A Symphony of Choices

CHAPTER 1THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND THE RIGHT TIME

The orchestra was warming up and preparing for the season's last concert. I always liked the chaos of sound as people warmed up their instruments and practiced those passages and runs one last time before the performance. Mixed into the cacophony of musical instruments were the conversations of the audience. People caught up with old friends, talking about their lives and children. Some discussed their jobs or where they planned to go after the concert. Others sat silently, reading the conductor's notes about the evening's performance, including the history of the pieces and the composers who wrote them.

It was a time of building anticipation until the moment the concertmaster rose from their seat, and the orchestra and audience become silent, waiting for the first oboist to play their perfect tone for the rest of the orchestra to match. The lights dimmed, and the conductor waited a couple of moments before stepping out into the stage lights. He took a couple of deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his brow as he listened for his heartbeat. This beat would be his guide for crossing the stage to his podium. It was his baseline for the downbeat and every subsequent beat that came after.

All of this was happening as I flipped through my music, making sure it was in order. I rosined my bow and checked that the peg was secure on the floor at my feet. The point had found its groove so that my instrument didn't slide from my hands during ...