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Colin Huggins (born January 6, 1978) is an American classical pianist and street performer in New York City. He is known for his frequent performances in New York City on a
grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
which he transports and plays outside, and he has become known as "the piano man of
Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
".


Early life

Huggins grew up in Decatur, Georgia, where he began playing guitar at an early age and took piano lessons from ages 16 to 20. Other than those lessons, he is largely
self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individu ...
on the piano. For income, he worked odd jobs, such as baking and working as a bike messenger. A visit to Boston led Huggins to develop an interest in performing piano in a professional capacity for ballet. He worked as a ballet accompanist until his girlfriend broke up with him and in 2003, Huggins moved to New York City and became an accompanist for the American Ballet Theatre for several years and also worked as the music director at Joffrey Ballet School.


Career

In 2007, he performed in
Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
and enjoyed the experience so much that he became a full-time street performer. Huggins would transport a beat-up
upright piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
that he purchased from
Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Craig Newmark began the ...
to Father Demo Square and Union Square. He performed there until police and nearby residents complained about the large crowds he would attract. Huggins then began to play piano two or three times a week in
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
stations and at Washington Square Park, playing for up to twelve hours at a time. In 2011, Huggins accumulated fines of $6,000 from the
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...
for performing near monuments and park benches. In 2012, the policy changed to allow performers like Huggins to continue to perform. Huggins noted the historical connection that
Washington Square Arch The Washington Square Arch, officially the Washington Arch, is a marble memorial arch in Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by architect Stanford White in 1891, it commemor ...
has to pianists, citing
Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;  – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...
's sponsorship of its construction in 1892. Huggins has used crowdfunding campaigns to purchase
baby grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
s for his outdoor performances. In 2018, Huggins raised $30,000 on Kickstarter to purchase a 900-pound 1958 Steinway B grand piano that ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described as "the majestic lure that helps draw audiences to him." Huggins is known for inviting listeners to lie beneath his pianos while he plays. His pianos bear an inscription reading "
this machine kills fascists "This machine kills fascists" is a message that Woody Guthrie placed on his guitar in the mid 1940s, starting in 1943. Conception Circa 1943, in the midst of World War II, Guthrie wrote the war song "Talking Hitler's Head Off Blues". This was pr ...
", inspired by a sticker that
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...
placed on his guitar during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
that bore the same message.


Impact of COVID-19

In 2020, the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
severely impacted Huggins' ability to earn sufficient income by performing. He moved performances online during the lockdown and made attempts to adapt his act to further support himself.


In creative works

Huggins has made appearances in television series, including as himself in 2011 on the series '' Louie'' and in 2020 on '' Little Voice''.


Personal life

Huggins is
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
. In September 2022 Huggins became homeless and sleeps on top of his piano in the park at night.


References


External links

* *, Harry Smith, '' Sunday Today'', June 29, 2020 *, by
Michelle Miller Michelle Miller is a national correspondent for CBS News and currently serves as a co-host on ''CBS Saturday Morning''. She has also served as a substitute anchor on ''CBS Mornings'' and ''48 Hours on ID''. Early life Miller was born in Los Ang ...
, CBS, March 16, 2013 (not viewable outside US) {{DEFAULTSORT:Huggins, Colin 1978 births 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists 21st-century classical pianists American classical pianists American male pianists American street performers Classical musicians from New York (state) Living people Male classical pianists Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Musicians from New York City People from Decatur, Georgia