Abby Sher
I recently began playing gamelan, and performed at REDCAT in November with the Cal Arts Balinese gamelan group, Burat Wangi. Alan cancelled other plans to attend, for which I was grateful, but also very self-conscious, knowing that his keen ear would hear everything. In the course of the hour-and-fifteen-minute performance I must have played over a thousand notes as intended, but missed a few. Afterwards I asked Alan if he’d noticed. He said, “That’s like the seventh violin in a Brahms symphony asking me if I noticed a few missed notes!” Perfect Alan! Now, if I ever get nervous, I think of that.
