iN VIDEO: West Kelowna musician gives free performance to neighbourhood from her balcony

Niki Martinus wanted to respect social distancing regulations and play some music for her neighbours in Glenrosa.

She took to her balcony Saturday afternoon, after welcoming others in the neighbourhood to listen from a safe distance in a Facebook group. Martinus was surprised to see people that she didn’t recognize who showed up.

“Honestly it was just a whim the day before. It was a nice day and a lot of my fellow musicians and friends were live-streaming stuff on Facebook and I miss playing.

“I had just been ramping up to actually start gigging again as I had taken the winter off and now, of course, everything has been cancelled… I was feeling kind of sad so I said, ‘you know what, the sun is going to be shining tomorrow, maybe I could invite a couple neighbours and play my music outside.’”

Playing from the balcony of her home on Galloway Road, she also had some assistance from her son who played drums with her.

“It totally shocked me with the response I got,” she said.

Martinus doesn’t have any plans to do another balcony concert at the moment, it’s “one day at a time right now. If things continue to go as they are right now, I think we’re probably going to be home for quite a while here.”

“When the weather is nice I can absolutely see myself doing this again,” she said.

READ MORE: Confused about your responsibilities to stay home? Dr. Bonnie Henry clarifies

The province has banned gatherings larger than 50 people as COVID-19 continues to spread.

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