How a cello and shared passion for music brought a Mesa duo together

By Elliott Polakoff

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    MESA, Arizona (KPHO, KTVK) — A love for music is timeless, and a Mesa duo recently proved that through a shared passion for string instruments. Miguel Rodriguez has been playing a variety of instruments since he was five years old. That’s 67 years. But this story starts with an instrument he hasn’t played. “I don’t play cello,” the 72-year-old Mesa resident said.

So Rodriguez sold the cello to Mesa-based Buchanan Music. “People that come in here are interested in something serious,” Rodriguez said. Little did Rodriguez know that his cello had been on 13-year-old Lila Reid’s wishlist for a long time. “I just saw it, and I said, ‘I like that,’” Reid said. “I want to get that.”

Reid saved up her money, about $700, for both the cello and the bow before she was finally able to take it home. “My dad had said you should buy a PS5,” Reid said. “I was like no, I want my cello. This is mine.”

When Rodriguez found out who bought his cello, he was inspired by Reid’s interest and gave her a $100 gift certificate to Buchanan Music. That allowed Reid to get a new set of cello strings.

It’s only been a few months, but the cello has quickly become Reid’s favorite instrument. The least she could do was write Rodriguez a thank-you note. “Thank you for bringing the cello to Buchanan’s, since it’s also a very good quality cello too,” Reid wrote. “I will learn to play ‘The Swan’ as soon as I get better at reading the notes.” “The Swan is not very long,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s a beautiful piece.”

Up until this point, Reid and Rodriguez had never met each other. But their shared love for music made it feel like they knew each other.

That feeling only grew once both stepped foot into Buchanan Music. “Oh, you’re the girl that bought the cello!” Rodriguez said when he saw Reid walking in with it. “That’s nice. If she save up to buy that cello, and she’s going to play it, that says a lot you know.” “I really appreciate that he brought this cello in,” Reid said. “If he didn’t, I don’t know where else I could have gotten my cello.”

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