Gershwin's iconic Rhapsody in Blue! This happens to be what United Airlines plays as you enter and exit the plane, although the New Jersey Youth Symphony and I used Lufthansa as our mode of air transport.
At the video timestamp 4:40, one of my strings snapped off the wooden bridge and became tangled in it (I've visually represented this in blue, scroll down to see).
In order to keep playing, I had to fix my viola mid-concert, so I tried to do so as discretely as possible. You can see me, from a distance, loosening the string on stage (zoom in!).
This concert was not only memorable due to an instrument malfunction, but also because Anni, a very dear family friend who lives in Germany, flew all the way to Lithuania to see me play in the NJ Youth Symphony.
SOLOIST:
Taige Wang is the phenomenal 15-year-old pianist featured in this recording. He came with the orchestra on tour, where he befriended practically everyone and dazzled us with his exceptional musical skill. If you'd like to see more of him and you happen to be near NYC on Saturday, October 3, I highly recommend checking out Taige's next concert! https://www.musiconchamberorchestra.org/season5-2026-openingconcert
