As a composer of music for the classical concert hall, I have been surprised from time to time by a wonderful phone call about some opportunity for my work. Some of these calls were even from famous people. “This is Marvin Hamlisch,” said a voice on the line, on one occasion. It was in the spring of 2012. He wanted to program one of my compositions with five orchestras on his conducting tour that fall, but his sudden and tragic death in August that year prevented it from ever happening.
About a year ago, the phone rang, and this time the voice belonged to someone I had never heard of, but whom I later learned was far more distinguished than I imagined. It was one of America’s most esteemed architects, Duncan Stroik. This call was also about my music, but as it turned out, not having to do with architecture. It also involved a personal tragedy and was deeply moving, and I believe far more important than most things I have been asked to do.
