Do you have connections with commuters? Do you have regulars? Oh my goodness. I've lost count. You know I'll tell you a brief story. So I've been playing at the shuttle train station before the construction and I was at Manhattan School of Music. I was taking 18 credits. I would play from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the morning, Monday through Friday then I'd go to school and it was time for my master's recital and I put a sign out there was three by four just like I would do with my MTA music sign and when I walked out on the stage at Manhattan School of Music for my master's recital it was

18:43standing remotely and it was to the point where people had to leave during an intermission and more people came in and it was something that really opened my eyes to understand in how Kyle was connecting with people in such a short instance of time because people are people are running back and forth going but they see like oh wow I got to support him and they come and they show up and as a musician you're standing in one spot and you're seeing people going and it's very easy for you to see and say oh well maybe no one's listening maybe no ones you know because their days every day is different you're not gonna make the same amount of money every single day and you don't know what what tomorrow brings but that was the one reason so regulars I there's so many and and during the holiday season people have brought me cards so people who I don't even think I know they put a card in and then I open it and it says oh wow I love seeing you here every day and you know there were times where I didn't want to go to work but I'd see you at six in the morning and I'm saying well if he's able to come to work without no expectation I should be able to come to work as well will you play us out what's our last song we're gonna hear someone to watch over me

19:45that song because I believe that God is watching over us and and that's I'm a very religious person I'm a Christian and it's not a Christian song but someone to watch over me that's that's my connection to it this is ego Cebefia playing someone to watch over me

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