Nancy Shear’s Journey Into the Fascinating Orchestra World

Wendy & Rich 0:01
Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Hartford County Living presents Conversations with Rich Bennett. I'm so good to hear. 

You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! What? You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! You're not really showing up! I'm not really showing up! I'm not really showing up! You're not really showing up! There

Rich Bennett 0:27
are moments in life when passion doesn't just go away. It doesn't just guide you. It pulls you somewhere you never thought you belonged. For Nancy's share, that pool started at 15 years old. Sneaking into Philadelphia Orchestra Concerts, through the stage door, because she couldn't afford a ticket. Not because she wanted to break the rules, but because something about the music wouldn't let her stay away. And just two years later, she wasn't sneaking in anymore. She was working behind the scenes. And by 18, she was assisting one of the most legendary conductors in history. But this isn't just a story about classical music. It's about a young woman from a difficult background who found refuge, purpose, and identity in a world that wasn't built for her. Surrounded by brilliance, ego, intensity, and some of the most iconic names in music history. In her memoir, "I knew a man who knew Brahms" Nancy takes us behind the curtain of an oral most of us will never see. Into rehearsal rooms, private conversations, and the very human side of musical legends. The genius, the flaws, the pressure, and the passion that brings it all to life. And what makes this conversation so powerful, it's that even if you're never listened to a symphony in your life and God, I hope that's not the case, this story isn't about music. It's about what happens when you find the one thing that saves you, and you refuse to let it go. How are you doing, Nancy? 

Nancy Shear 2:09
I'm very impressed, Rich. You just said it all. 

Rich Bennett 2:12
That's 

Nancy Shear 2:13
There's 

Rich Bennett 2:13
it. 

Nancy Shear 2:14
no reason now to talk. You just did the whole thing. 

Rich Bennett 2:18
[laughter] 

Nancy Shear 2:19
It's really capitalized, it's wonderful. 

Rich Bennett 2:22
I 

love reading memoirs, especially when it comes to music. 

Classical music is still one of my favorite types of music to listen to. Although I can only listen to it when my wife and daughter aren't home, I love to turn it up loud. Like you're there in the symphony hall listening to it. And I like to pick out all the different instruments and everything. So it's my only chance I get to listen to it or through good pair of headphones. You know what? It's just... Anybody that doesn't listen to it, they need to at least once. And I have a feeling once they listen to it the first time, they're going to continue listening to it again. But anyways, I want you to take me back to 15-year-old Nancy, sneaking in through that stage door. You know, what were you actually feeling at the moment? And what is it about the music that made you willing to do whatever it took just to be in the room? 

Nancy Shear 3:30
That moment that I sat in the Academy of Music when somebody gave me a free ticket to the concerts, I will never forget that moment of hearing. 

Rich Bennett 3:39
Mm-hmm, 

Nancy Shear 3:40
Sound. This is pure sound that was so full of emotion and 

Rich Bennett 3:46
mm-hmm, 

Nancy Shear 3:47
color and expressiveness that it just gripped me. And I 

Rich Bennett 3:53
yeah, 

Nancy Shear 3:53
knew I was going to have to go back soon. And 

Rich Bennett 3:57
mm-hmm, 

Nancy Shear 3:57
I didn't have a ticket. I didn't have enough money, so I went up to the... And I lived one hour away. I don't know if anybody knows Philadelphia, but my family lived in the Northeast. So I had a walk to an avenue. It wasn't cutman avenue. I really don't. It's been a long time. But then I'd take the 59 bus, so remember, it was 59. That would take me to the Frankfurt elevated train. And then I would... I'd have, I guess, about a half hour ride, and I'd get off, and then I'd have to walk to the Academy of Music. So this wasn't an easy trip. It wasn't like I lived around the corner. But I 

Rich Bennett 4:34
right. 

Nancy Shear 4:34
got there the week after I had been given this free ticket. And I went up to the box office, and there was a woman with white hair. And she... And I said, "I'd like a ticket to the concert." And she just looked at me, and I guess she could figure out that I wasn't going to be... I wasn't going to sit in the parkay circle, which was... expensive seat and she said that's $1. 50 and this was $1. 50 or $1. 25. Well that was almost my complete weekly allowance and I had 

Rich Bennett 5:05
Right. 

Nancy Shear 5:05
to I had to get into town. What Philadelphia's called Center City and back out to the Northeast. So that was expensive. Just getting the car fair. I remember I just stood there. I was frozen because I didn't have a dollar and a quarter or a dollar 50 and without saying a word she just. Looked at me and said, oh, all right and she had this little tiny pad of paper. It was a form 

Rich Bennett 5:34
Right. 

Nancy Shear 5:35
and and she scribbled something on it and handed it to me and said this is for the amphitheater. That was the cheapest seats in the hall and it was I forget how many stairs up that I had to climb and when I finally got up there there were wooden seats as opposed to the beautiful red velvet. 

Rich Bennett 5:55
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 5:55
I didn't care. None of that was 

Rich Bennett 5:58
important. 

Nancy Shear 5:59
Here in the orchestra. So after a couple of weeks I kept going back to her and she would write out these passes and after a while and at first she was very gruff and then she got very sweet and she said to me, you know, I can't keep doing this because I'm going to get into trouble. 

Rich Bennett 6:16
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 6:16
So she said, go stand over in the lobby. It was a beautiful marble lobby to stand over there because this was a Friday afternoon concert. I think it was two o'clock and she said the women it was all women, you know, older women beautifully dressed with their jewelry. She said the women by two subscriptions and the husbands don't come and maybe one of them would like, they were working, maybe one of them would like to have your company at the concert. So I stood there and sure enough one of these older women, probably a lot younger than I am right now, came over to me and said, do you want to hear the concert? Because I love to, well, I have an extra ticket come in with me and I was 

Rich Bennett 7:04
sitting at 

Nancy Shear 7:04
that point I was sitting in the most expensive seats in the house. This was a parquet circle and that worked for a while and that stopped working. I guess the, I don't know the novelty of having a kid standing there wore off and I thought, how can I get into this concert hall? And I remembered around the corner I always passed a door and it said stage door and I had to find a way to penetrate that building. I had to get in. So I went around the stage door that maybe somebody there would have a ticket 

Rich Bennett 7:42
Right. 

Nancy Shear 7:42
and I stood there for a couple of Fridays. And finally and the orchestra blessed them. They were beautiful human beings. A lot of the orchestra players would stop and talk to me, so what do you, you know, you're back here and I'd say yeah, and I got to know them. They got to know me a little bit. Then Eugene Ormondi, who was the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra at that time came by and didn't say hello. He just stopped and he said, I see you here every week. What are you doing? And I remember what I said to I said, I love the orchestra and he said, do you have a ticket? I said no. And I didn't give any more information and he said come with me and I followed him backstage to his dressing room to his office. 

Rich Bennett 8:33
Oh 

Nancy Shear 8:34
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 8:34
wow. 

Nancy Shear 8:34
which was a risk because I didn't know it then, but he was not to be trusted with young women, but I didn't 

Rich Bennett 8:40
Oh, 

Nancy Shear 8:40
know. I didn't know that then. So I was very naive. I was very trusting and I followed him back and when I got there he called the box office and he said, I'm sending a friend of mine. Please give her a ticket. He showed up at the box office. There was the woman who had given me all these passes and she looked at me. She said, you were just here. You couldn't afford a ticket. Now she says you're Eugene. It was a wonderful. 

Rich Bennett 9:10
Wow, 

Nancy Shear 9:10
almost a cinematic moment. And but as I write in the book, the real reward was not getting a ticket to that concert. The real reward was finding and learning the layout of the backstage area, because I realized if I could somehow get past the guard. at the stage door. 

Rich Bennett 9:36
Mm 

Nancy Shear 9:36
I could bypass the ticket takers. I could get in there and sit in a seat that hadn't been occupied. So that's what I did. And in the guard, they had one guard at that time. That guard had watched me walk in with Eugene Ormondy. So when I showed up the next Friday, he waved at me. 

Rich Bennett 9:58
hmm. This week. 

Nancy Shear 9:59
Hi, you know, hello. 

Rich Bennett 10:01
Figured you were with 

Nancy Shear 10:03
him. I got in and I could get right into the corridor where I had people had already handed in their ticket stubs and where the tickets. And so that went on for quite a while, but because I could get backstage, I would prowl around this civil war era concert which was fabulously beautiful in the hole, but fascinating backstage. And there were rooms of opera props and there were rooms where they were storing things. And then one day, I found a doorway. It was a green metal door and a couple steps up. And I walked up. I was curious, what's in that room? 

Rich Bennett 10:49
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 10:50
So I opened the door and there were two men sitting at that at a big work table. And I had seen them. I had said hello to them at rehearsals. And you know, when I could get in, and I said, this four words that changed my entire life, because I opened the door. And when I saw that they were working, I quickly started to close it. And the librarian of orchestra said, you may 

Rich Bennett 11:19
come in. 

Nancy Shear 11:20
Here I was, 15 years old, and a grown-up, you know, in a position of authority, said you may come in. It was a very beautiful moment. And 

Rich Bennett 11:31
Wow. 

Nancy Shear 11:31
I walked back in, and he was sitting there marking music. And I was confused. I didn't know what he was doing. I played, 

Rich Bennett 11:39
Right. 

Nancy Shear 11:39
I had studied the cello, but that's, that's very different. 

Rich Bennett 11:43
That's as far as you go, yeah. 

Nancy Shear 11:44
So he said, if you want to see, he said, pull up the chair, and I'll show you what I'm doing. So I got a chair and I pulled it up to the desk. And the other person sitting there was the assistant conductor, Eugene Ormond, he's assistant. And this was where they worked. And I watched, I watched what he was doing. He was, he had a pencil, and he was putting all these markings into the music. And I didn't understand. I said, what are you doing? And he said, well, you know, every conductor who comes here has a different interpretation. They conceived the piece in a different way. And the markings, they're already in the parts, are what the composer wrote. But you have to have additional markings that will tell a musician how to play those notes that the composer has written. And that differs from one conductor to another. So for two years, I would run there mostly after school, but sometimes during school. 

Rich Bennett 12:52
I 

Nancy Shear 12:52
When 

Rich Bennett 12:52
was gonna ask school part. 

Nancy Shear 12:56
I learned a lot more out of school than I learned in school, at that point, you know? 

Rich Bennett 13:02
All right. So 

Nancy Shear 13:02
when 

Rich Bennett 13:02
Nancy, here is your, you were, you were hooking school. 

Nancy Shear 13:06
What? I was excusing myself from playing. 

Let's just say... This way. And I was obsessed. I was this possessed. I had to go to these countries. And here I was. Now I was able to go to rehearsals of the Philadelphia Orchestra and I got to meet all the players. And you know, we're talking about a fairy tale come true. It's a 

Rich Bennett 13:34
tale. 

Nancy Shear 13:34
fairy 

Rich Bennett 13:34
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 13:36
So to you, I did that for about two years. And then one day, 17 years old, I went to a rehearsal and there was a librarian. And I said, how are you? And he said, not so good. I said, what's happening? What's the matter? And he said, my assistant quit unexpectedly. So I said, I said here I am. And he I'll never forget it. He said, yeah, and he left. He thought it was a joke. He said, yeah, if we need you, we'll call you. Well, obviously overnight, he thought about it because the next day, my phone rang at home. And don't forget, nowadays, we had telephone books, remember telephone books, they're like, that's sick. And he knew my name, he looked up my home number and he called and my mother knocked on my bedroom going. She said, Mr. Tainan is on the phone. And when I answered the phone, the great thrill for me was that I could hear the orchestra playing in the background. 

Rich Bennett 14:39
Oh. 

Nancy Shear 14:40
Yeah. And he said, if you want a job, get back here. And I did that whole, the walk, the bus, the Frankfurt, the Elbe, the walk. I got to the Academy of Music and I became his assistant. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 15:01
All right. So first trip there because now you got me wondering, 

Nancy Shear 15:07
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 15:09
You know, with the, excuse me yourself from school and everything, did your mother ever ask any questions? 

Nancy Shear 15:16
I told her all about my adventures and I told her that I was, that I was in the library and I told her about the rehearsals. I think she, and we were extremely close, but I think 

Rich Bennett 15:28
she 

Nancy Shear 15:30
thought that I was going after school because I'd come home on the late side. I never lied to her. If she had said to me, 

Rich Bennett 15:37
right 

Nancy Shear 15:38
when are you going there, I would have said, well, sometimes, leave school 

Rich Bennett 15:44
I'll 

Nancy Shear 15:45
without really officially being excused, but she never did and I never would have lied. 

Rich Bennett 15:50
Right. 

Nancy Shear 15:50
But hey, it worked out really well. 

Rich Bennett 15:54
All right. So let me ask you this. Once that music bug bit you, and I think it is a bug. It bites you. It's like, you just get hooked. And then you finished high school. Were there any plans? Did you ever want to go to college or anything to study music or? 

Nancy Shear 16:12
I 

Rich Bennett 16:13
to 

Nancy Shear 16:13
wanted 

Rich Bennett 16:13
stay because you have on the job training now. 

Nancy Shear 16:16
I wanted to write as 

Rich Bennett 16:19
professor, 

Nancy Shear 16:19
a 

Rich Bennett 16:20
right music. 

Nancy Shear 16:21
No, 

Rich Bennett 16:22
be. 

Nancy Shear 16:22
I want to 

Rich Bennett 16:22
Oh, 

Nancy Shear 16:23
was going to work, want to be a journalist and I wanted to write a beautiful book. And 

Rich Bennett 16:29
I 

Nancy Shear 16:29
I never intended to go into music. And one day a friend of mine. Was visiting with me, you know, we were teenagers. And I said, well, you know, I'm going to go into writing. I said, but I really love music. And my friend said, you know, you can always be a writer. All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper. But you have a job with Philadelphia orchestra. You may not be able to do that later in life. And that makes sense to me at that point. 

Rich Bennett 17:00
Yeah, 

Nancy Shear 17:00
The only missing piece was that when you get involved in a profession, and when you get older, time becomes an issue. And I did not really have a lot of time to do the kind of writing that I wanted. I did articles about music, basically, that were published in some of the biggest periodicals. My first article 

Rich Bennett 17:21
right. 

Nancy Shear 17:22
was in 1978, Musical America. And I think the second one is Musical America. That's that's starting pretty big. But I didn't I was also frightened of working in music. Because I felt that if it was a profession, it may lose that beauty. If 

Rich Bennett 17:45
Right. 

Nancy Shear 17:45
I did it every day, and I talk with a lot of orchestra players and I'd say to them, how long have you been in the orchestra? And many of them would say 35 years, 40 years, 45 years. And I think, 

Rich Bennett 18:00
Wow. 

Nancy Shear 18:00
how can anybody do that for 45 years? Well, I just passed my 60 second anniversary, 62 years since I started working for the Philadelphia. I'm in the orchestra. And I wish I had more than one lifetime because I would do nothing but be involved with music and write about it and go to concerts and rehearsals, and study even more about it. It's just this endless, beautiful world. And I was going to be a journalist and then about, I guess, 12, 13 years ago, I realized that the story that I had on many, many levels was something I had to share, I really had to share it with people. So I started writing that book in earnest and I had basically Sundays to write because I was running a business and I was involved with all kinds of life, you know? But I got the book written, and that was really the great goal of my life was to get everything that I have that I know on paper so that I could hand it to people. And they would know what I know. There's a responsibility to share that knowledge and that's what the book is. 

Rich Bennett 19:32
So do you think there could be another book as well? with 

Nancy Shear 19:35
I don't. 

Rich Bennett 19:36
all the stuff that you've seen and experienced right 

Nancy Shear 19:39
Well, you know, there's nothing, there's no deficiency in the book. It's not like people are gonna read and say, 'Oh, but she didn't talk about this or that, it's a complete book.' But I did take 22,000 words out. 

Rich Bennett 19:53
Oh 

Nancy Shear 19:53
I 

Rich Bennett 19:53
wow. 

Nancy Shear 19:54
did, to get it published, they said, 'I have no book more than 100,000 words, so I have 102,000.' But I had to take 22,000 words out. And there's some very good, funny stories, especially after I got to New York. The book pretty much ends when I arrive in New York. So maybe I'll do another memoir, shorter memoir, going from age 34 to today. But, you know, Victor Borgo was a 

Rich Bennett 20:27
friend. 

Nancy Shear 20:27
dear 

Rich Bennett 20:28
No. 

Nancy Shear 20:28
Yeah, I 

Rich Bennett 20:29
Oh, 

Nancy Shear 20:29
hear-- 

Rich Bennett 20:29
come 

Nancy Shear 20:30
What 

Rich Bennett 20:30
on! 

Nancy Shear 20:30
a great guy. Yeah, and he's not even mentioned. And I don't know whether you're familiar with La D'Lignia, the singer and actress, and she brought me to New York. I got here because of her. So I may do this. 

Rich Bennett 20:46
I hate this cold but it's... Oh, you have to. 

Nancy Shear 20:48
But I'm thinking about it. I'm 

Rich Bennett 20:50
it. 

Nancy Shear 20:50
thinking 

Rich Bennett 20:50
You 

Nancy Shear 20:50
of 

Rich Bennett 20:50
have to-- I mean, those are, or even-- I don't know. Well, you could draw what's it called. It's right a screenplay, making it into a television series. 

Nancy Shear 21:00
Well, I think-- 

Rich Bennett 21:02
That can be pretty interesting. 

Nancy Shear 21:03
there is a cinematic quality. A number of people have said to me about my book, "Are they going to make it into a movie?" Because it's perfect. But I haven't even-- 

Rich Bennett 21:12
Man, 

Nancy Shear 21:12
I wouldn't even know another step to take to do that. So-- We'll see. 

Rich Bennett 21:17
Ow. 

Nancy Shear 21:18
We'll see. That's a good 

Rich Bennett 21:19
Alright. 

Nancy Shear 21:19
story. 

Rich Bennett 21:20
So with the book, actually, how long did it take you to write? I'm not talking about doing the research from when you were 15. When you put-- when you put the pen to paper, which to me is still the best way to write, how long did it actually take? 

Nancy Shear 21:38
You have? 

Rich Bennett 21:38
For it got published. 

Nancy Shear 21:40
You have to divide it by seven because I really, Sunday's, were my writing day. And that's really when I woke up in the morning, and I mean-- and I still do this, by the way-- I do not turn my telephone on. I take no calls. I do not look at emails. This is only for thinking and letting my imagination go and thinking about the best way to develop a sentence. Because you can write chapters, but it comes down to the sentence level 

Rich Bennett 22:13
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 22:13
and making it vibrant and alive and colorful. And a very visceral feeling to it. So that said, you. Oh, and then I don't want to skip this. I kept thinking, what's the best way to get really into the writing in a different way? 

Rich Bennett 22:30
um-- Mm-hmm. 

Nancy Shear 22:31
And I pictured myself in the classroom. I had wanted to get a master's degree in writing because I had a degree in music, but in writing. So in age 65, I decided I was going to go back to school and get my master's degree. 

Rich Bennett 22:48
Good 

Nancy Shear 22:48
And 

Rich Bennett 22:48
for 

Nancy Shear 22:48
I was-- and I was older than-- somebody said, are you older the oldest person in the classroom? And I said, yeah, most of the time, including the professors. 

But it did really focus me on the writing. So when you answer your question from going back to school to actually getting the book published, was about 12-- 12-- 13 years. 

Rich Bennett 23:16
Okay, wow. 

Nancy Shear 23:17
Yeah, you know, writing a book is not for the faint of heart, it's-- You've got to give it 

Rich Bennett 23:23
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 23:23
a lot of thought and perfected and-- especially when you-- 

Rich Bennett 23:27
Fessria memoir, too. I always think a memoir could be hard to write. 

Nancy Shear 23:30
When you're talking about music, a lot of people say 

Rich Bennett 23:34
music-- Oh, yeah. 

Nancy Shear 23:35
--and possible to write about music. I totally disagree in the book is 

Rich Bennett 23:39
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 23:39
proof. You can indeed write about music and convey what it's like, the qualities of it through words. 

Rich Bennett 23:48
All right, so which part of the book is your favorite? 

Nancy Shear 23:51
Oh, Rich, that's a difficult question. 

Rich Bennett 23:55
Laurie, let me rephrase that one of your favorites. 

Nancy Shear 24:00
What I guess what I really love is a lot of people know about Layapold's de Koffsky because of his-- 

Rich Bennett 24:08
Mm-hmm. 

Nancy Shear 24:08
His role in Fantasia, in the concept of the movie Fantasia, and of course, what most people remember about him is not the beauty of his conducting, but that he shook hands with Mickey Mouse. He 

Rich Bennett 24:25
Oh, wow. 

Nancy Shear 24:26
bent down from the podium, Mickey. crulled up a step on the podium, and he tugged at Stikovsky's pants. And Stikovsky looked down and said, "Oh, hello, Mickey." And Mickey Mouse said, "Congratulations, Mr. Stikovsky. And Stikovsky said, "Congratulations to you too, Mickey." I mean, here he is. One of the great musical figures of our time. Very impressive. Very... 

Rich Bennett 24:59
artist. 

Nancy Shear 25:02
Very... very much like a god, you know. But here he is shaking hands with a rodent. I mean, how many great musicians are going to do that? Right? So I guess one of the favorite parts of my book was I got to know Stikovsky. Really well. Probably 

Rich Bennett 25:20
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 25:21
better than I would venture guess anybody else in the world. 

Rich Bennett 25:25
Oh, 

Nancy Shear 25:25
We 

Rich Bennett 25:25
wow. 

Nancy Shear 25:26
just hit it off and I worked and he hired me one year after the Philadelphia Orchestra hired me. So I would go part-time to New York to work as his librarian and help him organize his music and go back to Philadelphia and work part-time for orchestra. So I would travel to England and France after Stikovsky moved England. 

Rich Bennett 25:53
And he... Nice. 

Nancy Shear 25:53
He had a place in the South of France. And one year in particular, 1974, I stayed with him. I think it was ten days over Christmas and New Year's. And I was able to listen to his music with him sitting next to him. And just being able to... to... in a very concentrated way to listen to what he did with his... it was with his hands and with his eyes. And that's how he communicated to the orchestra. A lot of conductors do it with the baton. And they can do a magnificent job. Stikovsky did it through his very beautiful, large expressive hands, but more so through his eyes. And when he looked... when he looked at his orchestra players, it was total communication. They knew exactly what he wanted. And when you talk to them about it, they cannot explain it. Some said, "Oh, maybe it's a form of him." novices, other people said it was ESP. But this is human being to human being. We're capable of remarkable things. 

Rich Bennett 27:17
So 

Nancy Shear 27:17
sitting next to him with his grandkids and his daughter. And I was a member of the family. And I still am. We're about 60 years later. I'm still on very close touch with 

Rich Bennett 27:33
family. 

Nancy Shear 27:34
the It was beautiful hearing in a very concentrated way what he did. And this is the thing, you know, you mentioned about you hope that people have been to an orchestra concert, if not go. You don't have to bring anything with you. You don't 

Rich Bennett 27:55
now 

Nancy Shear 27:55
need any previous knowledge. You don't have to know what conductors do. You don't have to know about the lives of the composers. All you have to do, and this is critically important, is be willing to pay attention. You can't be texting. You can't be reading even my book. You have to pay attention and really listen to that music and then tremendous rewards to do that. 

Rich Bennett 28:29
I think yeah, I agree with you 100% there, but I would like to add one thing. Watch the conductor as well. Because you know, we, I say we because I used to play an instrument, but not an orchestra, but people go, they to score or whatever to learn how to play, whether be the cello, the oboe, and all that. But I would think as a conductor, it would have to be a different type of school because you look at some of your great conductors out there. They add theatrics to it. I love watching conductors, you know, a good conductor just, oh man, I'm getting chills up by now. 

Nancy Shear 29:11
Yeah, but I'm gonna add something important. I have, 

Rich Bennett 29:14
okay, 

Nancy Shear 29:15
friends who are visually impaired, and just listening to the music. 

Rich Bennett 29:21
Oh yeah. 

Nancy Shear 29:22
Great experience. So yeah, if you want to watch the conductor, it's fabulous, but you don't have to pay attention to it. 

Rich Bennett 29:30
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I don't think about that that's uh 

Nancy Shear 29:33
the music says it all it really does 

Rich Bennett 29:36
Oh, it does. It does. And you, oh, god, and you can feel it. 

Nancy Shear 29:42
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 29:43
That's something interesting, too. And you mentioned it, you know, with being visually impaired, I'm gonna have to try it. The next I go see the, uh, local symphony here. I'm gonna have to just close my eyes. I'm gonna, and now I've got two experiments. I'm gonna close my eyes and put in ear plugs to see how well I can feel the music. Because you think of it. There are people that are deaf. That love classical music. They 

Nancy Shear 30:11
it. 

Rich Bennett 30:11
feel 

Nancy Shear 30:11
Okay. Now, can you, can you get a balloon? Just a normal regular balloon. And inflate that balloon until, it's pretty taught until it's pretty close to bursting. 

Rich Bennett 30:24
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 30:25
Go to the concert and hold that. I'll feel all the vibrations through that balloon. 

Rich Bennett 30:30
Really? 

Oh, oh. 

Nancy Shear 30:36
Ooh. 

Rich Bennett 30:36
who's, 

Nancy Shear 30:36
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 30:36
man, 

Nancy Shear 30:37
there 

Rich Bennett 30:37
you're 

Nancy Shear 30:37
are, 

Rich Bennett 30:37
giving me homework. I like 

Nancy Shear 30:39
There are 

Rich Bennett 30:39
this. 

Nancy Shear 30:39
a lot of ways to experience 

Rich Bennett 30:43
it. Oh, it's beautiful. It is beautiful. And you're still doing it? 

Nancy Shear 30:48
Uh, 

Rich Bennett 30:49
or did you retire? 

Nancy Shear 30:51
I don't like the R word. 

Rich Bennett 30:53
Either 

Nancy Shear 30:54
I. 

Rich Bennett 30:54
do I'm with you 100% there in 80. I don't like it either. 

Nancy Shear 30:57
But, but what, what I don't want, uh, I always want to be busy and I'm always going to be working. I don't want a lot of the stress and the pressure that being in business. I had a public relations and event and concert production company for 40 years. And there is a 

Rich Bennett 31:15
Oh, wow. 

Nancy Shear 31:17
lot of, lot of stress and pressure. So that I would rather not have, not have as much of that in my life, but as far as music is concerned, absolutely. I'm just, I'm very involved, very involved with

Rich Bennett 31:32
it. You're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll be right back. 

We would have found your next great read only a few minutes. Welcome to the author pitch, the short form podcast where writers from around the world deliver a powerful pitch for their book and read a stand out excerpt in their own voice. Each episode is about 10 to 15 minutes maybe a little longer, no fluff, no long interviews, just the story, the voice behind it and the spark that brought it to life. You'll fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry and emerging authors, you'll want to follow long after the episode ends. Every season features 12 curated episodes, each one a quick doorway into a new world, a new idea or a new voice worth discovering. If you love books, storytelling or the thrill of finding your next favorite author, this is your show. I'm Rich Bennett. This is the author pitch and your next great read starts here. 

A second little break here's I can tell you about one of our sponsors, WHFC91. 1FM. That's right. Harvard Community College Radio Station. It's more than just great music. It's about community and they're showcasing the talents of the students and community volunteers. WHFC is designed for and run by the Harvard County Community. It's focused on teaching and learning. WHFC Student Learning Lab is for anyone interested in radio and podcasting. You heard me right. So if you want a career in radio or podcasting, Harvard Community College is a place for and you can learn at the radio station, go to whfc91. org or tune in on the dial at 91.1FM and give them a listen. I guarantee you. You'll love the music and if you want to get into broadcasting or podcasting, then check them out. How many different symphony orchestras have you seen? Because they all travel as well, right? 

Nancy Shear 33:59
It's 

countless, it's countless. But I wish I could swing around. I can't do it with this computer. I swing around and check and the camera because it's a whole wall where I'm sitting now. 

Rich Bennett 34:11
The whole thing 

Nancy Shear 34:11
is well, the posters, a couple of them are in the back of me but I've got programs I think from every concert I have ever attended. The lessons of them and they're all in boxes and my whole collection will probably go to both the two places, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the University of Pennsylvania, which has Leopold Stikovsky's scores and parts and all of his archives. So my archives will join his archives. 

Rich Bennett 34:47
Oh nice. 

Nancy Shear 34:48
(coughing)

Rich Bennett 34:50
Nice. 

Nancy Shear 34:50
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 34:51
See, I want to get back to the book because the other thing is too, and I noticed this, it's an audio form 

Nancy Shear 34:58
well. 

Rich Bennett 34:58
as 

Nancy Shear 34:58
I did that, yeah, I 

Rich Bennett 35:00
it. 

Nancy Shear 35:00
recorded 

Rich Bennett 35:00
I was, 

Nancy Shear 35:01
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 35:03
I was gonna ask you that, and you're not self-published, you went through a 

Nancy Shear 35:08
right? 

Rich Bennett 35:09
publisher, 

Nancy Shear 35:09
Oh, absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 35:11
And they allowed you to record it? 

Nancy Shear 35:14
Yeah, because--

Rich Bennett 35:16
Wow, 

Nancy Shear 35:16
Yeah, I mean, you know, audio books are huge now, so 

Rich Bennett 35:20
oh, I know. 

Nancy Shear 35:20
I was contacted and this company said, "we'd like to consider, we're now auditioning for, 

to read your book." Do you want to be considered? I thought, what do I want to be considered? Yeah, hello. 

Rich Bennett 35:37
"announcers 

Nancy Shear 35:38
And they said, "so, they said you have to audition." So I wrote back to them, and I said, "I had a radio show, my own radio show, for years. "I've been on, 

Rich Bennett 35:50
oh, 

Nancy Shear 35:51
at WNYC, WQXR, WFMT. "I can go on and on. "I was a radio person." And they wrote back, it was very funny. They wrote back and said, "Oh, we forgot about that, "but you still have the audition." Which I thought was-- 

Rich Bennett 36:05
(laughs) 

Nancy Shear 36:06
I thought was completely reasonable. So I went down to a studio in your Times Square, and I recorded a couple of paragraphs from my book, and I got an email back and I said, "yeah, we'd like to have you record the book." And 

Rich Bennett 36:22
That 

Nancy Shear 36:22
was--

Rich Bennett 36:23
pretty interesting. 

Nancy Shear 36:23
It was fascinating. They gave us 24 hours to record, but we came in at 19 1/2, because there were very few outtakes and very few--

Rich Bennett 36:36
Right. 

Nancy Shear 36:37
rerecording. And that was an interesting process because I started in radio when, and I did some of my own editing, when you use tape. And--

Rich Bennett 36:49
Yeah, good old Reel to Reels. 

Nancy Shear 36:50
Reel to Reel. And you had the razor blade and the cutting block, remember? 

Rich Bennett 36:56
Yeah, oh yeah. 

Nancy Shear 36:57
Join these two pieces of and you'd put a sticky tape over that and then you'd listen to it. And if it wasn't good, you'd take the excise piece of tape. You wore around your neck because you didn't want to lose it. So the technology, it was-- I was fascinated. So starting and stopping if we had to, that was so easy where you didn't have--

Rich Bennett 37:22
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 37:22
Lies anything. So yeah, so 19 and a half hours to read the book. 

Rich Bennett 37:29
That blows me away 'cause I've had a lot of authors on and if they have audiobook, of course I'm excited. I love audiobooks as well, especially when you're driving. But a lot of them said, well, if they weren't self published, they're like, no, the publisher said, I have to hire somebody to do voiceover, which is very expensive. I said, why don't you do it yourself? And they won't let me. But the fact that you said you even had to audition to do your own book is that blows me away even more. I would have been, I'd tell you what, I don't, God, if I was you and they would have said, oh no, sorry, but we can't have you represent yourself because you don't sound right. I think I would have been upset. 

Nancy Shear 38:14
Yeah, I think they have turned me down as well. We founded an answer or somebody who can do it better than you, yeah. I think. 

Rich Bennett 38:22
Yeah, especially if he was a guy. 

Nancy Shear 38:25
That wouldn't have worked. 

Rich Bennett 38:27
No. 

Nancy Shear 38:27
That would definitely not have worked. (laughing) But you know, don't forget too, but not only with voice quality. And just it's a very dramatic thing because I had, there are a lot of quotes in my book. So one minute I'm talking is the narrator is me and the next minute, I'm quoting Leopold's de Cœufzky. So I had to somehow imbue those words with

Rich Bennett 38:52
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 38:53
Tonation, but not mimicking him. And it's a good exercise, but there are a lot of names that I think a, somebody today who wasn't familiar with these people would have had some problems with

Rich Bennett 39:13
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 39:13
Russian names, mostly, yeah. Yeah, mostly Russian, Hungarian. 

Rich Bennett 39:20
So for someone who's actually never been inside this world of classical music, what would actually surprise them most about how an orchestra actually functions? 

Nancy Shear 39:39
I think what people should keep in mind. And that's a beautiful question, but it's a very complex one. I think the most amazing thing is that you've got a hundred people on stage. 

Rich Bennett 39:56
Mm-hm. 

Nancy Shear 39:56
And... They are from all different backgrounds. Years ago, there were a lot of Jewish people in the New York history, because it was an East and West European art form. Now, you know, we hope it's also American. But it was heavily... 

Rich Bennett 40:17
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 40:18
East, West, Europe. So there were a lot of Italian people, a lot of Jewish people in the orchestra now. There are a lot of Asian people. I mean, it's very mixed. But the point is even when years ago when it was a little more homogenized, think about this. Today, you've got a hundred people on the stage. All of them are from different backgrounds, different parents, different traditions, different customs, different values, and for two incredible hours. And of course, the rehearsals. But for the public, the two hours of a concert, they agree that they're going to come together and make music and leave everything else, whether it's a political, difference of opinion, or whatever it is, they're going to leave that behind. They're going to put it aside. They are going to exist for the purpose of bringing this music to life. And they unite. And my God, if they can do it, why the hell can't we at just... 

Rich Bennett 41:28
Exactly, 

Nancy Shear 41:28
Just as human beings each other, why does it just have to be in a play or a concert hall or a band or whatever. So I think, 

Rich Bennett 41:38
yeah. 

Nancy Shear 41:38
but I think that's really the important thing to consider when you go into a concert. And to listen to the product of people agreeing to come together for the sole purpose of bringing this beautiful art form to life. 

Rich Bennett 41:57
Yeah, wow. 

Nancy Shear 41:57
And to me, that's incredible. And of course, to listen to the colors, listen to what they're doing, it's remarkable. 

Rich Bennett 42:09
Yeah, I think a lot of people take that for granted and they don't even realize all that. But you know, I'm one, I never thought about that all the different 

Nancy Shear 42:19
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 42:19
people in the orchestra, the backgrounds and everything, the differences, because not everybody's the same, sometimes language barriers. It's 

Nancy Shear 42:29
Apps. 

Rich Bennett 42:29
just amazing. But music is one language. And it... Oh, wow. 

Nancy Shear 42:37
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 42:38
Oh, God. I cannot wait to read this. 

Nancy Shear 42:41
There are cultural differences. I'll tell you what I learned. I learned constantly every day. 

And I interviewed on my show. I interviewed the great C-tars, Ravi Shankar. And we were playing a lot of Indian music, a lot of his music. And at one point, while we were recording the music, we were off mic. And Ravi looked at me and he said, a lot of people, he said, I don't know whether you do, but a lot of American people who are not that familiar with Indian music. He said, you think of it as folk music. He said, it is as complex as a mallar symphony. And that was a tremendous impression on me, because I learned that he was absolutely right. What they do with what they call the raagas, which are like themes or songs, it's very hard to describe. And I'm far from knowing a lot about Indian music. That takes another lifetime. 

Rich Bennett 43:51
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 43:52
But I realize that music can be an international language to a point. 

Rich Bennett 43:58
Oh, absolutely. 

Nancy Shear 43:59
But could I really listen to a C-tar concert and really know what it's all about and about its complexity? No. Do I really understand about African drumming? I love it. But I don't 

Rich Bennett 44:18
really know. Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 44:19
Much about it. And Asian music, I can go on and on. So yeah music can be an international language, but we don't always have the time and the opportunities to really delve into what it's about. 

Rich Bennett 44:34
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 44:35
But that doesn't mean that you can still show up and love it for what you hear. 

Rich Bennett 44:40
Exactly. Exactly. We did an episode on this not too long ago, me and three other gentlemen. But it was we decided, all of us picked out a song that's somehow another, when we hear it, it just brings back memories. But what did it mean for the songwriter? What was the meaning behind it? What was the meaning of for the band that recorded it? And what was the meaning for us? And now, how's that meaning changed? Because, and you've even heard some songwriter say this, they've written a song because it meant this, but then over time, and you'll see with art as well, you look at pit beautiful paintings, how the interpretation can change. And I think that's the same way with music, and I just had another guy on who was a professor of music, talking about the numbers and the science behind music, how it triggers different emotions in your brain. And it's I can, you know, I think when I go pick my daughter up, I'm just going to put on some good old classical music and crank it up in the car, and then when she gets in, I'll have to turn it 

Nancy Shear 45:55
Oh 

Rich Bennett 45:55
off. 

Nancy Shear 45:55
no. Okay. Okay. So what you have to do is how old is she? 

Rich Bennett 46:01
24. 

Nancy Shear 46:02
Oh, well, she's a woman now 

Rich Bennett 46:04
bit. 

Nancy Shear 46:05
just a 

Rich Bennett 46:05
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 46:06
Yeah, I was going to say, I was hoping she was even younger. You could take her to see fan tager, but which is 

Rich Bennett 46:12
she, I did take her, did she go with me? I can't remember now. I know my wife and I went to see that the local symphony orchestra here. And when I've been to a couple different orchestras, 

Nancy Shear 46:23
and what is your local symphony? 

Rich Bennett 46:26
The Cisco Hannah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sheldon Bear. 

Nancy Shear 46:32
So you have a 

Rich Bennett 46:32
awesome. Oh, yeah, yeah, very good. And the was the other one, the Baltimore sym, Baltimore's 

Nancy Shear 46:40
Well, the Baltimore symphony is one of the great orchestras. 

Rich Bennett 46:43
But, yeah, we've seen them before. I haven't seen them in years. But I just, I just love to listen to it. Manbreakers, I she'll do bear. He was on the show a few times years ago. And I've always asked him this before I said, all right, Sheldon, I said, when are you going to have the orchestra? Do some of the works by Frank Zappa. He said, Rich, I love Frank Zappa, but he is almost impossible to do. 

Nancy Shear 47:16
Wow. 

Rich Bennett 47:17
I said, really? He said, yeah, he said, and I know, you know, Frank Zappa there, I think he did release a couple albums of his symphonic work. And he did something I want to say with the London sym, I can never say it right. The London orchestra. And you watch his documentary, he walked it. He's in there as the conductors, but it's, it's weird because you listen to his rock music. And you're like, how can this guy that did Valley girl? And Joe's garage create this beautiful symphonic music. But it's amazing. But like, like Sheldon said, it's hard to do because you just it's all in so many different. God, I'm not going to listen to that. 

Nancy Shear 48:06
Okay. So when you're in your car, you're going to listen to some classical. I just realized I have to listen to Frank Zappa. 

Rich Bennett 48:13
But oh, you, oh, you've never 

Nancy Shear 48:15
listened to. I've heard some of it, but not enough where I really can 

Rich Bennett 48:20
I, you know, yeah, listen, 

Nancy Shear 48:21
I'll do that. Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 48:23
listen to his make 

Nancy Shear 48:24
love to 

Rich Bennett 48:24
sure work. Yeah. It's amazing, amazing. And matter of fact, he before he died, he was doing something with the London's 

Nancy Shear 48:36
London symphony probably London. 

Rich Bennett 48:38
Thank you. 

Nancy Shear 48:39
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 48:39
Yes, yes. He was doing something with them and the documentary on him showed him with the as he was sick, he was in there, helping the conductor and everything and just actually, here's a tricky question for you. 

I don't know if you can make it. Well, I'm sure you can answer it. somebody that's never listened to classical music. Where would you suggest they start? 

Nancy Shear 49:06
Start with the Russian Romantics with 

Rich Bennett 49:10
oh, 

Nancy Shear 49:11
come on, enough. Chikovsky, Borodin. I would start there. And and this is this is music that just that appeals to most people. A lot of people because it's these beautifully expressive melodies. A lot of melodies. 

and that and chikovsky, of course, 

Rich Bennett 49:40
And 

Nancy Shear 49:40
the 

Rich Bennett 49:40
yeah, 

Nancy Shear 49:40
symphonies numbers four, five, six and and a lot of people know chikovsky, because they're the nutcracker at, you know, the ballet. It's at every Christmas and and some of the tone poems and the concertos. That that really, I think that that's where to start, but try Rakhman and our first is the second symphony. What else. there's a work called Vocalice, VO-C-A-L-I-S-E, 

Rich Bennett 50:18
Okay. 

Nancy Shear 50:18
and it's been transcribed for orchestra, but there's also the original for voice for a singer, but there are no words. 

It's just they just sing this the tone, the melody, but no words. 

Rich Bennett 50:36
Oh 

Nancy Shear 50:37
it goes right to the heart and you see a 

Rich Bennett 50:40
wow, 

Nancy Shear 50:40
lot of this music bypasses the area of reasoning and the intellectual part. We don't need. 

Rich Bennett 50:50
If 

Nancy Shear 50:51
you want that, fine, you know, you're welcome, you can listen any way you want. But 

Rich Bennett 50:56
yeah, 

Nancy Shear 50:58
but the "Rachmahnanab" is so romantic and so nostalgic. There's a certain appealing 

sadness. I hate to even use the word sadness, but in nostalgia, that is universal. I mean, we're nostalgic for if you've been lucky enough to have a good childhood, you get nostalgic that for the street that you lived on for your... Relatives who are no longer alive. There's a 

Rich Bennett 51:27
there. 

Nancy Shear 51:27
nostalgia for time's past and the music expresses all of the human emotions. And whether we agree again, whether we agree politically or whatever, there are basic human emotions that we all experience. So I would start there, and you know, the more you listen, as I said, I've been involved in this art form professionally for 62 years. amazing. But 

Rich Bennett 52:02
It's 

Nancy Shear 52:02
yesterday, I was listening to "Rachmahnanab" Symphony No. 2 yesterday, and just loving it. 

Rich Bennett 52:10
Wow. I got a lot of homework to do, don't 

Nancy Shear 52:13
I? We all do. True. We all do. We all do. 

Rich Bennett 52:17
That is... 

Nancy Shear 52:18
And isn't that a delight to have 

Rich Bennett 52:20
Yes. 

Nancy Shear 52:20
homework to do and to... 

Rich Bennett 52:21
Oh, it is. 

Nancy Shear 52:22
Experience new things, 

Rich Bennett 52:24
The funny thing is, I wish... I was not good in school. I was... I was doing a lot of those unexcused days as well, but I was not going to the orchestra. But I... I just love learning, which is one of the reasons I started doing this, the podcast. And it just... 

Nancy Shear 52:42
great. 

Rich Bennett 52:42
I think I'm a learner hall. 

Nancy Shear 52:45
Oh, I love that. 

Rich Bennett 52:46
If that's not a word, it is now, because I just said it. 

Nancy Shear 52:49
It is. It's going to be a merriam whimsradictionary next time you pick it up. 

Rich Bennett 52:53
That, just like the other one, I always say "Althorpered nor." 

Nancy Shear 52:57
Oh, that's good. I like that. Good for you. 

Rich Bennett 53:00
Something very important. How can people get your... Where can people get your book? And how can they follow you? 

Nancy Shear 53:08
I don't do a whole lot of social media. I should. And I'm going to try to start doing it. But they can just google my name, Nancy Shear, SHER and it'll take them to my website, which has very incomplete information now. I don't keep it. I don't keep it... I, you know, it's a time issue. I just don't... 

Rich Bennett 53:35
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 53:36
I just have time to publicize my publicity, but I'm going to start doing that. But they can get the book. The Google it, it's on Amazon, it's on Barnes and Novel. I hope that it's at the local bookstores. It's... 

Rich Bennett 53:55
And if it's not people, make sure you ask your bookstore to get 

Nancy Shear 53:58
it. Yeah, it's distributed by Simon and Schuster. So, I hope it's out there. 

Rich Bennett 54:03
Should be then. 

Nancy Shear 54:03
But if not, Barnes and Novel and certainly Amazon, I just, I know it. 

Rich Bennett 54:09
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 54:10
Yeah, and I hope... 

Rich Bennett 54:11
She's doing very good on 

Nancy Shear 54:13
It was number one for in its category for a long while. And then, you know, it's like trying to feed a monster. 

Rich Bennett 54:22
Amazon. 

Nancy Shear 54:22
It's 

Rich Bennett 54:23
Yeah. 

Nancy Shear 54:23
insatiable. You just have to keep keep reminding people and letting them know, notifying them that the book exists. But I don't think there is anything in that book that someone wouldn't understand. I don't... You... 

Rich Bennett 54:39
Right. 

Nancy Shear 54:39
Any kind of technical explanation about anything you don't need to. I define as I go. And there are some very, very funny stories in the book. So... 

Rich Bennett 54:52
Can not wait to read 

Nancy Shear 54:53
I hope 

Rich Bennett 54:54
it. 

Nancy Shear 54:54
everybody will enjoy it. 

Rich Bennett 54:56
And those of you listening, you already knew what I'm going to say when you purchased the book and after you read it, make sure you leave a four review, whether it be on Amazon, good reads, Barnes and Nobles, wherever you can leave a review, actually leave them at all these places. It doesn't matter. And buy a copy for other people as well. Don't pass it on because you'll want to read it again. Trust me, you will. Just buy copies for other people. So Nancy, is there anything you would like to add before I get to my last question? 

Nancy Shear 55:27
Not really except that I'm getting some emails from a lot of people who are reading the book now for the second time. And what they're doing is if they, if I'm talking at one point I talk about having dinner in the South of France with Steakowski and we were listening to Shuhar-Ezad. And I tell that in the book what we were listening to is I think the second or third section. People can stop listening at reading at that point, go to YouTube. And most of this music, it's not all of it, it's on YouTube. And that would be a wonderful way to for people to step over that threshold. 

Rich Bennett 56:13
You know what Nancy, you gave me homework, now I'm going to give you some 

Nancy Shear 56:17
I'm 

Rich Bennett 56:17
homework. 

Nancy Shear 56:17
ready. 

Rich Bennett 56:18
OK, so what you need to do is get on Spotify and create a playlist of the songs that you mention in your book until you're publisher to add a QR code to the end of the book so that people can go to your playlist that you can share publicly. and stop and listen 

Nancy Shear 56:42
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 56:42
to the songs at these points. 

Nancy Shear 56:43
That's a great idea. Thank you Rich. 

Rich Bennett 56:47
I do come up with idea, good ideas once in a bloom. 

Nancy Shear 56:51
Well, I'm glad I was here for this segment of the rotation of the moon or no the moon does. OK, doesn't know we do. 

Rich Bennett 57:00
Yeah, we do. 

Nancy Shear 57:02
But thank you for that idea, it's really. 

Rich Bennett 57:06
It rotates, it rotates if you're drinking it, you can see. 

Nancy Shear 57:10
Once in a blue moon. 

Rich Bennett 57:12
Oh, 

God, OK, I need you to pick a number between one and five. And of course, tell me the number. 

Nancy Shear 57:21
do that right now and tell you 

Rich Bennett 57:23
Yeah, 

Nancy Shear 57:23
number three. 

Rich Bennett 57:25
number three. 

Nancy Shear 57:26
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 57:26
All right, now pick a number between forty one and 60. 

59 heart, this is the last question 

Nancy Shear 57:40
59 

Rich Bennett 57:40
for 

Nancy Shear 57:40
really. 

Rich Bennett 57:40
you. 

So here's the funny thing with this. I have a hundred different questions. Somehow or another. I want to actually I want to say so far all the time. Whatever question you pick, somehow another coincisive of what we've been talking about. And you said 59 and I'm not lying, this is the question. What's a song or piece of music that deeply resonates with you and why. 

Nancy Shear 58:18
I would say that it's a symphony. And and it's a symphony that has it's it's themes. But that you hear over and over are like songs and it's the divorce duck. He's a check composer D as in David V's and Victor O R a K. And it's just one song after the other. And I heard that when I was very young. I write about it in the book and it's full of nature. You can hear the bird calls and you can hear the warbling of birds. And you can almost hear the rustling of the leaves. It's just divine music. And I love that symphony a lot. And the reason that I chose that out of maybe a thousand different works when I was very young and I heard it I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this symphony. And I was listening in an outdoor concert hall. And and there were as I put it there were was the sound the live soundtrack of not just the music being played but the rustling of the leaves. And and and and the wind and it just went on and on and it was this 

Rich Bennett 59:49
what 

Nancy Shear 59:49
combination. 

So that symphony in my youth meant a lot to me. And it was the beginning of this world opening up to me. And that was that that symphony was a big part of it. But but the themes are like songs. They really are. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:06
Yeah. So you got to add that. Well, it's in your book. So it's going to be on your playlist. 

Nancy Shear 1:00:11
Absolutely, I'll add it to the playlist. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:13
I'm gonna call you in a week to make sure that playlist is finished. 

Nancy Shear 1:00:17
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:19
I'm just gonna take the train on up there and say all right Nancy, that's good lunch 'cause if you don't, if you need help with this playlist I'll help you. 

Nancy Shear 1:00:27
You are always welcome, Rich. I think we should meet in person, but I feel like, you know, you're the kind of wonderful interview that I feel like I know you. I feel like I've known you for a while. That's really lovely. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:40
Thank you. I wish I could just, I can't conduct so I'm not even gonna 

Nancy Shear 1:00:44
it. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:44
try 

Nancy Shear 1:00:44
I can't conduct either, er, er, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:45
er, er... It's 

Nancy Shear 1:00:46
easier. It's a 

Rich Bennett 1:00:47
er... 

Nancy Shear 1:00:47
very, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:47
I can 

Nancy Shear 1:00:47
to 

Rich Bennett 1:00:47
listen 

Nancy Shear 1:00:48
talent. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:49
I'll just listen, that's what, that's my part. So Nancy, I want to thank you so much. It's been an honor and I'm gonna email you about the other podcast as well. 

Nancy Shear 1:00:58
Oh, that's beautiful, Rich. I'll look forward to that. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:00
You know what I love about conversations like this is they remind us that passion doesn't care where you come from. It only cares whether or not you're willing to follow it. Nancy started as a teenager standing outside a concert hall while she was given school hoping someone would let her in and ended up spending decades inside one of the most extraordinary worlds imaginable. Working alongside legendary musicians witnessing history first hand and building a life around something that truly moved her, but what really stayed with me from this conversation, wasn't just the stories about orchestras, conductors or even the music itself. It was the reminder to slow down to listen to pay attention because whether it's music art writing or life itself so much beauty gets missed when we stop paying attention. And I think Nancy said it perfectly 100 people from different backgrounds believes and experiences can come together for one purpose to create something beautiful imagine what the world could look like if we did more of that outside the concert. Whether you're already a fan of classical music, or you've never listened to a symphony in your life. I really encourage you to pick up Nancy's memoir. I knew a man who knew Brahms. This isn't just a book for music lovers. It's a story about determination, curiosity, resilience and finding the thing that gives your life meaning. And honestly, after this conversation, I think I've got some listening whom work to do Nancy, thank you again for sharing your story, your memories and your passion with us into all of you listening. Maybe this week is the perfect time to put your phone down, close your eyes for a little while and really listen to something beautiful. Until next time, this is Rich Bennett reminding you to stay positive, stay connected and keep the conversations going on.