To help, my teacher Homer Mensch lent me his priceless Grancino. He felt that the bass I had used in the last audition didn’t help me. It was a Prague 1930’s Juzek and he said that although it was loud, it was loud in a “cheap carnival” way. He said that I might not have had the “seasoned orchestral sound” the committee wanted. I am thankful to Homer for lending me his cherished 18 th century Italian instrument. I played it everywhere for about a month- at Juilliard, at the Philharmonic- everywhere.
!"#$% &' ()*)
Homer Mensch (1914-2005) had a long history with the Philharmonic. He was accepted into the orchestra in 1938 and played there until he enlisted in the Army during World War II. In 1966 he was invited back into the orchestra by music director Leonard Bernstein. He stayed on the roster for nine years. Homer was very supportive of me but deep inside I was still terrified. Somehow, I don’t remember all the events from that time period. Anxiety lends a dull grey coat of uncertainty that blocks out the details of life itself.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator