It was fall of 2017 and I was in Boston with some friends and business school colleagues for a conference and was sharing a hotel room with one of my most valued friendships. I met him at the previous conference in Texas and we have remained great friends ever since…but that’s a story for another post. The point of the preceding context is that I was surrounded by people I wanted to spend as much time as possible with, but when it came time for dinner plans and the obligatory drinks afterwards I made my escape.

Hillary Hahn was playing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra that night and naturally I hopped in a car after returning to the hotel to dress myself in a suit. I took in as much of the city as possible through the window as I was driven to concert hall. After a short ride, there it was identified by BSO–the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Few would so eagerly give up a social outing in a new city with friends, but my soul, in all its solitude, rejoiced at the sound of the orchestra tuning in preparation for this night’s concert.