Here’s how to audition to play music at a Toronto subway station

Musicians in Toronto have the opportunity to perform at 29 subway stations across the city.

The program, which began in 1980 following a successful pilot project, issues three-year licenses to musicians allowing them to preform within the transit stations. A total of 90 licenses will be awarded, in which musicians can perform on a three-day rotating schedule beginning April 29.

“The TTC is a proud champion of local artists because, like them, the TTC is an integral part of Toronto’s cultural lifeblood,” TTC CEO Rick Leary said. “The Underground Sounds Subway Musicians Program sets a gold standard for public transit engagement and brings a little magic to the daily commute.”

There are currently 10 Underground Sounds Subway Musicians with licenses for the program who play a variety of instruments, including drums, cello, violin, and even a kantele – the national instrument of Finland.

The musicians include solo artists and pairs, and there is no genre requirement.

Applicants are required to upload a five-minute performance video to YouTube highlighting their skills before submitting an online application available on the TTC’s website. The video’s will be assessed and scored by a panel on musicianship, entertainment value and stage presence.

Applications are open until March 31. However, the TTC says that once 175 eligible applications are received, the audition period will close.

Past musicians have included Juno winners, Royal Conservatory of Music graduates, symphony performers and published musicians. The TTC says that they are often approached about playing at special events and private functions or asked to give music lessons from the program’s exposure.

“With TTC ridership on the rise, initiatives like the TTC Underground Sounds Subway Musicians Program add a touch of creativity and entertainment to the daily commute,” TTC Chair Jamaal Myers said. “This programme represents the best of Toronto – the fusion of art and transit, creating a vibrant and inclusive cultural experience and creating a more welcoming subway environment for everyone.”

Musician’s aside, the transit authority has been introducing artwork of other kinds to commuters, too. Most recently, poetry has returned to TTC stations after a 12-year hiatus that saw the cancellation of Poetry on the Way. A similar, but new, initiative has replaced it, called Poems in Passage.

Poems in Passage offers Canadian poets exposure on TTC subways, streetcars and buses.