Taking Care of Each Other...A Lesson from the DSO

Al’s daughter, Shanda, has been playing viola with the marvelous Detroit Symphony Orchestra for several years. Since the innovation of “live streaming” on the computer, we are able to watch most of her concerts throughout the season from the comfort of our own home. In fact, we can see the musicians much better on the desktop computer than at the Symphony Hall in Detroit, with close up views from the on-stage cameras. Shanda even has a special little “wave” for us which she does at the end of concerts with her viola bow.     

       

Al and I were watching one such webcast when we noticed that the soloist had a problem with the bow of his cello during the performance. A long fiber had broken loose on one end of the bow and was flailing around as he was playing. We never would have noticed it had we been sitting out in the audience of the concert hall. When there was a brief interlude in his music, he quickly managed to pull the fiber off while the orchestra continued the piece and then joined in again at exactly the right moment. It was amazing—even more so because we could see that he wasn’t using any music, but had memorized the entire concerto!

      

 Afterwards, we talked to Shanda on her cell phone as she was driving home. We asked what the gifted soloist would have done if his bow had broken in two, or if there was another major problem with his instrument while he was playing.

        

Shanda said that she had only seen it happen once or twice during a concert. The first chair musician sitting directly behind the performer (assuming he played the same instrument) would pass up his own bow or instrument, if necessary. Someone in the row behind the first chair person would then pass up his or her bow or instrument; and that same action would be repeated until only the person in the very last row would be left empty-handed. He or she would wait until the end of that piece and then go offstage to get a replacement which would be used until the original musician had the opportunity to make a switch.

       

 Evidently there is an unwritten code among the members of the symphony to help each other in an emergency. Maybe that is what makes the DSO so great! Not only do the musicians spend many hours practicing together so that they can play the music beautifully and flawlessly, they also care for one another, are giving and selfless.

         

 A great lesson for the body of Christ to learn, don’t you think? The world is watching!

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mat. 20:26b-28 NIV

Help us, oh Lord, not to seek attention for ourselves or to be self-serving, but to be willing to sacrifice for others. May the world “know that we are Christians by our love.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.