Story Time No. 2

 Oh! There you are! Welcome to Story Time!

My life is full of moments that only can be described as cinematic. Let's go back to 2011, when I met one conductor that altered the course of my musical career.  

I had been taking violin lessons with my lovely violin teacher Mrs. B for about 3 years, she was the concertmistress of the local symphony. My time with Mrs. B was my first real musical awakening – have you had that experience? Where something went from being unfocused like a camera struggling to find a focal point and suddenly the picture becomes crystal clear. This clarity, the double edge sword of knowledge, making you realize how inept you truly are. In that time, I also realized how much I was lacking in the bassoon department. Thankfully Mrs. B being the concertmistress, she had contact information for all of the musicians of the local symphony, including the principal bassoonist, Ms. G, now Dr. G.

After lots of back and forth between myself, my mother, and Dr. G, we finally found a time that Dr. G could squeeze in a lesson. The symphony was playing for a conducting workshop and Dr. G said she would be available for a trial lesson after the workshop. On a warm fall afternoon, my mother and I drove downtown to a hotel where the conducting workshop was being held for my trial lesson. Upon arriving, I found Dr. G and we started our lesson.

While in the lesson, my mother was waiting in the hall and a conductor, Mr. D, asked if I was a bassoonist. To be frank, it is was not common at that time to see African American kids playing bassoon. Not to say that bassoon is a popular instrument but generally speaking, bassoonists do not typically look like me. Mr. D mentioned this to my mother as they chatted while I was in my lesson with Dr. G. I found out later that Mr. D is from Los Angeles and had just started a youth orchestra that was meant to serve the inner city youth of Los Angeles. Even though I had not been playing for very long, Mr. D invited me to participate in this youth orchestra which was called the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA). 

This chance encounter with Mr. D gave me the courage to pursue a music degree in bassoon. I cannot recount the mile long list of gigs that I have performed because of meeting Mr. D. It was with ICYOLA that I debuted as a concert violinist at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, as a matter of fact. To even say that is still shocking. The piece that I performed has its own story that we will get to on another episode of Story Time.

You never know what your future has in store or what is behind the next door that you will open. 

Thank you for hanging out with me. 

As always, I love you, you are talented, you can do whatever it is that you are putting work towards. See you next time!

With love,

BP