Congratulations to Pete Comeau (and his bike Carmen) for being the first student to tweet a selfie from the November 3rd #FindMeFriday location!
A litte about this week’s location:
The Arthur Fiedler Memorial sits on the Esplanade along the Charles River and near the Hatch Shell.
Arthur Fiedler was born on December 17, 1894 in Boston, MA. Both his mother and father were accomplished musicians. He attended Boston Latin School before the family moved to Vienna, Austria. Fiedler later moved to Berlin and studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music. Fiedler later returned to Boston and joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a violinist, pianist, organist, and percussionist. In 1929, Fiedler was appointed the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position he held until his death on July 10, 1979.
Fielder’s legacy, other than his incredible musical talents and holding the Boston Pops Maestro baton for 50 years, was bringing free concerts on the Boston Esplanade on the 4th of July at the at the outdoor Hatch Memorial Shell. Millions of people from across the world have convened along the Charles River to listen to the July 4th concerts and watch the fireworks in celebration of Independence Day and the Arthur Fiedler Memorial has the perfect spot to watch it all.
This memorial to Fiedler was created by Ralph Helmick and installed on the Esplanade in 1984. The 6.5′ high aluminum head rests on a 1.5′ high granite base. In case you don’t have time to count them all, it was made by stacking 83 layers of aluminum plates.
I encourage you to take a leisurely walk along the Charles to find this amazing tribute to Arthur Fielder. Perhaps you can download some Boston Pops music, sit on the grass in front of the Hatch Shell, and close your eyes and imagine the fireworks!
For more information about the amazing life of Arthur Fielder, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Fiedler
Go see and hear your City, my friends!