And at the same time, I had my very first concert at the age of 16. I hadn't heard a symphony orchestra before, and I was so deeply impressed I said I have to be a conductor.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I went to study some orchestration stuff because I got so inspired working with all the orchestras.
When I was four, we had to choose a musical instrument to play at school, and I chose the cello. I played until I was 18, and although I found it nerve-racking to play solo, I loved playing in an orchestra. When I left school I didn't carry on with it, which I regret.
You know as I started as a shy young conductor, I always wanted to cooperate. To build up the musicians. To help them to be better than without a conductor. And sometimes young talented musicians have to be encouraged.
In truth, I became a conductor because deep down I wanted to conduct Brahms's four symphonies and Richard Strauss's tone poems.
I played the trumpet for nine years, and then I joined the choir after that, and then I was in musicals in high school.
I began to go to concerts when I was 12 years old.
I was always the kid on scholarship, I was a soloist with my company, I'd been working with the symphony since I was 14.
When I played my first concert with an orchestra, I was eight years old in Berlin.
I had a year at 3 when I wanted to be a conductor in the opera.
I've been playing music all my life, from being a choir soloist at Symphony Hall as a youngster to playing in bands through high school and college at Kent State. Went in the service at 17, out before I was 21.