December 3, 2015
Michael Cooper / The New York Times
It might not be what some people would expect to find on her playlist. But it turns out that Taylor Swift is a fan of the Seattle Symphony’s recording of “Become Ocean,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning work by John Luther Adams — so much so that it inspired her to make a $50,000 donation to the orchestra, it announced on Thursday.
Ms. Swift, one of today’s most popular and powerful pop stars, praised the recording of Mr. Adams’s large-scale, hypnotic, environmentally aware “Become Ocean” in a letter she wrote to the orchestra’s music director, Ludovic Morlot.
“I was thrilled to hear that Taylor was moved by ‘Become Ocean,’ like all of us at the Seattle Symphony,” Mr. Morlot said in a statement. “This is a powerful piece with a unique soundscape. We’re especially thankful that she wishes to support our musicians, and that she shares our belief that all people should be able to experience symphonic music.”
Ms. Swift’s gift to the orchestra will be used to support an educational program called “Link Up: Seattle Symphony” that works with elementary school students, and to bolster the musicians’ pension fund. In her letter to Mr. Morlot, the orchestra said, she reminisced fondly about attending orchestral concerts with her grandmother.
Mr. Adams, reached as he left a rehearsal of “Become Ocean” with the New World Symphony, said that he was pleased to hear of her gift.
“I’m delighted,’’he said in an email. “Through her generosity and her open ears, Taylor Swift is inviting her fans to experience a new and different kind of music.”
It was not immediately clear how Ms. Swift came to hear the piece, which the Seattle Symphony commissioned. Of course, both Ms. Swift and Mr. Adams have something in common — they are Grammy Award winners. The recording of “Become Ocean,” released by Cantaloupe Music, won a Grammy for best contemporary classical composition, while Ms. Swift has won seven of the awards.
In the past, a favorable mention of an artist by Ms. Swift on one of her widely followed social media accounts has been known to boost sales and fortunes. It will be interesting to see if the Swift effect will carry over to a different genre, with a modern orchestral work.
