Stayin' Alive

I'm getting to recognize some of the regular subscribers.  In particular, the little girl in the front row who today, couldn't stay awake through the entire Mahler.  I felt the same way, and I was playing it; not because the music wasn't beautiful and exciting, but simply because the week has been very long and busy.  Everyone in the orchestra is a little spent.  And she likely had her own causes of tiredness.  Such is life.  So she leaned her head to one side and slept lightly, awakening in the applause at the end.  She was awake for the encore and it made me happy that we had played it, made it fresh even after an hour-and-a-half long epic symphony.  Perhaps it was her first time hearing "Make Our Garden Grow," and she glowed with an excited smile.  Yeah, this is pretty cool.