Story

When I was thirteen years old, I decided to be a professional musician. There were no musicians in my family to consult with on my decision. However, my mother told me to write a letter to an old friend of my grandfather, someone who taught him to play "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" on the piano and with whom he staged opera for the neighbors in Boston when they were just children. My grandfather's friend had decided very early in life to become a musician and he reached the pinnacle of fame and success. So, I sent the letter asking first what my grandfather was like - since I never had the chance to know him - and then asking for advice on my chosen path from a person who had made the same decision as I had many years before.

That week my grandfather's musician friend passed away. His name was Leonard Bernstein.

I never received a response. But with time, driven by the desire to know more about my grandfather's life, I discovered his old friend. And in Bernstein, I discovered his love for music, his intensity, poetry, ideas, art, the perfect example and inspiration to follow, an understanding of the importance of music and the commitment that musicians have in this world.

I feel that my letter was answered after all.

Jessica Warren-Acosta