Destination, Paradise Bakery, Aspen, CO

I was 14 years old when I first played for Dorothy DeLay at the Aspen Music School. I met her years before when I performed with the New York Philharmonic and she was sitting backstage waiting for a student of hers. I had heard so much about her- I think I saw a halo around her entire person-I was in awe.
I sent her a cassette tape and she invited me to play for her in Aspen-I will never forget that moment when I stepped into the church and saw her waiting for me. I brought the Wieniawski Concerto No.2 and was incredibly nervous-I am not sure how my fingers moved. After a little bit of time, she smiled so widely and was like a loving grandmother to me. After spending my first summer here, she invited me to go to the Juilliard School. I remember many lessons, eating perpetually at Paradise Bakery, going to the music school in the beautiful mountains, meeting so many new friends and going to many concerts. It was the start of a beautiful relationship that deeply informed my teenage years and continued till she passed away. Coming back now with my young daughters and husband by my side, on the cusp of giving a recital including 3 world premieres with fabulous pianist, Anton Nel, I cannot help but remember her knowing smile, her love for all of us violin kiddos, and my dreams of becoming a concert violinist.