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It Is a Smaller World Than It Seems
By Sarah Wright
There is a huge world out there–not waiting–but wanting us to discover it. But the world is also much smaller than we think. I am reminded over and over that we are not the same and the diversity of humanity and places is simply put: beautiful. But despite those differences, we also share and can connect with so many people on infinite levels because of the things we have in common.
Music is a great way to connect people in a common language. No matter what I am listening to, I feel as if I connect with the artists and other people listening to the same music whether I understand all facets of the notes or the lyrics. One of my favorite musicians is Rhiannon Giddens–the great North Carolina (Greensboro) musician, founder of the NC Folk Festival held each fall, former lead singer of the band Carolina Chocolate Drops, Grammy winning, MacArthur recipient, and Pulitzer Prize winning musician. Her concert was both my final concert of the summer concert season, and it was the last concert I attended before COVID. I saw her at the Blue Ridge Music Center, just up the mountain from my house. Fast forward to fall of 2021 and my trip to Ireland. My cab driver from the airport in Dublin to the hotel started talking about music. I will be honest, I was tired, and I had spent the first few minutes of the ride trying to identify places I knew from reading James Joyce, and I thought I wanted a talk-free ride, but I was wrong.
The driver asked me if I knew the music of Rhiannon Giddens, and I said, of course. He was telling me of the concert he’d seen her play in Ireland. I explained that I had seen her in the fall prior to COVID. Just after my concert in rural Virginia, she went on tour in Europe, and so it was as you likely imagine, this cab driver and I attended the same concert of this North Carolina folk musician with her sister as a guest, but in different locations, in different countries. On the surface, we had nothing in common, but a shared appreciation for great music, which led me to tip a cab driver even when it wasn't customary.
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