Owen Young, Cellist, Lenox, Massachusetts

A warm evening breeze drifts over Tanglewood. The muted sounds of flutes, clarinets, violins, and a harp join the rustle of pine boughs overhead. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is tuning up, preparing for tonight’s concert: Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle and a Brahms symphony.

Cellist Owen Young walks among the picnickers, tucking away their hampers. They spread blankets on the lawn and smile at him eagerly. He heads for the stage with cello case tucked under his arm. He holds more than the instrument he has played for most of his life: He carries the promise of brilliant talent under an equally brilliant sky.

Handsome in concert dress, Owen points up at a tree and looks surprised at its size: “Wow, that’s grown.” He refers to a time 20 years ago when he was a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center. The tree was smaller then, and he was younger, studying under BSO musicians. Owen looks beyond the tree to an expanse of rolling green grass and the distant Berkshire Hills. It’s as if the now-towering tree reminds him of what can happen when dreams, patience, hard work, and summer stars converge.

Tanglewood Music Festival, 297 West St. (Route 183). 413-637-1666 (prerecorded concert line), 888-266-1200 (tickets).

Polly Bannister

Polly Bannister was a Yankee staff editor and a favorite of readers for more than 20 years. She is continually inspired by New England’s beautiful and diverse landscape—from cranberry bogs, sandy beaches, and granite-topped mountains to thriving cities, white clapboard houses on village greens, and red-brick mill towns.

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