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A pianist has become an overnight sensation after his performance at a cafe took an unexpected twist. Emil Reinert was at the Dritan Alsela coffee shop in Dusseldorf, Germany, earlier this week when he launched into a piece from the opera ‘La Traviata’. The surrounding diners looked bewildered at the musical outburst as they sat casually sipping their drinks. However, Reinert himself was left with “goosebumps” when a man sitting across the room suddenly erupted into song. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The stranger with the Royal Albert Hall-worthy voice accompanied the piano player until the end of the verse, at which point a second surprise performer piped in. The man’s friend, who was sitting opposite him, also turned out to be an opera singer and, together, the trio wrapped up the impromptu rendition to rapturous applause. @emiliopiano I met 2 SINGERS in a CAFÉ!! ? @Dritan Alsela Song: Libiamo ne' lieti calici Opera: La Traviata #piano #singing #verdi #traviata #libiamo #publicpiano #classicaltok #classicalmusic #opera #dritanalsela Reinert, who goes by the username emiliopiano on TikTok, posted a video of the spontaneous show, with the caption: “I met 2 SINGERS in a CAFÉ!!” In the overlay text to the two-minute clip, he wrote: “This is what happens when you play Italian music in a café.” He then wrote that he was “so happy” when the man joined him and noted that everyone in the room “soon became silent” and started filming on their phones. The Franco-German musician concluded his video by hailing the experience as proof of the unifying power of music. The recording racked up a staggering 53.9 million views in just two days, as fellow TikTokers shared their delight at the heartwarming display. “These people just got free tickets to a very expensive show,” one commented. “It’s fun cause they probably get paid to sing [...] so this was just for the moment,” wrote another. “As a former dancer I can tell you some people just love their art and share it anywhere anytime,” pointed out a third. “Music is a universal language even if you don’t understand the lyrics you can find beauty in the song,” said a fourth. And a fifth said: “I would love to be somewhere when this happens. It makes me so happy to see spontaneous joyful music.” Meanwhile, a number of killjoys were quick to flag that the whole thing was most probably “staged”. Reinert has amassed 2.2 million followers on TikTok thanks to his videos which have been shot in unlikely settings around Europe, from airports to beaches. Each one sees him happily tickling the ivories on his own before he’s joined by a “surprise” bystander who happens to have brought along an instrument or an exceptional singing voice. @emiliopiano I met a VIOLINIST at the Airport ?! ❤️ #piano #pianogare #mentalhealthawarenessweek #tohelpmyanxiety #pianoengare #pianoairport #violin #violinist #pianoduo #pianoduet #pianoduetchallenge #pianotutorial #pianomusic #pianolesson #pianoplayer #pianist #pianocover #pianotok @RIOPY And yet, as many fans point out, it doesn’t matter that the whole thing is pre-planned. “I know these are staged,” one viewer wrote. “But they still make me cry the happy tears.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called young innovators and campaigners to congratulate them on being awarded a share of a multimillion-dollar prize to boost their efforts. Harry and Meghan rang some of the 26 recipients who will receive the financial award from the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund – and joked that their children were “incredibly grateful”. The couple’s Archewell Foundation is a founding member of the initiative which has a number of aims including shaping the “tech ecosystem to safeguard human rights” and “mitigating the harmful impacts of technology in communities”. Holding a mobile between himself and Meghan, Harry said to one winner: “Thank you for doing everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful.” The Sussexes have a son Archie and a daughter Lilibet, and Megan added: “They don’t know it yet – but they will.” The fund raised 2 million US dollars (£1.6m) from backers and awarded amounts ranging from 25,000 dollars (£19,700) to 200,000 dollars (£157,000) — based on the stage of the organisation and funding needs. The recipients will work on a range of innovative projects, including responsible use of artificial intelligence; improving education access; leveraging platforms to address social and environmental challenges and promoting the safety and well-being of online communities. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live