To set the stage, I was a weird kid.
And by weird, I mean that I didn’t listen to popular music until I was 12 years old. While all of my classmates were engaging in the eternal debate of Backstreet Boys v. N*SYNC, dressing up as their favorite Spice Girl for Halloween, and going to their first real concerts, I had the radio constantly tuned to Classic 99. (Note: I was totally allowed to listen to popular music… I just didn’t want to.)
While all this was going on, I started being more involved in music. I started taking piano lessons in 2nd grade, joined our district’s orchestra program in 4th grade (the second I could), and dabbled in choirs and musicals off and on from kindergarten through high school. I even had a brief stint on the pipe organ in 8th grade, special shoes and all.
So, it will come as no surprise that I am still (for lack of a better word) a huge classical music nerd. I own the 50 Most Essential Pieces of Classical Music on my iPod (it was $6.99, how could I say no?), am completely obsessed with pieces like Serenade for Strings, the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 5th, Holst’s The Planets, anything by Aaron Copland (specifically Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring)… yeah, you get the picture.
While I was an intern out in Seattle, I went to the symphony twice — once by myself for a performance called Disney in Concert, and again with my then-roommate Audrey, for The Planets. Now that I am back in STL on a more permanent basis, I love getting dressed up to go to the Symphony at Powell Hall! Janelle (former college roomie) and I went to see Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 in November. And now I am super, super lucky to have this guy in my life who appreciates music. 🙂 It’s a good thing that he’s not obsessed like I am, because that is frankly just not healthy.
Kevin and I went to the symphony last Saturday, for a performance of Mozart’s 39th Symphony, among other pieces. The program also featured selections by Rameau and Haydn, and as a nod to the city’s 250th anniversary, two of the pieces were from the 1763-1764 time period. It was so wonderful to enjoy classical music with someone so great sitting next to me — and as I’ve said on multiple occasions over the past few weeks, you can teach someone to appreciate music, but you cannot teach a sports obsession.
I can’t wait to go to the symphony again! 🙂
Kate
P.S. Look for a post next week on my travels to Wichita!
Planes & Pink 
[…] I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t listening to classical music. When everyone else was listening to the Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC, I was busy tuning in to Classic 99. (To this day, I don’t have a stance on the boy band allegiance question.) So yes, I consider myself a classical music nerd. […]