12/16/08

The best way to describe my conducting experience at last night’s Winter Concert is immersion in a hot tub of sound with a really good glass of wine. My kids REALLY made wonderful music. I live for the dance between conductor and ensemble; all those eyes fixed on me as we and the audience feast on the manna of music. Every year I emphasize to my students that their instruments are their souls, not the piece of equipment in their laps. A clarinet can stay in its case for years and never make a sound. The trumpet is merely an amplifier to broadcast the music into the world. 
The finale of the concert was the full orchestra’s performance of the first movement of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto, known to many musicians simply as “Rach Two.” The soloist was a young lady who is our Concert Master in the orchestra and principal oboist in my top band, plus a gifted pianist. Her performance was brilliant! The orchestra handled that challenging piece with great aplomb. Hearing such magnificent sounds coming from such young musicians affirms my life’s calling. I am where I’m supposed to be.