Deckman, sorry it has taken me so long to get in here. Wonderful, wonderful stories, everyone!

I have several, too, but I think for now I will tell of the concert we put on in Providence, RI of my brother's classical piano works and songs. Rog and I had supported him, financially, for about 6 years by then, and he had lived with us for 3. We'd heard every note of each piano concerto, symphony, etc. as he wrote it and he is magical when it comes to improvising an entire orchestral sound on a piano, so we had some idea of what it would all sound like, some day.

We had moved before the first premiere of an orchestral piece of his, Ode to the Rockies, so Rog and I had never heard his stuff in concert.

Anyway, I had worked my arse off, promoting him and setting up gigs, etc. for several years, NOT because he was my brother, but because I LOVED the music. This concert, in the Music Mansion at Brown Univeristy, a beautiful, intimate setting, with a magnificent grand piano, was a culmination of the efforts of many, but I was esp. anxious about it and had really worked hard.

This was the first time some of his works would be heard; we had no idea, really, if a two-hour concert of just his works, brand-new stuff most had never heard, would even go across.

The evening came, the singer was ready, my brother was in his rented tux, I had on a brand-new red dress and was ready as page-turner. Rog had a broadcast camera set up and recorded the whole thing. It was Christmas-time, so the place was decoratd with greens and the chandeliers gleamed, twinkling reflections throughout the hall. We had a good crowd, just under 100, some friends, most people we'd never met.

The minute he struck the first chord on the piano, I knew it was going to go well. Each piece was met with vigourous and/gracious applause, depending on the mood of the piece. Some were met with that magical complete silence others of you have mentioned, followed by an awakening of applause.

I turned pages, switched sheet music, none of it published, just written in his hand and stapled to cardboard to make it stand up; he played magnificently, all the hard years of practising and his old German teacher's discipline paying off in Mozartian precision and grace; the singer did a fantastic job and my heart was full. If I hadn't been on stage, I probably would have been crying the whole time, it was so fulfilling and gratifying to share and have the reception be so completely positive. His music came from a sacred place which he connected with and I know we all felt a Oneness that evening with the Source. They gave him an encore and the reception after was wonderful.

The entire evening was magical and I will always be grateful for it. We've had one other close to that, but now that we don't work together, no one hears his music and it is painful to think of it not being heard. Thanks for allowing me to write of this good memory for those are the ones I wish to keep the most.