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Violists serenade customers at Quincy Gas
Drivers got more than fuel, as musicians played personalized serenades at the pump.
On a mild April morning, the steady rhythm of cars pulling in and out of Quincy Gas was interrupted by something unusual: live classical music drifting beneath the metal canopy.
Just weeks after owner Harvey Kertzman publicly sought live viola performances at the pumps, four musicians arrived on April 10 to turn it into a reality — not in a concert hall, but at a working gas station with engines idling and passing traffic.
Selected from a pool of eight applicants, the musicians were chosen by Kertzman not just for their availability but for their passion and commitment to the instrument.
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“They’re all dedicated to violas – so dedicated that you can’t help but fall in love with the instrument because their passion is so pure,” Kertzman said. “It’s an incredible feeling to watch them play with such heart, and that’s what it’s all about.”
For the musicians, the setting was as unique as advertised.
“It’s definitely one of the most unconventional or unusual gigs I’ve ever played,” said Luke Norman, 24, a Jamaica Plain–based violinist and recent Berklee College of Music graduate said. He performed on a five-string violin that extends into a viola’s range.
The format was simple: as customers pulled up, a musician would approach and offer a brief, one-on-one performance.
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“It was well received. The customers loved it,” Kertzman said.
That intimacy felt “really meaningful” to violist Caroline Leguia, 35, of Milton.
“You start playing when that person pulls up, and you play just for that one person,” she said. “You read their energy, and you tailor what you’re doing to them.”
Sometimes that meant adjusting on the fly.
“There was one man who pulled up, and I was playing something fairly upbeat in a major key, but he asked if I could play anything more cheerful and and I just sort of read his energy and recognized that he was maybe not having a great day,” Leguia said. “He asked for something to lift the spirits.”
She pivoted to Humoresques by Antonín Dvořák, an upbeat and playful piece.
“I could tell that that was exactly what he needed as I was playing it,” she added.
Reactions ranged from surprise to gratitude.
“One guy said we made his day,” Norman said. “A couple other people said that they really enjoyed it, and were surprised to hear great music at the gas station – and live music nonetheless.”
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Between individual serenades, the musicians also found time to play together. A few of them brought iPads and music stands, and gathered together to play Bach chorales — a moment Norman called his favorite part of the day.
“Bach is actually one of the big reasons I got into music to begin with, so it was super fun to play his material at the gas station,” he said.
Kertzman said the sound carried better than expected.
“It reflected off the canopy as good as the Hatch Shell in Boston,” he said.
It caught the musicians off guard as well.
“The acoustics there are incredible,” Leguia said. “I joked that it was our own little Jordan Hall. We were all shocked.”
Beyond novelty, both musicians said the experience tapped into something deeper: access to art.
“To be able to access art is such a privilege,” Leguia said. “To get to see what music can do for an individual when you’re a foot away from them is just amazing.”
Kertzman, who has long infused the station with personal touches — from free bottled water to inspirational sayings written atop the gas pumps — said his goal remains simple: “It put a smile on their face, and that’s all I’m looking for.”
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“They’re spending so much money on gas, might as well they go away happy,” he said.
The April 10 performance may be just the beginning. Kertzman said he is already planning additional appearances and even considering a larger summer concert under the canopy.
For the musicians, the appeal is clear: a chance to bring high-level performance into everyday life.
“To get to play an impromptu concert one-on-one for someone at the gas pump, is not something that would have been in my radar when I was a kid,” Leguia said. “There is something really special that [Kertzman’s] doing. It’s out of love for the community, and it’s out of love for music.”
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