Tristan Clarke and Joe Buono have taken the Internet by storm with their melodica arrangements of classical hits.

The Melodica Men began as two guys playing toy instruments for fun, but the duo has taken the Internet by storm with their sophisticated melodica arrangements of classical hits. Tristan Clarke and Joe Buono became friends while studying music at the Peabody Conservatory and have been playing melodica together since May 2016. They have toured to Seattle and Paris, funding their trips by busking, and in September last year their video of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring went viral. They have since performed with the Jacksonville Symphony and been featured on ABC’s The Gong Show and appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Tristan and Joe are both brass players by trade – Tristan, a graduate of the Juilliard School, is principal trumpet with the Jacksonville Symphony, while Joe has earned two Masters degrees from Peabody and currently teaches and composes. Limelight caught up with the pair to talk melodicas.

Melodica Men, Rite of SpringThe Melodica Men busking in Paris.

How did the two of you come to play melodica?

Joe...