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OP-ED: Two musical superstars light up Pittsburgh

5 min read

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 “Swiftsburgh.”

Megan idolized Taylor Swift. She streamed all of Swift’s songs onto her phone and knew many of the 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 Swift mega-concerts at Acrisure 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 Swift 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 symphonygoers 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 auditorium.

Nothing could have prepared Megan for what happened during the following soloist presentation. A tall, thin 20-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 awestruck New York Times reviewer once described 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 Swift.

When 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, Megan’s grandmother beckoned to her and her father. She held an envelope and a book and explained its purpose to Megan. “For your sweet 16 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.

Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.

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