You’ve probably seen advertisements for Peabody concerts in the daily announcements. A few of you may have even thought about going to one.
Well if you’re sick of the frat scene, the Inner Harbor or sitting alone in your room, a Peabody instrumental concert is the weekend activity that will make everyone think you’re hip and happenin’.
Typically, an ensemble or orchestral concert will blast your ears with glorious music for anywhere from one to three hours and generally cost a mere $5. The concerts are completely instrumental unless otherwise stated but this doesn’t mean that they’re boring.
Sitting down and focusing on only music can be really lovely and relaxing. Hopefully it’s not so relaxing that you fall asleep, but if you do, don’t worry. My Peabody insiders tell me that sometimes even they fall asleep for a piece or two.
The concerts vary, so choose a genre or ensemble that appeals to you.
I recommend the jazz concerts. Both the music and the audience are generally more relaxed. (When I went, some of the listeners were whooping and audibly expressing their satisfaction with mhmm’s and aww yeah’s.)
So, maybe I’ve convinced you to go to a concert, but what about transportation?
The Peabody Conservatory is a short five-minute shuttle ride on the JHMI (the Jimmy) from the stop in front of Barnes and Noble to the heart of Mount Vernon. (No, not George Washington’s house. Mount Vernon is a trendy Baltimore neighborhood filled with ethnic restaurants, nice cafés and other fun places for young, attractive people such as yourself to enjoy.)
The bus stops right at Peabody, about a 30 second walk from the beautiful, classically decorated halls where the concerts are held. This is a plus especially now, when the last place you want to be is out in the windy cold.
The concerts are also the perfect excuse to step out lookin’ fine. If dressing up sounds like a huge pain, you can still go to the concert without any fashion hassle. The dress code for the concerts ranges from fancy livin’ to daily casual. Just don’t show up in sweatpants and you’ll be fine.
With the exception of the rare faculty concert, all of the concerts are performed by Peabody students. They love music, and as cheesy as it sounds, it really shows.
These concerts aren’t like your little brother’s piano recital. It’s a chance to hear the future players of the New York Phil Harmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra at the start of their musical careers.
So try a Peabody concert next weekend, if only because you’ve always wanted to know what a lute sounded like.
