Taylor Swift’s $50,000 gift, given in December 2015, helped launch the Seattle Symphony’s Link Up program, which was poised to reach more than 12,000 third‑to‑fifth‑grade students that year. The donation also went toward the orchestra’s pension fund, ensuring a stable future for its musicians.
But the spark that ignited Swift’s generosity was a recording of John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean—a piece that earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 and a Grammy in 2015. She wrote to then‑music director Ludovic Morlot, recalling childhood concerts with her grandmother and expressing how the composition had moved her.
Link Up is an in‑classroom, in‑auditorium experience. Teachers receive sheet music, recordings, and lesson plans, and students rehearse before standing in the seats of Benaroya Hall to play along with the Seattle Symphony. The 2026‑2027 edition, “The Orchestra Rocks,” features classics like the Anvil Chorus and Johnny B. Goode, with interactive concerts slated for March 31 and April 1, 2027.
12‑year‑old Maya Patel from Eastlake Middle School said she never imagined she could play a trumpet in front of a professional orchestra. “When we sang along, it felt like we were part of the music, not just listeners,” she told reporters.
The symphony’s board announced that the program will expand to 15,000 students next season, adding a new mobile‑classroom unit to reach underserved neighborhoods. The expansion hinges on a $1.2 million pledge from a local philanthropic foundation, approved in late February.
With the 2027 concerts underway, teachers will again record feedback on student engagement, while the symphony prepares a budget review for the 2028‑2029 season. The next step: a public forum in April to discuss further outreach initiatives.