The View From Here: Saturday Nights at The Florida Orchestra

I didn't fall in love with the symphony. I fell in love with someone who did.

More than twenty years ago, before Michael, I had never sat through an orchestra performance. My ear ran from hip-hop to jazz, not classical strings.

He had held the same Boston Symphony Orchestra seats for years, so I became a subscriber too. The music didn't convert me overnight, but I grew to love listening to it.

When we moved to St. Petersburg, we did what we always do.

We found our seats again, this time at The Mahaffey Theater with The Florida Orchestra.

This past spring gave us one of those evenings that reminded me why these nights are so wonderful.

We started at Sonata, the restaurant overlooking Tampa Bay and the theater lobby below. A quiet dinner before the lights dim. A pianist playing softly nearby.

The performance was close to sold out, as these often are. People dress up. Families bring children of every age, and somehow they all know how to sit still and listen.

At intermission, everyone spills into the lobby with a glass of wine. You find yourself catching up with old friends or striking up a conversation with someone you've never met.

The love of music is the common denominator.

Afterward, we had the luxury of walking a few blocks home to our downtown condo, the night warm and the music still sitting with us.

I have lived in cities with symphonies that outrank this one on paper and in reputation.

But there is something about these Saturday nights for me. Dinner with a Tampa Bay view, familiar faces at intermission, and home on foot.

It creates a sense of community I never anticipated finding in St. Pete.

It isn't really about the music.

It's about the people you keep running into when you come to listen.

The View From Here | Weekend Series

Jon Kelly
The Tenpenny Collection | St. Petersburg, Florida
Real Estate Sales Associate | Exclusive Buyer Representation