I was fortunate enough to attend Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music three out of the six days it was going on. Spring For Music was a four year program of six days of music every spring. For these four years Carnegie hosted Orchestras from across the nation: Seattle symphony, Nashville Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra etc. This program was extremely assessable to the public. An individual could purchase a ticket for just twenty-five dollars, and in looking at some of the other events Carnegie holds it appears that ticket prices usually start at about double that.
I felt extremely privileged to attend Spring For Music three nights, not only because being from the west coast this is a rare experience but also because this year was the last of Spring For Music at Carnegie Hall. Each night was a new and different experience. Each Symphony: the Seattle Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was a different and beautiful experience. Having the ability to attend this event more than one night allowed me to see not only how diverse the orchestras were but also the diversity in the selection of music. The Seattle Symphony played Debussy’s La Mer, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed Merry Mount, and the Pittsburgh Symphony performed Mozartz’s Requiem. Each of these varied from orchestra music, to choir to opera.
Every night was a unique and beautiful experience. I’m sure that this is due to varied aspects of the experience as a whole. First I have never seen a professional orchestra. I was informed by my friend who plays in community orchestras across the state of Washington that these people practice more than the average person works. The second is that the performances were held in the iconic Carnegie Hall. Lastly, each night went perfectly, there were no hiccups or mistakes made, which I assume is the norm for professionals. There was not a single moment that I was not mesmerized. I am unsure if this is because each symphony was amazing or because I have a secret love for classical music. Each night was complete with goose bumps and a renewed sense of awe.