\”Go on now and get out there immediately.\”

This was a precious moment in my short flute career.  My dear Oma, a pioneer woman flutist in the 1920s (read about her in the New York Times) began teaching me at the age of 8.  She was a profound influence on my life and as phenomenal of a teacher as she was a performer.

In this photo, I am 10.  That\’s me, my beloved Mom, my dear Oma, all performing on stage at Stanford University. It\’s my first concert, my debut.

As we  prepared, my Oma always said to me, \”Darling, at any time you don\’t want to perform, that is all right. You just let your Oma know.\”

\”Anytime, Oma?\”

\”Anytime, Darling.\”

The night of the performance. I am in the wings. I\’ve seen them perform and my heart is racing.  Sweat graces my palms and I am sure my fingers are going to stick to the keys.  My dress feels like it is sticking to me.

\”Oma,\”  I say quietly.  \”I don\’t want to go….\”

Right behind me, she said, \”Go on now and get out there immediately.\”

The show must go on 🙂 and it did!