Acoustic musicians are suddenly being chased out of Central Park.
City officials have started issuing nuisance summonses to performers in the park, and last week posted a "Quiet Zone" sign at the Bethesda Fountain, the New York Post reports.
World-class musicians have been singing and playing their instruments there for years. They say the acoustics in the arcade lend to beautiful performances.
But last week, one former choir director who regularly performed at the Park was arrested after ignoring five summonses from Parks police.
"A month ago they started issuing me summonses because I would not stop singing," the singer, 48-year-old John Boyd, told the New York Post.
Other performers -- opera singers, harpists, and classical guitarists -- told the Post they too have been targeted by police.
A spokesman for the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that runs the park for the city, told the Post: "The fountain is a place for quiet reflection."
