I recently had the wonderful privilege of meeting the long time concert master of the New York Philharmonic. Even though I’ve only lived in New York for 9 years and he has been serving as a musical ambassador for 34 years, I’ve really enjoyed his playing and his leadership. Concert Masters are leaders by appointment, but could also be the only one that players watch when the conductor isn’t being helpful to the ensemble. And I really like what he said about there being no such thing as perfection and that each solo, whether small or large, can be played better than the last time he played it. A wonderful human being in addition to a magnificent performer and I’m truly sorry I missed his performance of Beethoven’s Triple! Hopefully I can catch some of his future solo performances!