“On Thursday morning, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra announced an unexpected gift — $50,000 from country-pop superstar Taylor Swift,” reads an unsigned Thursday (12/3) Seattle Times article. “In a letter to music director Ludovic Morlot, Swift said she was inspired to donate by a recording of John Luther Adams’ Grammy-winning ‘Become Ocean,’ which the Symphony commissioned, premiered at Benaroya Hall in 2013 and then performed at Carnegie Hall the following year as part of the Spring for Music Festival. The composition, Swift wrote, reminded her of going to her local symphony with her grandmother…. Swift’s donation is earmarked for two Seattle Symphony programs: Link Up, a music-education program for elementary-school students … and its musicians’ pension fund…. Swift is known for her philanthropy, giving to disaster-relief organizations and arts education. She has donated to her old Nashville high school to renovate its auditorium, gave $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony for her 24th birthday and pledged $4 million to build a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. ‘We’re especially thankful that she wishes to support our musicians,’ Morlot said, ‘and that she shares our belief that all people should be able to experience symphonic music.’ ”
Posted December 4, 2015
Pictured: Taylor Swift performs at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, August 8, 2015. Photo by Sy Bean / The Seattle Times
