We don’t think much about it, but music is a huge part of our lives. Even if you’re not a huge music fan or you don’t purchase a lot of music, you hear it all the time. It plays during our favorite television shows, in commercials, while we’re shopping in stores or pumping gas, or during the dreaded on-hold phone calls.
Even if you’re like me and like to surround yourself in silence a lot of the time, there’s still “music” all around. There’s the sound of the breeze through the trees outside the window, the birds chirping as the sun comes up, and the sound of the frogs in the evening. Even nature understands how important music is.
Certain songs or tunes are better than others. Sarah Bareilles has won six Grammy Awards, and she is a platinum-selling singer and songwriter. She has a beautiful voice, and her songs are full of heart. They are the type of songs that people can relate to and remind them of themselves and their own memories. That is a mark of true talent — when a songwriter and singer can create something that is about them, and comes from them but speaks to people on their level.
In the video below, Sarah performs the song “Once Upon Another Time” at the Kennedy Center, alongside the National Symphony Orchestra. It’s an honor to be asked to perform in such a special venue, and Sarah’s performance is more than suitable for such a revered place.
Sarah has said she wrote the song “about the loss of innocence and the nostalgia of childhood,” something we can all relate to. In the video, she sings about the experience of being “free.” This particular arrangement of the song is by Rob Moose, and in the video, Sara sings alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and singer Caroline Shaw — it’s a must-watch.
As she began to sing, I instantly got goosebumps at the sound of her voice. Slowly, the instruments join in, bringing beauty and richness to the song, followed by the accompanying voices. Everything about the performance, from the wardrobe to the stage dressing is incredibly simple. For this performance, it is the music that is the star of the show. I could watch this over and over and never get tired of it.
Watch the beautifully haunting performance in the video below and please like and share to give everyone something to watch again and again.
