On Thursday I was having a cup of coffee at the United Lounge at Dulles Airport on my way back from a meeting in DC. It was just 3 in the afternoon and already a zillion things had gone wrong. My flight was at 10.30 p.m. and was on standby for a 5 pm flight to New York.
A tall gentleman asked if he could sit at the table. "Of course", I said with a broad smile. Its not often that people are polite and ask. Especially in lounges. He had a large musical instrument case. Which he laid down very gently.
I'm an introvert and am unable to strike up conversations. Even with people I know. And I'm not sure what happened. Possibly my curiosity got the better of me. And I asked, "Where do you keep this instrument in the plane ?". He smiled and replied, "Its got its own seat". And added with a twinkle in his eyes, "and I get double miles". I blurted, "Seems like the instrument is more valuable than you.". That was a stupid thing of me to say, but rather than get offended the stranger replied, "Yes. And its 300 years old."
Suddenly I felt like a child who's come across something very interesting. The stranger and his musical instrument. I kept asking questions and instead of asking me to shut the f*** up, he answered all of them.
I learnt that the instrument in the case was a Cello and the stranger was Amit Peled. He played in concerts around the world. He had played at concerts in Mumbai and Pune and was on his way to Geneva for a performance. He was a Professor of Music at John Hopkins. He's originally from Israel. He practices for 4 - 5 hrs everyday. And ...
As we continued to converse or rather me listen to him, totally fascinated, I started to get the feeling that there was something special bout Amit. It was time for me to go to the gate and find out whether I finally got lucky. I thanked Amit and he wished me luck with my flight.
As it turns out, the only thing I was right about was Amit being a celebrity. A world famous Maestro. And the instrument was the world's most famous musical instrument Pablo Casal's cello.
http://www.amitpeled.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/arts/international/amit-peled-cellist-walks-in-the-footsteps-of-pablo-casals.html
I don't have a ear for music and yet when I heard Amit play I was mesmerized. And listened to the entire performance. And after the performance he was as friendly to his audience as he was to me. I recommend that you watch the complete performance.
Amit Peled: Homage to Pablo Casals – Founder's Day 2015
In addition to being a great cellist, Amit is a phenomenal teacher. He has a wonderful video using a unique teaching methodology of 7 commandments and Emojis for Cello players.
The Cello Emoji Video Guide Amit Peled Cellist
In his "Homage to Pablo Casals – Founder's Day 2015" concert Amit Peled quotes Pablo Casals
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michaelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
To Amit Peled:
"Thank You. Our encounter was inspirational and humbling. You are a Marvel. And my ignorance on Classical Music is a clarion call to fill a large and important gap in my Life. I hope to have the privilege of listening to you play. In person. At one of your concerts. Really soon"
A tall gentleman asked if he could sit at the table. "Of course", I said with a broad smile. Its not often that people are polite and ask. Especially in lounges. He had a large musical instrument case. Which he laid down very gently.
I'm an introvert and am unable to strike up conversations. Even with people I know. And I'm not sure what happened. Possibly my curiosity got the better of me. And I asked, "Where do you keep this instrument in the plane ?". He smiled and replied, "Its got its own seat". And added with a twinkle in his eyes, "and I get double miles". I blurted, "Seems like the instrument is more valuable than you.". That was a stupid thing of me to say, but rather than get offended the stranger replied, "Yes. And its 300 years old."
Suddenly I felt like a child who's come across something very interesting. The stranger and his musical instrument. I kept asking questions and instead of asking me to shut the f*** up, he answered all of them.
I learnt that the instrument in the case was a Cello and the stranger was Amit Peled. He played in concerts around the world. He had played at concerts in Mumbai and Pune and was on his way to Geneva for a performance. He was a Professor of Music at John Hopkins. He's originally from Israel. He practices for 4 - 5 hrs everyday. And ...
As we continued to converse or rather me listen to him, totally fascinated, I started to get the feeling that there was something special bout Amit. It was time for me to go to the gate and find out whether I finally got lucky. I thanked Amit and he wished me luck with my flight.
As it turns out, the only thing I was right about was Amit being a celebrity. A world famous Maestro. And the instrument was the world's most famous musical instrument Pablo Casal's cello.
http://www.amitpeled.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/arts/international/amit-peled-cellist-walks-in-the-footsteps-of-pablo-casals.html
I don't have a ear for music and yet when I heard Amit play I was mesmerized. And listened to the entire performance. And after the performance he was as friendly to his audience as he was to me. I recommend that you watch the complete performance.
Amit Peled: Homage to Pablo Casals – Founder's Day 2015
In addition to being a great cellist, Amit is a phenomenal teacher. He has a wonderful video using a unique teaching methodology of 7 commandments and Emojis for Cello players.
The Cello Emoji Video Guide Amit Peled Cellist
In his "Homage to Pablo Casals – Founder's Day 2015" concert Amit Peled quotes Pablo Casals
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michaelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
To Amit Peled:
"Thank You. Our encounter was inspirational and humbling. You are a Marvel. And my ignorance on Classical Music is a clarion call to fill a large and important gap in my Life. I hope to have the privilege of listening to you play. In person. At one of your concerts. Really soon"
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