JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Southwest customers reunite with their luggage after the company's holiday fiasco, you may be glad you're not spending as much time at the airport.
There is something happening there to lift your spirits whether you're running to catch your flight or you've got plenty of time to spare. Next time you're inside Jacksonville International Airport, pause and listen; the airport piano man may be playing the new theme song to your travels.
"Playing piano in an airport, I mean, it's as wild as it sounds," said Pianist and Composer Jeremy Weinglass.
You can thank Weinglass for the song in your head while you board your plane. He's played in busy places before, like malls during the holidays, and says the airport is especially exciting because "anything can happen."
"Sometimes you don't know if there's going to be a crowd or if they're going to run right by you," he said. "But that's always the exciting mystery of what happens. It's providing music for people who are essentially either in a rush or have a lot of down time and everything in between so energies can be all over the place. I'm just thrilled to provide music and it always lifts people's hearts and energies."
Playing at the airport is a volunteer gig as part of JIA's arts and culture program. Weinglass and his family recently moved across the country to Jacksonville. Now he sets the tone for your trip, keeping your mood out of a minor key.
"It was really beautiful in how he played it," said Caroline Edwards while she was waiting in the airport.
"I actually travel a lot for work so I get to hear them play every time I'm here," said Kristina Helmer as she waited in a rocking chair with her child. "We love that they're here and that they do it."
Weinglass says he loves seeing different people enjoy the different genres of music he plays.
"It could have been their anniversary song or just reminds them of their mother or father that passed away," he said. "These are priceless moments for people and it's it humbles me to know that just through a song that people can have these experiences and that can be remembered forever."
An ever-changing audience of thousands of people streaming through are all sharing a space in time and a piano note.
Learn more about Weinglass's music and the types of events he plays here. Learn more about JIA's arts and culture program here.