Inspiration from a suprising source

This weekend was our All-County Orchestra Festival. This consists of auditioned orchestra students getting together for 3 days to put together a top notch performance. The guest conductor for the high school group was Thomas Sleeper from the University of Miami. 

I have not been so inspired by a person in a long time. I watched, on the edge of my chair, as he elicited emotions from these high school players that only exist in the darkest reaches of our soul. You could cut the intensity with a knife.

What the most inspiring moment to me was learning that this college orchestra director/composer's background was apparently on the trombone!  See, from my point of view many orchestra conductors are either string players themselves or pianists.  So...perhaps there is hope for me yet.

This is Sleeper's Trumpet Concerto Movement 2. Sleeper is conducting and the trumpet soloist is Craig Morris