Last Thursday, I was privileged to participate as one of the volunteers at the “Malden Reads Kickoff Event” that was held at our city’s precious architectural wonder, the Malden Public Library. What made this evening even more special was the way everyone entered…through the original doors on Salem Street which were built along with the rest of the building by the renowned architect, H.H. Richardson in 1885.
It was great to see over 200 people gathering in the old section of the building that I had come to know so well as a youngster when I visited those lofty rooms on a daily basis during my days as an eager student seeking knowledge. The main concert was held in the Ryder Gallery that is home to some very famous paintings, some which I even copied as watercolors when I was a young boy learning to become an artist.
This was a true celebration with the building filled with the sounds of chamber music, people enjoying delicious refreshments and plenty of conversation between city members discussing art, the book, “The Soloist” and the beauty of people coming together to celebrate reading and the community we live in.’
Historic tours of the library were offered to delighted visitors and portions of the building were opened to the public that have been hidden for far too long. There were plenty of promotional items and information given out to promote upcoming events and activities as well as resources being made available regarding the themes talked about in the book. The non-profit organizations, Housing Families and Bread of Life were two of the agencies prominently displayed.
As people arrived and engaged in conversation, a group students from the Malden High School band played string music using both violins and a cello in the Carr Gallery. It was a delightful backdrop of music as each participant enjoyed some food, discussed the theme of the book and prepared for the two half-hour performances to be held in the Ryder Gallery.
The main concert featured music played by Anton Sviridenko who is a local musician, a student at the Berklee School of Music and has been blind since birth. During the performance there were readings from The Soloist that were performed by students from the Malden High School drama club between Anton’s performance on the violin and the piano. A slide show was also presented during the evening showing both subjects of the book, the author, Steve Lopez and the gifted musician, Nathaniel Ayers. The whole performance was hosted by Ose Manheim.
It turned out to be a wonderful evening; full of music, friendship and discussion. It is this spirit of community that has come to represent such a positive experience for everyone. In all my years being part of this city, I have never seen a project work with such a varied group of people from the students and teachers of our public schools to the many civic and non-profit groups surrounding the city. From politicians to your average person in the street, everyone has come together to share this amazing experience called reading and in the process discovered who we are as a community and what a gem we have in our Malden Public Library.
And although, it was up to Steve Rose and I to chop and shovel the front walk, we were both honored to have been a part of its success. Of course to us it was, one city, one shovel.
But seriously, it might be just one book, but this city has come together like never before and I look forward to the final event at the newly refurbished Jenkins Auditorium in April.
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