On my way into our performance space last night, I stepped onto a patch of ice, slipped and fell. Worse, I dropped my cello onto its front side. I have had several like accidents without anything serious ever happening, and was mostly irritated that my tights were ripped. But when I got inside and took the cello out of its case, the bridge was in five pieces, and on later inspection I found a hairline crack in the top.
We had spent a lot of time preparing for our recital. I'd invited everyone I know, and their grandmother. Some of my students were making the two-hour drive from Red Wing just to hear our performance.
"All our friends are coming -- we'll just have a party!" my colleagues said; but this was not an option.
I got on the phone. Quite why someone would be willing to laon an instrument to another person who has just proven themselves capable of destroying one remains a mystery, but the kind people at House of Note stepped up; my former coworker Jeff abandoning his plans of a quiet Saturday night with his family to make a cello available to me.
It was something of a nerve-racking experience -- I felt like a jockey riding a race on a horse he's never met; our pianist compared it to a blind date. But we were going to have a concert, and by golly, a concert was had. Now I'll just have to find the time to pick up the pieces.
We had spent a lot of time preparing for our recital. I'd invited everyone I know, and their grandmother. Some of my students were making the two-hour drive from Red Wing just to hear our performance.
"All our friends are coming -- we'll just have a party!" my colleagues said; but this was not an option.
I got on the phone. Quite why someone would be willing to laon an instrument to another person who has just proven themselves capable of destroying one remains a mystery, but the kind people at House of Note stepped up; my former coworker Jeff abandoning his plans of a quiet Saturday night with his family to make a cello available to me.
It was something of a nerve-racking experience -- I felt like a jockey riding a race on a horse he's never met; our pianist compared it to a blind date. But we were going to have a concert, and by golly, a concert was had. Now I'll just have to find the time to pick up the pieces.
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