Music to Drive Away Loiterers

It’s happening all around the world: train stations, shopping malls, and local governments have found themselves forced to turn to classical music in their efforts to keep loiterers at bay. As the Los Angeles Times reports, “Whether it’s Handel piped into New York’s Port Authority or Tchaikovsky at a public library in London, the sound of classical music is apparently so repellent to teenagers that it sends them scurrying away like frightened mice.”

When Gil Shaham – hailed by Time magazine as “the outstanding American violinist of his generation” – heard the news he combed the catalog of his recording label, Canary Classics, to create Music to Drive Away Loiterers, the perfect compilation to deter anyone! A timely release in the U.S. on April 1.

The concerned Grammy Award- and Avery Fisher Prize-winner explains: “As a violinist dedicated to his art, I have always looked for ways to help the Greater Good. When I heard that classical music was being used to drive away loiterers, I knew I had finally found my calling. I hope people enjoy this album. Or not. Whatever.”