Dr. Angelou

This afternoon we rehearsed with Maya Angelou for the Target Free Family Concerts tomorrow. Here's the scenario; we've been performing the piece, "On the day you were born", all week in our Young People's Concerts. We had already performed it twice this morning (six times over three days) with a different narrator, and we are reconvening onstage after a brief lunch break. It's a long day for the orchestra, and there is a distinct lack of energy. And then come the usual issues of working with so many technical elements - the teleprompter needs to have some of its text altered, the sound levels needs to be adjusted, Dr. Angelou doesn't have the stool she requested...the minutes tick by. Tiredness and tension onstage is palpable. Finally, we get going.

And then, as sometimes happens, everything just falls perfectly in place. Dr. Angelou hits every cue, the teleprompter is scrolling at the right velocity, the sound system is adjusted, the piece is unfolding as it should. The relief from the orchestra is palpable. And Dr. Angelou's rich, deep voice and poetic cadence imbues the text with a wonderful spirit - musicians respond in kind. When we are done, she smiles, turns to the orchestra, and, bowing slightly, says, "First, to you, thank you... thank you... thank you... thank you..." (this, done turning to almost everyone in the orchestra), and then to me "Thank you, thank you" - everyone is nodding and smiling and saying "No, no, thank YOU, thank you" - a sincere mutual admiration. It's a little bit of lovely feeling during a long day, and a reminder to me of how fascinating my life's work is.