It's Mark Volkert, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony. He's called to tell Cao that in the middle of a solo the other night the guest violinist, Nigel Kennedy, broke a string on his very expensive violin. Cao nods, taking the news in stride. It gives me power to continue. It's very difficult to compete with old instruments.
People always tend to like the old better and they'll turn down a new one.
But I try to produce a new instrument that already sounds old and have them use it a day later, not 100 years later. Words any of the old masters would probably appreciate. Metro Publishing Inc. MetroActive is affiliated with the Boulevards Network .