"I make that decision (selection of songs) based on the audience. The response I get helps me decide which song to play."
Turner's song list ranges from the jazz standards of Duke Ellington's Satin Doll to Oscar Peterson's Hymn to Freedom, the jazz version of the well-known Hey Jude and the locals' favorite The Moon Speaks for My Heart.
"The metro concert allows more space for free play and it reminds me of when I was 18 years old, we used to play where everybody shops with the keyboard set up and guitar case open. People put in a dollar or two when they passed by," he says.
Young classical pianist Ping Youzhi, who described herself as the type who is easily influenced by the surrounding environment, enjoyed playing for her new audience at the metro station. She played melodies such as Turkish March and For Elise.
"Usually you would dress up in formal dress code for classical concerts. You would not be late or walk out. But, it's a completely different experience to play in metro stations - some of the audience only stay for one piece and there are even some who stay only for a couple of seconds," she says.
Ping says she used to get angry with spectators who cough and make noise as "the most wonderful moment becomes interrupted for no reason and as a performer, you would get frustrated in such circumstances".
"But I never feel that way during metro concerts because the purpose is to educate the audience and let more people know about classical music," she says.
China’s weekly story
(2013.5.18- 5.24)
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