How Kennedy news reached one audience

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Anchor Lisa Mullins recalls the moment when the news of President Kennedy’s assassination reached the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the middle of a performance.

Discussion

4 comments for “How Kennedy news reached one audience”

  • http://paulinekane.com Pauline Kane

    One of most touching reminders of what happened 47 years ago today.
    It brought me to tears. I was 14 years old at the time and will never forget it.

  • Danny Williams

    I was 11 when JFK was killed, and long ago thought I’d heard all there is to say about that experience. But today your brief clip of Erich Leinsdorf announcing the tragedy to the audience of the Boston Symphony Orchestra touched me like I haven’t been touched in many an anniversary. Besides all the obvious emotion, I thought of the poor BSO music librarians, frantically digging for Beethoven’s Symphony 3 movement 2, and placing the correct parts on all those music stands, no doubt working through their sobs.

  • http://www.certaincert.com Cary White

    Thank you so much for sharing this poignant moment. JFK’s life and death have touched me in ways I cannot explain. Erich Leinsdorf’s sensitive announcement and the reaction of the audience brought all of the joy of JFK and the sorrow of his untimely death back as if it happened yesterday. We should all aspire to be as poised under crisis as Erich Leinsdorf was and we will surely miss the innocence of the time before Kennedy’s assassination.

  • Jason

    I am not old enough to have lived through that horrible incident, but this small sound clip made it so real for me. Like never before. How could I go about finding the full audio recording from that night?

    Thanks

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