Tufts Blogs

The lights dim in the concert hall. Silence fills the expectant air as the backstage door opens. Thunderous applause follows the maestro as he walks to the podium. Bowing to the audience is John Williams. THE John Williams. Composer of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, E.T., Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and on and on and on. With a goofy grin, I look at my friends and see that they are just as excited about this as I am. As an avid listener of film music, I sit back and listen as a dream of mine comes true. 

Over the weekend I went to the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s “Concert for Our City.” As a celebration of the first live event since COVID, the BSO held a completely free performance. The program was incredibly diverse, jumping from Beethoven to John Williams to Bartók, and as someone who equally loves Schoenberg, Mozart, and Shore (although I do have a special soft spot for film music), I was excited for all of it. I knew this was an unmissable opportunity, but thinking that classical music at the symphony hall wasn’t a typical ideal weekend for a college student, I wasn’t sure that I should mention it. To my surprise, when my friends and I were talking about weekend plans and I mentioned the opportunity to go to the symphony, I was met with excitement. We dropped our other possible plans for Sunday and quickly reserved four tickets. I was thrilled that a group that included a pre-med student, a history major, and a Combined Degree SMFA student were enthusiastic to hear classical music at the symphony. 

To get to the performance, we took the SMFA shuttle, which is a free bus ride for all Tufts students that goes from campus to the SMFA (which is also right next to the MFA…), and then walked to the symphony hall. Walking around Boston was a nice breath of fresh air that contrasted the homey of Tufts’ more suburban campus. When we entered the hall, I felt like I was transported to the movie Amadeus. Golden architectural ornaments surrounded the railings. Neoclassical statues proudly stood along the walls, and right in the middle was a massive golden gateway graced with the name “Beethoven.” My friends and I were in awe before we ever heard a note of music. The concert was equally grandiose, and of course I got to see and hear John Williams, who is perhaps my biggest idol, in person. While I can’t promise another free symphony performance (although you do get discounts if you show your Tufts ID…), the availability of Boston provides resources for many different interests.

 In high school I probably would’ve been ostracized for geeking out about classical music. At Tufts it is refreshing and liberating to be surrounded by people who valued my passions, even if they aren’t as into them as I am. Moments like these not only allow me to pursue my passions, but also help me fully realize who I am and how to be myself. If I’m continuously supported when being vulnerable, what used to be vulnerable will become natural and I can act as my authentic self. There’s also something to be said about the beneficial osmosis effect of a diverse and authentic group of people. This weekend I exposed my friends to classical music, but they’ve exposed me to painting, (which I hadn’t done since I was 8), music from the 70s, and British espionage agents. While these connections are not unique to Tufts, in my own experience it has been easy to find groups of diverse and authentic people here because of the unique atmosphere at Tufts.