Emily Zamourka says she learned to sing by imitating opera performers on TV while growing up in Russia. Decades later, with her belongings beside her, she began singing at a Los Angeles subway stop—and a police officer’s video of the scene got more than 1 million views.

The video also prompted a crowdfunding effort for the 52-year-old; efforts to find housing for her; and a paid gig on Saturday, singing the same Puccini aria at a Little Italy celebration.

Zamourka told the Los Angeles Times that she had battled through a series of health issues to teach piano and violin lessons, and had played violin on the street for extra cash—until a stranger took and broke her violin in downtown LA. After that, she rode the subways at night with her belongings.

Now, more than 2,100 strangers have contributed $77,000-plus to supplement the $400 a month in government aid she had lived on. A Grammy-nominated producer wants to give her a recording contract. One of several LA Times readers wrote in response to the stories: “She has already inspired many to cheer her on and to applaud her efforts to survive, ultimately to thrive and finally to triumph and share her gift.”

Zamourka is grateful and a little overwhelmed, and she has this advice for encountering people who are homeless, whether or not they have creative talent: "Don't wait until...you discover something. Be there for them. Help them out…Everyone deserves a chance.” (Los Angeles Times)