Last night the New World Symphony opened its doors to magic. To the magic of poetry and music, to the language of Rilke and Goethe, Monteverdi and Mozart, Bernstein and Debussy. New World Symphony Conducting Fellow Teddy Abrams hosted the event aptly titled, “Inside the Music: Music in Poetry” in conjunction with the O, Miami Poetry Festival, the month-long county-wide poetry festival with the (not so) simple goal of exposing every resident in Miami-Dade County to poetry.

The discussion and performances, which seamlessly alternated back and forth between poetry reading and musical performance, focused on the nexus of poetry and music. The discussion threaded together and attempted to show the intimate connection between poetry and music and how each directly and indirectly interacts and inspires each other–from early madrigals to contemporary improvisation. The evening included poetry readings, stirring solo performances by Anna Davidson, soprano and NWS fellow Joseph Lee (cello), all accompanied by Teddy Abrams on the piano.

For me, the highlight (of the many highlights of the evening), which succinctly defines the magical mood of the evening, was a reading of a poem titled “Magic” by Rilke. I can’t get it out of my head. It keeps repeating on an internal loop.

“Magic” by Rainer Maria Rilke

From indescribable transformational flash such creatures feel and trust we suffer in often flames become ash yet in art flames come from dust here’s magic in the realm of a spell the common word seems lifted up above and yet it is really like the call of the male who calls for the indivisible female dove

From indescribable transformational flash, the evening ended and the audience rose to their feet. Maybe it was the height, where I sat, but I felt the doves rise up with and within us. Into the realm of poetry and music we lived for a moment. And I didn’t want to leave, but I left. And walked among the hopeful doves.

O, Miami is a county-wide poetry festival inaugurating in April 2011. Our goal is for every single person in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem during the month of April. Preview all upcoming events during the month of April @ www.omiami.org.