BART invites local musicians to perform in our stations for Bach in the Subways

Above: Brothers Bryan and Lucas played two duets on recorders from Partita in A Minor at Downtown Berkeley Station as part of Bach in the Subways 2023.

BART invites local musicians to join us and Bach in the Subways for a worldwide celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach and his enduring music from March 21 to 31.‬ Bringing music to our stations and holding more events around the system is part of our strategy to activate stations and improve the customer experience.

Come listen to the music in the free areas of select stations or sign up to play music yourself (more info on that below). The Performance Schedule can be found here. We'll update this page with performance days/times as we get closer to the week of March 21.

Bach in the Subways is an international celebration of the German Baroque composer, whose prolific body of work in the early and mid-18th century has been cherished through the centuries. Bach in the Subways was started organically by New York City-based musician Dale Henderson in 2010 and has grown into musicians playing Bach in public spaces, like subway stations, in 150 cities across 40 countries.

‪If you want to perform at a station, there are 3 quick steps to follow:‬

1) Register here.
‪2) Email your selected station and time to [email protected] to apply for an Expressive Activity Permit‬.
‪3) Show up with your permit and play!

For participating musicians, BART requires that they not affix any signs on the walls, do not use amplified music, and only perform in non-paid areas of the stations. Bach in the Subways requires that participating musicians not solicit tips or accept any money as it is meant to be a shared gift of musical joy. Read more about requirements and guidelines here.