The Symphony

On Saturday night Shar and I were invited to attend the Dallas Symphony with some great friends from church.  It is not the typical evening of early 30's couples of Fort Worth, but Shar and I were really excited about it and loved the show that we saw.

The performers were a young and upcoming performance in the symphonic community called The 5 Browns.  A truly amazing group of 5 siblings who all attended Julliard in New York within a 9 year period.  The show was awesome and if you have the chance I would recommend it.

I have a very distant connection to the Dallas Symphonic Society.  Very Distant. Here is the short version of the story.

My Dad's side of the family is predominantly Nazarene by christian heritage.  A very musical bunch and family gatherings always included family musical productions.  It began with my dad's parents, my Nana and Papa.  Both music majors in college, Nana played the piano and sang alto and papa played the piano and the alto sax.  Aunt Marge, Nana's sister sang soprano and also played the piano and saxophone. Uncle Bill, her husband played the trombone and french horn.  My dad played the trumpet, along with his cousins C.P. and Billy.  Billy's older brother and my dad's other cousin Byron played the flute and guitar. Now that is just the family that I distinctly remember. Everyone sang of course and most of the kids my age played some instrument.  It would not be uncommon to have 12 to 15 instruments going as we sang old church songs and holiday carols. Now, Uncle Bill, my dad's uncle had a sister named Hazel whom we all called Aunt Hazel.  Her husband Emil, Uncle Emil is my connection to the Dallas Symphony.  

Hazel and Emil lived in South Dallas and we would always see them on trips back to Texas from California to visit both sets of grandparents (my mom's and dad's) in Dallas.  Hazel and Emil lived in a dumpy house right off I-20 in South Dallas there entire married lives.  Hazel taught school and piano lessons and Uncle Emil tuned pianos.  He was a big man, and odd, but he had a perfect pitch and was the most highly sought after piano tuner in DFW, and in the state.  He would tune all the piano's for the big churches of Dallas and Fort Worth, and also would tune the piano's for the Symphonic society.  He was a really remarkable man.

As we entered the symphony I could feel the memories of my child hood returning.  Most of the attendants of the symphony are older and each couple reminded me of my Nana and Papa and Uncle Bill and Aunt Marge.  I felt as if I was stepping back in time and reliving a scene from a time when I was 6 years old.  Odd feeling.  

As we watched these amazing siblings perform my desire increased for Blake and Anna Jo to have some musical training.  I was the only grandchild not to take piano lessons.  I did not need to take them since I would be going to the pros in basketball or soccer.  What a moron I was.  Nana and Papa would give me little lessons and I was always so amazed at their natural and learned abilities.  The piano keys molded to their fingers and music was the natural result of their movement.  Did I mention what a moron I was (am).  

Go to the symphony, to Broadway musicals and local plays.  The artistic side of our civilization is all to foreign to the majority of our nation and the world.  I hope my kids take a liking to the art of music, along with the the joy of athletics and whatever else they can find to make themselves as well rounded as possible.  

One of my goals for them is to surpass me and Shar.  For the next generation to be better is what my dad said to me.  I need to pay more attention to that.