TAYLOR MURRAY

On her first Pops concert experience

“If you quit now, you’ll never come back”

These are the words my friend Lydia said to me last year after I told her I had decided to quit CSO (Campus Symphony Orchestra). It wasn’t any easy decision to make, given that I had been in an orchestra for the past eight years and it was automatic for me to just join an orchestra when I came to U of M. But this orchestra was nothing like my old high school orchestra was. I missed my hilarious viola section who regarded me as their Grandma, my dorky conductor who called people cats unironically, and the feeling of a community. I wasn’t looking for just a place to play music, I wanted to be able to receive smiles from people around me and write their names in my music when we shared a melody together. I left CSO the second semester but Lydia’s words haunted me, would I ever play again?

After not playing the whole summer, I felt like I had lost a part of me. I figured I’d try out Pops and see if I liked it, so I started practicing my audition. Flash forward to our first rehearsals and I am beaming at Lydia because we are both principals of our sections. We pull out the music: Prince of Egypt, Russlan and Ludmilla, The Lion King, Emperor Waltz, Chronicles of Narnia, Almost There, and I love them all! It became a wonderful routine: carpool to rehearsal, get hit a couple times by Ben’s bow, groan when we had to play Ruslan so fast, listen to Rotem’s side comments and Stephanie’s subsequent chortle (which is glorious by the way), play some music, make some Pops puns, then get carpooled back to my dorm (usually while singing to the Enchanted/Sound of Music soundtrack). I felt like I was reunited with the sense of community I had back home.

It’s finally time for the concert and I have basically berated everyone I know to come. When the lights go down on the theater there is a familiar feeling of release, that we are going to put it all on the table for the audience and they can take it or leave it. I look at Lydia to start our Game of Thrones duet, and it is one of the most epic things I’ve ever experienced. The concert whirls by, and finally the crowd is on their feet. I know this is the cue for the Victors, which I was not exactly excited to play. But when Rotem gave the cue I suddenly felt a wave of energy I never had before. Everyone in the hall knew this song and felt inspired to join in. I went from being in an orchestra of 100 people to 1000 people in a matter of seconds. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of. I feel so lucky that I’ve found this group of passionate, funny, intelligent people and I’m so excited to spread the Pops Love for years to come.

Taylor Murray is currently a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. She enjoys doing puzzles, playing euchre/board games, and singing all the parts in Les Mis at one time.

12/1/18