23 years ago, I was taking violin lessons from Liz Deters. She played the violin for Fiddler on the Roof at Sundance Summer Theater. When she went on vacation that summer, I got to fill in for her in the orchestra pit.
She told me, after handing me the paycheck, “Angie, now you are a professional violinist.”
I was 15 and my hair was very big. Enjoy your laugh. My mom asked me to pose in front of the orchestra pit, which was a cold, dark, primitive arrangement which was covered with insufficient plastic when it rained. I depended heavily on the accordion player and I made some big mistakes, but I did it. I played for a huge audience.
This experience, although small, meant so much to me. It was the biggest moment in my violin career, and one of only two gigs for which I have been paid.
I didn’t choose to follow violin dreams. I never felt like I fit in with the company that I kept. The crowd was elite and intense. My poor skill in scales and theory as well as my lack of a broad knowledge of violin repertoire are my weaknesses.
However, I have always felt that I had a gift, even if it wasn’t well honed. I told myself that when people asked me to play, I would say yes. I have said no to requests only two times in the 29 years that I have played.
Saying yes is the price to keep my skills.
Funerals, missionary farewells, firesides, Stake Broadway shows, Church and community Christmas concerts, sacrament meetings, mountain hillsides, and desert landscapes are a small list of my amateur venues over the years. I’ve also been a part of a couple of ensembles and I was the concert master in an orchestra in Tucson.
Since moving back to Utah, I have been asked to play OFTEN. I’m working to reestablish a good practice schedule. Last night I had a great time at the Stake Broadway Review rehearsals. I get to play Fiddler again, and I’m loving it.
The show is on February 23rd. Come!