From the Garret: Archives

Fore! How golf got me onstage at Carnegie Hall

The best golf shot I ever hit was a hole-in-one through the blades of the windmill at the Fairlea Putt-Putt. No, I don't play real golf, the kind that takes nine hours and causes high blood pressure. However, for reasons which elude me, my husband loves the game.

Because he has a Greek last name (although he doesn't speak a word of Greek), Jeff was adopted by a group of Hellenic golfers at our local country club. It's a fun bunch of guys. They often include wives in their evening social activities, and I've learned to love ouzo and bouzouki music.

One of the Greek Golf Group is a conductor, the musical kind. Peter travels all over the world but lives right here in New Jersey. Best of all, he regularly conducts at Carnegie Hall. His career fascinates me because he's also a musical entrepreneur: his company books concerts at Carnegie, runs a classical record label, and puts together fabulous performances that range from seldom-performed operas to Handel's Messiah (a personal favorite of mine).

When I started thinking about my current work-in-progress, a romantic suspense, I decided my hero would be modeled on Peter. I love the theatricality, the combination of authority and artistry, and the international reputation that the career requires. Peter has patiently answered my endless questions about what he does, what he thinks, how he prepares for a concert, etc.

Even better, he invited me to a real live rehearsal on the stage of Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.

Wow! What an experience to sit with the musicians—I was right behind the first violins—and find out how those gorgeous sounds are made! Having the imagination of a writer, I looked out at all those empty red velvet seats and mentally filled them with people, a daunting prospect. I have to confess that I also spent part of my three hours on stage trying to figure out if you could jump from the first balcony to the stage without breaking a leg.

The experience is already a scene in my w-i-p so you'll have to read it to find out the details. I'll just say that the acoustics are incredible, the musicians spectacularly talented, and Peter brilliant at shaping the music.

And I got to skip the hardest part of getting to Carnegie Hall: “practice, practice, practice.”