A violinist has hit back at her childhood bully who daringly messaged her asking to perform for free at her upcoming wedding.
Tiffany Moore, 31, a professional musician who has been performing at events for 19 years, was shocked when she received a random message from the woman who tormented her when they were children.
Growing up together in the same town, Moore says her days in elementary and middle school were often a struggle, as she felt overwhelmed by nasty comments and cruel behavior that left her feeling isolated and full of self-doubt.
Now, years later, she felt the trauma return a few weeks ago when she received a random message from the bully who had a special request.
‘Hey girl!!!!’ her opening message read. ‘I’m getting married and would really like you to play the violin for my ceremony in October ~ it would be the perfect gift PLUS you could use photos and videos to build your performance portfolio! Win win!’
Tiffany Moore has been a professional wedding violinist for 19 years and has built her reputation since she was just 12 years old.
The brazenness of the message shocked the artist, with the bully appearing to have forgotten the context of their relationship all those years ago.
The musician was quick to shut down her former tormentor, but in a stunning twist, the wedding was still called off after the groom-to-be received their exchange.
Moore told DailyMail.com that the bullying started when they were children. Her bully often called her choice of instruments “geeky” and described her playing as “like a dying cat.”
“It got worse in high school. “She was just ruthless and made her friends stand up to me and laugh at me or even pretend I didn’t exist,” Moore said.
“When she went to church and school activities, she would tell everyone not to talk to me, and that if they so much as looked at me, she wouldn’t be their friend.”
This treatment led to Moore having only two friends who were younger than her and were seen as ‘outcasts’ or ‘underdogs’.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Moore recalled the pain she felt the moment she read the message.
“When I initially saw that message, my heart sank because I thought, ‘Oh no, she’s back,’” Moore told DailyMail.com in an interview.
“Part of me felt like a high school student again because I was shunned and bullied for making music and for presenting myself in a way that intrigued people.”
She left the message up for 20 minutes before telling the woman, now the same age as Moore, that it was “bold” of her to ask for a “$2,500 service” for free.
“You bullied me relentlessly in high school for being in orchestra,” she wrote.
She also revisited the idea that performing at this wedding would be the deciding factor for her well-organized portfolio, which she has built up since she was 12.
Moore said the bullying started when they were children growing up in the same church. Her bully often called her choice of instruments “geeky” and described her playing as “like a dying cat.”
Moore pictured with a friend, in her school’s orchestra in their senior year
Growing up together in the same town, Moore says her days in elementary and middle school were often a struggle, feeling overwhelmed by nasty comments but still pursuing the violin.
In her answerasked the woman if she wanted to compromise for a discount instead, adding that she wanted to be friends “and leave the past behind.”
“I already have friends, thanks,” Moore wrote back. “I don’t have time to entertain your ignorance.”
Reflecting on this part of the text conversation, Moore told DailyMail.com that she worked hard to establish a fee — which she will often adjust, but is delayed if people expect a lower rate.
“I offer to family and friends to do things for free or at a reduced rate, but they never ask,” she said.
The bully rolled right through Moore’s rejection and… asked again if she was available for her wedding on October 3, this time she offered to pay $1,000, much less than the $2,500 Moore usually charges.
“This is too much,” Moore texted back. “I must decline your offer of a thousand dollars, and also refuse to work for exposure.”
This was apparently the last straw for the bully, who immediately went back to her old ways.
‘Well now now who’s the mean girl b*****!? Start crying because you can’t pay your bills because you’re too greedy. Plus you’re not even worth it and you’re worthless!!!!!’
After finding her voice, Moore decided to post their interaction online.
The bully then saw the videos of their conversations and was furious, telling her she was done and that Moore was “the bully” in this situation.
She even made a vague threat that she would call a lawyer, to which Moore relented, adding, “I’m not worried about this,” Moore texted.
Moore told DailyMail.com that once the entire series of messages was published on her Instagram, people in her comments told her to contact her bully’s fiancé.
She declined to do so, saying it “wasn’t my place,” but it didn’t take long for rumors of the exchange to reach him, prompting him to contact Moore through his personal account on Instagram.
Moore told DailyMail.com that once the entire series of messages was published on her Instagram, people in her comments told her to contact her bully’s fiance
Moore has found strength in the friendship of acclaimed musicians Lindsey Stirling and Máiréad Nesbitt
A friend of his had sent him Moore’s videos, and that’s how he managed to connect and message her.
The fiancée shared his bride-to-be’s version of events, which was that the potential violinist for their wedding, also known as Moore, was rude and unprofessional to her.
“She is secretive and constantly hiding things,” he wrote of Moore’s bully. “…I feel like she’s cheating on me too, so I don’t know what to do.”
He eventually confronted his bride-to-be after a church service and was met with an attitude of aggression familiar to Moore.
The fiancée later messaged Moore to say she was “lashing out like the bully she is” and telling him things like she never loved him anyway, screenshots show.
“She locked him out of his friends. He hasn’t had any friends in two years because she only let him spend time with her,” Moore said in the interview.
In the midst of the eruption, the wedding was called off. The man messaged Moore to say he was grateful to find out who his partner really was.
“You literally saved my life,” he wrote in an Instagram message to Moore. “I’m going to try to work things out with my friends.”
Moore wrote back: “Today is the beginning of a new chapter for you. Cheers to a new start, no more narcissistic relationships.’
Moore then got the man’s permission to share the screenshots of their conversation together.
Her followers on Instagram quickly gave the newly single man the boost he probably needed.
“People in the comments were so nice to him and were just trying to encourage him and say, ‘This is the first day of the rest of your life. You have your whole life ahead of you, and one day you will discover someone who cherishes you,” she said.
Moore also revealed that in addition to constant bullying from her peers and sexual assault by a trusted teacher, she grew up in a close-knit church community.
‘I wasn’t even allowed to drive. I was not allowed to learn to drive or manage my own finances. “I was told what to wear, where to work, who to hang out with, where to spend my time,” she said.
She escaped at the age of 22 and left to live with relatives in Chicago.
She says the bullying and growing up in such a restrictive environment made her once “hate life so much,” but looking back, it helped her become the person she is today.
She has found allies in musicians like Lindsey Stirling and Máiréad Nesbitt, and has launched her own company.
“I’m such a big advocate for mental health because I’ve been in a place where I wanted to end my life,” she said.
‘I was abused at home. I was locked up and not even allowed to know who I was. I was told who I was supposed to be. And now I get to choose who Tiffany is.”