Christmas Eve Performance

 I will be performing at the Candlelight Service (11pm) at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th)!

I have been rehearsing with my accompanist (my mom) at least once everyday since last Friday.  We practised in the sanctuary for the first time on Sunday...such amazing acoustics, but I'm not sure how it will work with the mics.

O Holy Night, in F, makes that high note at the end a high C (C6 to be exact!) but that's not a hard note for me to reach.

I haven't quite figured out if I'm going to be nervous or not - I know my mom is getting nervous, and it's only Tuesday!!

We're going to rehearse again tomorrow in the sanctuary.  It's kinda funny to watch the people who come in and out of the church look through the glass windows at the back as we're rehearsing.

Maybe I'll see you there...?

Happy Christmas!

Poll Results!

Thanks you to those of you that

participated in the Polls!
Please take the new one!

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What is the tippity-top reason you like

the artist(s) you listen to?

• 75% - They have talent!
• 25% - The sound - don't you like it?

 sadly, only 4 people voted in this poll :'(

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What are the important qualities in music?
(select all that apply)

click to enlarge

• 87% - The Quality!
• 75% - The Entertainment Value
• 50% - Relaxation Properties
• 87% - Evoking Feeling
• 25% - It sounds cool/good
• 25% - Dancin' Time
• 0% - Don't care as long as it has a beat
• 0% - It's on the RADIO...
• 0% - I need to know?

 Thank you to the eight people who took this!

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What do you think about memorising music?

click to enlarge

• 0% - It's Stupid!
• 42% - SO AWESOME!! ... to watch
• 14% - IT'S SSOOO DIFFICULT!!
• 0% - It's how I learn everything I play
• 0% - never have I ever, never will I
• 0% - whatever
• 28% - Love It!
• 14% - Do you know how many things I can randomly pull out for you???

 Seven People took this one...

Friends of Rain Part 2b

I found out that since I had partially filled out my time card for November, I'm getting paid for the time I put in!  YAY!!  Now to add the rest of November's hours so I get paid for them!!!! 

Orchestra's Winter Concert - Last Thoughts

(I apologise if this isn't entirely coherent...)

Last night's orchestra concert (@ L&C) was probably the most difficult concert I've played.

A lot of the music was written in the stratosphere - i rarely played in 1st position...almost always in 3rd or higher

Dvořák  - first movement of the "From the New World" Symphony.

     i think with all the time we spent on this, we hit that plateau of goodness and some of us started falling off the other side.  we had already performed this in mid-october

 
Humperdinck - Hänsel und Gretel - Lied des Sandmännchens, Abendsegen und Traum-Pantomine

   it was really neat to have two student vocalists join us for this piece (Ameila Mulford & Courtney Williams)

   had the 1st violins' highest notes of the concert

Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana

         technique-wise, the easiest piece on the program.  it went amazing well, we had a student conductor who did a lovely job

Tchaikovsky - Overture-Fantasy from Romeo & Juliet

   we had SO MUCH energy in this - I don't know if it was from feeling or wanting to to be done, or knowing we were almost done...but it was amazing - we (being 1st violins) even found the REALLY high B out of nowhere at the end

~ Performers ~

Violin I: Helen Goldstein, Rachel Klabunde, Erica Liebert, Chrissy Misso^ ^{D, M},
Dan Rasay*, Lucy Roberts, Nicholas Wilkins, Julia Yeckes ^{H, T}

Violin II: Gabby Castro, Christian Dicker ^{D, H, M, T}, Alexandra Hubbard, Emily Katzman,
Cate Margeson, Jarrod Nixon, Devan Wardrop-Saxton

Viola: Greg Allen ^{D, H, M, T}, Angelika Furtwangler*, Dana Levin

  Cello: Daniel Caplen, Sage Coy, Joshua Dunham ^{D, M}, Genevieve Harding ^{H, T}, Dorien de León*, Kenzie Rowlett

Bass: Neva Hauser ^{D, H, M, T}, Elliot Kuhlman, Susan Su; Harp: Sophia Dagnello
Flute: Barra Brown; Clarinet: Alex Burfitt*, Catalina Schnitman; Oboe: Erin Ohashi, Caitlin Partridge
Bassoon: Mark Eubanks*, Erika Thorsen; French Horn: Joseph English, Justine Flynn*, Sarah Kelly*, William Stalnaker*

Trumpet: James O’Banion*, Branden Pursinger; Trombone: Spencer Suffling, Gabrielle Yelland; Tuba: David Salkowski

Percussion: James Patrick Lenon, Steven Skolnik

*L&C Community Members; ^{D, H, M, T} Chairs (Representative of Composer’s Name); ^ concertmaster 

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light."

Last night, I went to L&C's Annual Holiday Gala Service of Sacred Song & Verse, the 38th Annual Holiday Gala.  The Chapel was decorated with Poinsettias and candles.

The Columbia Brass (Craig Gibson, Bruce Dunn, William Stalnaker, David Bryan, Jack Quinby = 3 of whom are associated with L&C) played "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "The Holly and the Ivy" as a prelude.  (I'm not sure I like their placement in the Chapel--I think it may have diminished their sound.)

L&C's new president, Barry Glasner, made the welcome speech.  He asked who else was there for the first time and who had been at the first Gala in 1972.  He pointed out that even though the program changes every year, the Gala is still about togetherness, creating familiarity and newness at the same time.

"One person's tradition is another's discovery." ~ Barry Glasner

The Introit, "Elevation" played by Chris Keady on the organ was a serene Christmasy beginning to the music to follow.  Antiphon involved the Alumni Choir, Cappella Nova, Columbia Brass, Timpani, and the Organ; despite their spread around the room, the large group kept everything together.

This was followed by a reading from Psalm 67 and a Congregational carol (O Come All Ye Faithful) in which the choir had an alternate 3rd stanza but was very difficult to hear.

The Distler piece FitzGibbon picked for the Gala was executed beautifully - "Singet Frisch und Wohlgemut" (trans. Sing brightly and cheerfully).

This was followed by a neat blues/jazz arrangement of "Go Tell It On the Mountain" for the brass.  The first verse was straight, and the choruses and verses to follow were all ornamented and/or swung.  In the 2nd round of the chorus they added a snap to the beat and got the congregation involved.

Sister Loretta Schaff read Isaiah 55 and the Women's Chorus sang "Scedryk" (the original version "Carol of the Bells" - Ukrainian) and "The Snow".  "Scedryk" was a cappella and "The Snow" had piano and a violin duo accompaniment--gorgeous, but not quite sure what feelings I was supposed to get while listening to it.

A Congregational singing of "Joy to the World" brought the reading of John 1: 1-4 and Reverend Mark Duntley's Reflections.  Duntley talked about traditions: decorations, compassion of the season all leading to his point of bringing light and love to others.  He mentioned an exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry, his family's Advent Calender (Christmas All Over the World), mumming, and a Ukrainian legend about a spider.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)

"Hine Mah Tav" by Bernstein was sung by Cappella Nova from the side pews - a calm setting of Psalm 133.  The last Congregational hymn was "Silent Night".

"Ai, nama mamina" was a fun a cappella piece to listen to - very quick and in Latvian, a song about ancient Mummers.

Duntley closed the service reminding us to spread the light.  Keady's postlude, "Canzona", held everyone in the Chapel, and at its conclusion, everyone seemed calmer when they arrived.

I always enjoy going to this service.  It is almost a soothing thing at the end of the semester when everything is crazy.  A reminder of the holiday season and what it means to me.

Go in peace and shine in the Light

POLLS!!

Everyone should take the polls on the left - and visit the Polls & Results page after they close!!
(current polls close late Tuesday, Dec 7th, night)


<3 chrissy 
made TEENY on 8 Dec

Friends of Rain Part 2

You remember that concert by that group that I work with that I was telling you about at the beginning of November?  (you can read about it here)

Well, I forgot to submit my time card!!!!
Now I have to wait longer to get paid!!

I was kinda of upset about this at first, but I've accepted it now...I'll get paid in January, when I normally wouldn't have had a large pay check because only I only work about 2 weeks of December.

Thinking about this reminds me that I still need to pick up my reimbursement check...

Memorising to be Mesmerising

So there is a (large group) piano recital on Saturday at L&C.  And I have to memorise the piece I am playing.  Until last semester, I had never memorised any music - EVER.  My second piano teacher had been very focused on sight reading, so I had actually learned only two or three pieces in a period of four years.

So this memorising thing was obviously a problem...

Last semester I managed to memorise both my recital piece and a second piece, which allowed me to pass the repertoire portion of the Piano Proficiency exam (for music majorness).

Because I still need to do the skills portion of the exam (scales, sight-reading (won't be a problem), harmonisation of a melody and then transposing & harmonising that melody), I decided to take lessons again this semester.  Of course, this meant memorising another piece for the recital at the end of the semester.

On Monday (yesterday I guess), my piano instructor (Stephanie Thompson) and I had a discussion about why pianists are made to memorise their music during my lesson.

This is a new thing!!! Only for the last 100-150 years have solo performers been memorising their music for recitals and concerts!

It was started by Franz Liszt, much to the dismay and/or anger of concert pianists of the time--Liszt was always trying to outdo his peers.  Clara Schumann is said to have also played without music, but responded to Liszt's demand for memorisation unfavourably.

So now here we are, expected to memorise our solo repertoire.

With an arsenal of post-its and multiple, differently sized copies of Borodin's Reverie, I headed to the practice room to laboriously memorise it.  Play measure 1 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measure 1 from memory adding measure 2 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measures 1 & 2 from memory adding measure 3 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measures 1-3 from memory...

I do have to say that some aspects of playing are easier when memorised, but my main question is: why is it necessary??

The Life of Classical Music

The other night, I went out to dinner with some of my composer friends/colleagues (Cat, Branden, Will, Patrick, & David and our professor Michael Johanson).  We had a lengthy conversation about what music is and how one picks what they listen to.

Our conversation kinda foucsed around these questions:

• Do you put on different listening ears depending on the kind of music?
• Is there a difference between "art" song (like Schubert) and pop music (like Dido...?)?
• Do you listen differently depending on you mood? depending on what your doing?
• How do you pick your new (to your ears) tunes?
• What is the criteria for something to be music?

None of these really have any definite answers - at least none that people can agree on.

Let me tell you how we got to this conversation and some of the answers some of us posed along with more questions:

Branden asked if anyone would go with him to Ke$ha's concert with him next year - half of the group immediately said "NO!" and asked why he listens to "that stuff."

Defending himself, Branden argued that it was entertaining and, thus, fulfilled the requirement of music: to entertain.

Will and Patrick questioned this - what about evoking feeling?  the talent behind the artists?  what about invention?

Then we got to questions like:

• Are bands that are reviving old styles inventive?
• Can classically trained musicians really separate the music they hear?
• Why do all pop songs have the same chord progressions?
• Why do some have the same melodies?
• Have we written all of the possible melodies?

Cat brought up a YouTube video we had watched in Music History a couple years ago: every pop song can be related back to Pachebel's Canon...here's the rant.

What say you?

Please take the poll to the left since it is related!!!

Writing a Rant

Okay, I know I've been slacking off a little bit lately...so here is the rant I wrote the other week for class.  Enjoy!!! :)

I am here to tell you about one of my biggest pet peeves.  People who go on and on and on and on, saying the same thing over and over and over.  I have a hard time forcing myself to listen or read the entirety of their nonsense.  I have a hard time not slapping them and telling them to shut up.  (And having to turn into one of those people when people who can not seem to listen to anything you say the first seven times—what gives?  I know you speak English, why do I need to say it over and over again?!?  You look at me like I’m speaking a dead language.)

Do these people even have a point?  If they do, it gets lost in all of the mumble-jumble—the cacophony of words spewing out of a person’s mouth, sometimes at an inhumanly fast pace.  Occasionally, these people start with good points, and I am totally interested in whatever they are saying.  And then they start babbling.  If you are going to start talking about something interesting, why not keep it interesting?  Why not give new examples to support your arguments?  Why bore me to death?

Of course, some of these people are completely self-absorbed and boring, and I just want to shoot myself rather than listen to their same old problems again.  But because I like to believe I’m a halfway decent person, I feel that I have to listen.  Do you know how many people have backed themselves into the same corners again and again?  Didn’t they learn from the first insane number of times they did?  Why do they keep setting themselves up?  I’ve only told them how to help themselves how many times?  I feel like I’m babbling at that point-and then I feel like a hypocrite.  Do you ever feel like that?

And then there are those people who know they are always right—even when they’re wrong.  There is no way to talk sense into these people!  You don’t agree, so obviously you are wrong.  They do not even have examples to back up whatever the heck they are trying to say!  They are trying to convince everyone that what they are saying should be truth and that everyone should believe them.  No one else gets two cents in—as soon as someone else starts talking they are interrupted and told they are wrong.  These people need to go to a debate class to learn how to argue and learn how to have civil conversations.

Blogs!  Some blogs are so annoying.  Or pages where people can post comments!  Every post is slashing someone, complaining about things people should fix themselves, waiting for some wisecrack to come along and tell them how to fix it.  Maybe if they didn’t spend all of their whining on the Internet they could fix it themselves.  Or at least find a hobby that’s less annoying to the rest of the population.

All of these babblers sound silly and unintelligent.  One day you’re having an intellectual conversation with someone, and the next you are wondering if you’ve found the same person.  (Emotional breakdowns are excluded because everyone is going to snap at some point.)  I guess it is possible that they were abducted by aliens, right?

Do you understand what I talking about here?  Some people just go on and on and on and on, saying the same thing over and over and over…

A Walk in the Garden of Earthly Delights

I am going to tell you about the concert I was in last night - well only one piece, but interesting would be an understatement. (The L&C event page is here)

"An Evening of Percussion" opened with a colonial drum & fife set playing three American folk tunes - totally amazing & fun to watch.  It filtered through Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" and the World Premier of “U-505” for Solo Timpani by award winning composer John Wilmarth (which was performed by L&C faculty member Brett EE Paschal).  The penultimate piece was "A Walk in the Garden of Earthly Delights."

Now let me tell you, this piece is kinda wierd...it's based on ”The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch (above).

Two days before the concert, Brett asked me to "sing" for the concert - I did NOT know what I was getting into...

The instrumentation requires drums, cymbals, vibraphone, xylophone, tam-tam, the list goes on...and female voices.  This is where I--and the 5 other girls--come in. Split into 2 parts, the "female voices"  are full of erratic, erotic, & elaborate, noises, sounds, yells, screams, moans, panting, growls, etc.  and just a little bit of singing and two points where we needed to match a pitch among a cacophony of percussive sounds (of traditional and experimental fashions).

After our rehearsal (2 days before the concert), we went downstairs and were immediately asked if we knew what all of the noise was about.

At the concert, there was a lot applause...but I'm not sure if people actually enjoyed it or if they were just stunned by the strangeness they had just witnessed.

Anyway - you gotta see this.

Christmas Music?

Is it too early to start listening to Christmas Music?  I started last weekend - and one of my apartment-mates was not very excited.  He thinks we should wait until after Thanksgiving.

I could play Christmas music all year!  My mom always started playing Christmas music early when I was growing up - we'd be driving somewhere with the Christmas tapes blasting away in the car.  Now we get out the piano books - she plays and I sing, sometimes I play and sing at the same time.

Christmas music very uplifting - so many happy songs.  Although, there are the sensual songs too - for those missing loved ones during the holidays.

(I even started rehearsing for the Christmas Eve candlelight service yesterday - I am singing O Holy Night.)

I love so many things about the holidays!  The aromas (gingerbread, cinnamon, cookies), the music, the generosity unseen other times of the year, the stories ('Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house...).

Let me know what you think!! When do you start your Christmas music? When is too early?

Here are links to some of my favourite "pop" Christmas Songs:

The Chipmunks Christmas Song

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

A Christmas to Remember 

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (remix)
Hard Candy Christmas

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Christmas Without You (starts about 1.50 in)

Jingle Bell Rock

I'll Be Home with Bells On

The Effects of "Seeing It Live"

Having many favourite artists, I am always wary about seeing any of them perform live - I have been disappointed before and am not really willing to spend money on a concert that will not live up to my standards.
I really enjoy the Transiberian Orchestra's Christmas arrangements, so I went to their concert at the Rose Garden (Portland, OR).  While the music was still the stuff I've been listening to for years, the concert was nit to my liking.  It was like a rock concert, but EVERYONE stayed in there seats.  Because of the conflicting performance energy to audience's relaxed seating, the concert lost enjoyment.  I would have liked the performance to match the relaxation of the audience
I've also been to concerts where I've wanted the opposite - I wanted to be dancing around and all with the performers...

The question is - how does the live performance change your view of the artist?
There have definitely been concerts I have attended that have caused me to re-evaluate my devotion and some that have strengthened it.  The Oak Ridge Boys are a group I rarely listen to outside of a concert - it was kinda a family tradition to see them in concert in Branson, MO when we went on vacation or in the Wisconsin Dells, WI for the Christmas concert.  I love going with my mom and sister and singing along!
The merchandise is important too - sometimes...I have bought CDs at concerts, but I've never got any t-shirts or posters or photos or anything else.  Is the concert merch important in one's following?

Have you ever seen someone(s) and had your view of them completely changed??  Have you ever purchased any merch at a concert that has affected your following of an artist?

Friends of Rain

My work study job is working with a faculty music ensemble called Friends of Rain.  The purpose of the ensemble is to play new classical music - definitely composed after 1900, and mostly after 1950.  Last night was the fall concert, "The Web of Life."

The concert included pieces by Michael Johanson, Renee Favand, Peter Schickele, Duncan Neilson (an L&C alum), and several by Lou Harrison (featured composer) performed by the Venerable Showers of Beauty, Mitch Iimori, William Stalnaker, Miriam English Ward, Carol Biel, Anna Haageson, Elizabeth Harcombe, John Mery, Brett EE Paschal, Greg Ewer, Dorien de Leon, George Skipworth, Deborah Cleaver, Dunja Jennings, Nancy Teskey, Jennifer Ironside, and the Lewis & Clark Dancers.

My partner in crime, Catalina von Wrangell, and I put  a LOT of work into this concert--just like every semester.  By the night of the concert, we are exhausted.  We've put together programs, rehearsals, put up posters, managed websites, send out emails, put together a reception, and we're working on last minute emergencies and what not.  We've put in a 20-25 hours just the week of the performance in addition to classes and homework.

But this time, we got to actually SIT and LISTEN to almost the ENTIRE performance! (Aside from the first piece of the second half because we were setting up the reception.)  It was awesome!  I got to watch the concert (that I had been going insane over for the last 2+ weeks) unfold.

Working with Friends of Rain has been very helpful for me in understanding how groups put on shows and all of the work that is involved.  (It will also look pretty good on a resume!  Remember the section of my autobiography?)

The Witching Hour

On Friday evening, a friend and I went to a small choral ensemble concert with a Halloween theme.  The Resonance Ensemble is a group of fourteen singers directed by Katherine FitzGibbon that is based in Portland, OR.
The concert opened with guest keyboardist, Jon Stuber (scroll down page), playing J.S. Bach's haunting Prelude: Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565.  The sound in Agnes Flanagan Chapel (on the Lewis & Clark campus) made the haunting harmonies come to life.  Not being able to see the organist, as the keyboard console is anchored in the balcony at the back of the chapel, amplified the uncanniness.



VIDEOS 


Vaughan Williams "The Lover's Ghost"

The Four Seasons

...summer days

all about the musical craze

staring at the stars

waiting for Mars...

...autumn breeze

waiting for the first freeze

writing everything on a staff

playing it back to laughs...

...winter sheen

sitting by the fireplace like a queen

holiday spirits in the air

to the cheerful melodies nothing can compare...

...spring blooms

flowers sharing sweet perfume

music singing about rebirth

enjoying the harmony of the Earth...

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This was inspired by haiku and Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  We needed to write poetry for Music & Language.  I've plan on making a movie that has seasonal pictures and the music snippets I played with the words during class.

I've put ... at the beginning and end of each verse because I intended this to be able to start at whichever season you want (and then follow the cycle).

Stay Tuned!

From All Around the World

Pageviews by Country

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Keep reading!  I always appreciate comments and suggestions!
And don't forget to take the poll on the left side of the page (down a little)!!

The Rebirth of the Flame

(A short story for class - I'm not sure how good it is... :\  comments are appreciated)

It was dark and lonely, mostly lonely.  Fiammetta awoke, no longer surprised that it was still black and shadowy.  She had not seen any light for a long time, almost as long as she could remember.  Hearing anything but the scurrying of mice was not such a distant memory.  She did not even know where she was and had given up trying to figure it out once the music stopped—she knew from the music that she must be near the concert hall or the school.

The last time Fiammetta felt the warmth of the light was grand!  She had been the centre of attention…well, aside from Antonio, but he could steal some of the spotlight if he wanted.  At the front of the orchestra, the wonderful A Minor Concerto played by the best violinist in Venezia, Fiammetta singing out to the concert hall.

How she missed Antonio—how long had it been now?  It must have been years.  She never heard Antonio’s music anymore; he must be gone now.  She paused a moment on the ideas of where he could have gone without her.  He probably did not move away.  Venice was his home.  Had he forgotten her?  That would be horrible!  That could not be the reason she was left in this isolation.  She was his little flame, his friend, and his counsel in the most dismal days of his life.  That left only one reason for her solidarity.  He must have died.

This made Fiammetta feel even lonelier than before.  She would not be able to join him; she could not die and pass into the next world Antonio had talked about when he was a priest.  What was she to do now?

A few more years passed, but time was all the same to Fiammetta, nothing about her ever changed.  Even the scurries of the mice faded away—now she was really alone.

One day, there was noise from above.  It shocked Fiammetta, even scared her for a minute.  What could it be?  It was loud, just one at first.  Thud, thud, clump, thud, clump.  Each one echoing, making the sound grow all the louder.  Then more.  The last time she heard that much noise was when the orchestra set up.  But why would an orchestra be setting up?  Could it actually be an orchestra?  Maybe she was going to get stuck underneath the rubble from the building!

Then, almost as if to answer her question, Fiammetta heard a cello playing, then a horn, and a flute.  It shortly turned into a cacophony of instruments.  It had to be an orchestra!  Such excitement!  Fiammetta wondered if she would ever be found and played again.

She grew accustomed to hearing the orchestra play.  No one found her, and they did not play Antonio’s music very often, but she found herself enjoying it nonetheless.

A few weeks later, there was noise that seemed to be in the same room, coming closer.  Fiammetta wanted to scream, “who’s there?!”  Rustle, thud, clump, bang.  Something had fallen, but it was not her.  Phew! Then she heard a creak—and there was light!  It was so bright!  She had forgotten how bright.  Someone picked her up and glanced over her body.

Soon she was brought out of the darkness.  And was on stage!  Back to the concert hall!  Ready to sing so even the people in the back could hear.  But the man holding her handed her to a little girl with red hair.  “I thought I would find this beneath the stage.” the man said.  “It was your uncle’s.  He called her Fiammetta.  Here is the case with some of his music.  Make him proud Rufina, bring her back to life.”

Antonio’s niece?  That would not do!  She could not possibly be as good as Antonio or love Fiammetta as much!  But what could Fiammetta do about it?  There was no way for the man and girl to know what she, Fiammetta, wanted.  No way for Fiammetta to stop it.  And so “life” began again with this young redhead.  Fiammetta did not want to live for this girl.

Antonio Vivaldi

Rufina played for hours every day.  It was exhausting after all those years sitting underneath the stage!  Despite Fiammetta’s resentment and resistance, Rufina began slowly but burst with talent once she had the basic skills.  Fiammetta continued to hate her.  She missed the conversations of music and the feelings that she shared with Antonio—Rufina never had a musical conversation with her, never told Fiammetta about her thoughts.  Everything Rufina played was written already.  Never missing a note on the page, never creating one either.

Rufina was selected to do a solo piece with the orchestra in the spring.  “Great,” thought Fiammetta, “now everyone will see what a diaster this girl is, and I will be shoved back under the stage.”  But Rufina chose to do Antonio’s No. 6 A Minor Concerto—one of Fiammetta’s favourites, the last time she had been with Antonio.  It was hard not to help Rufina whilst she played; Rufina even added some of Antonio’s old tricks and frivolities.

When the night of the concert came.  Fiammetta could feel the tension in the concert hall as Rufina stepped out from behind the curtain.  Fiammetta was not expecting the fear she felt—what if she had lost something after all these years?

They started out a wobbly, but as they got farther and farther into the music, Fiammetta and Rufina became one.  Just as Antonio and Fiammetta had.  After the final draw of the bow across the string, the audience jumped to their feet.  Fiammetta could not have imagined the glow she was emitting.  This little red-haired girl had put the flame back into an old violin.