This work of fiction is based on
Taylor Swift and the Pittsburgh Symphony
Megan was not happy. In fact, she was very angry at her
parents and most of the world. It was
Sunday morning on a beautiful June day. On the previous Friday and Saturday
evenings, Taylor Swift had come to town. The Mayor proudly renamed Pittsburgh
“Swiftsburg.”
Megan idolized Taylor Swift. She streamed all of Swift’s
songs onto her phone and knew many of her lyrics by heart. However, Megan
believed she had missed the biggest event of her young life because her parents
refused to let her participate in “Swiftmania.”
A few of Megan’s friends were lucky enough to score precious
tickets for one of the two Taylor Swift mega-concerts at the Steeler’s stadium.
Other friends had convinced their parents to shell out thousands of dollars to
purchase tickets on the secondary market. Less fortunate friends took the
subway to the stadium, hung out with other “Swifties”, purchased “merch”, and
listened to Taylor perform from the parking lot. Since Megan was not yet 16,
her parents did not allow her to go to the stadium unchaperoned. Her reaction
was to spend the weekend cloistered in her locked bedroom, refusing meals and
any adult interaction.
By Sunday morning, Megan was hungry and needed a shower. She
decided the silent treatment could continue outside her bedroom. As she headed
for the kitchen, Megan’s brother reminded her that it was Father’s Day. She recalled
that her grandmother had purchased two additional tickets for Megan and her
father to attend the final Pittsburgh Symphony concert of the year. “Great,”
thought Megan. “My concert experience to relive with my friends takes place in
a dusty old building surrounded by dusty old people with walkers.” Nonetheless,
Megan decided to accompany her grandmother to the performance because “Nana”
always chose a fantastic location for Sunday Brunch.
When the three symphony goers arrived at Heinz Hall, Megan
helped her grandmother into the building and continued to ignore her father.
Megan thought that the tall-distinguished Black usher who welcomed them was
beyond cool. She noticed a number of well-dressed young women her age being
escorted into the building by their fathers in honor of the special day.
Heinz Hall was all aglow, reminding Megan of a European
palace. Her grandmother’s season tickets were front and center in the fourth
row. As they took their seats, many adults acknowledged Megan and told her how
elegant and grown-up she looked. It was impossible for Megan not to smile and
thank her grandmother’s symphony friends for their kind words.
As the orchestra filtered in and took their seats, Megan was
surprised by the youthful appearance and diversity of the players. Her grandmother
had proudly explained the many awards and honors bestowed on the Pittsburgh
Symphony. Megan was getting excited to hear how so many musicians could play
together as one
The orchestra opened with “Roman Festivals” by the composer Respighi. Megan was surrounded by
the most magnificent sound she had ever heard. Maestro Manfred Honeck led each
instrument into its individual moment of grandeur before the unifying harmony
of the orchestra flooded the Hall.
Nothing could have prepared Megan for what happened during
the following soloist presentation. A tall thin twenty-year-old Spanish
violinist, Maria Duenas, took the stage in a bright red dress, exuding all the
confidence of a musician twice her age. If the visual image was not enough her
violin sprang into action, beginning her interpretation of the flamboyant Selections for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 21,
by Edouard Lalo.
An awe-struck New York Times reviewer once described Ms.
Duenas at work as “slashing at the violin so furiously she could have drawn
blood from the strings.” No one in attendance on Sunday would disagree. Her
performance was exemplary, and her emotional output was over the moon. Megan
was so overwhelmed that she forgot she was angry with her father and grabbed
his hand. She knew that she had heard a true musical “rock star” that could
hold her own with Taylor Swift.
When Ms. Duenas was done, the normally composed Heinz Hall
audience gave her three rousing standing ovations. The patrons were honored
with a short, soft encore to demonstrate her versatility. Next came
intermission and the audience headed for the restrooms and the beautiful
outdoor Heinz Hall waterfall.
Under a tree in the enclosed outdoor park, Grandmother
beckoned to Megan and her father. She
held an envelope and a book and explained their purpose to Megan. “For your sweet-16th
birthday, I was going to purchase two tickets for you and your father to the Taylor
Swift concert. Instead, I bought these.” Inside the envelope were two tickets
to Spain and Italy with hotel reservations and expense money. “After today’s
performance, I thought father and daughter should visit the countries that
inspired the music.”
Next, Megan’s grandmother explained the book. “Your first
stop is Barcelona. This novel, The Shadow
of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, will unfold the city before your
imagination.”
Megan hugged her grandmother and her father. The second half
of the concert with stirring Roman music was not as well remembered as the
first. She could not wait to get home and text her friends to tell them about
her newfound musical love and her upcoming adventure. Megan began reading the Spanish novel that
very evening.
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