When your concerto prize is killed by a fire alarm

When your concerto prize is killed by a fire alarm

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

May 31, 2024

Violinist Vishal Subramanian won the concerto competition in his senior school year and chose to play Sibelius – only for the fire alarm to be sounded.

The school is Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Comments

  • John W. Norvis says:

    Impressive to see a public high school that can run a concerto competition and field a full symphony orchestra in the first place.

    Too bad that one of the losers probably pulled the fire alarm.

  • John R. says:

    Wow, he was on fire!!!

  • Chris says:

    When I was in college, a friend and I went to see the NY Phil with Bernstein performing at Royce Hall in Los Angeles. The main work on the program was the Pathetique Symphony. After the second movement, the fire alarm went off and an announcement came to evacuate. Bernstein turned around and indicated for the audience to calmly comply. About 30 minutes later and all safe, the last two movements were played.

    Afterwards, my friend and I decided to try and meet Lenny. We made our way back to his dressing room and saw that it was packed with people: old friends and newcomers like us. All were welcome. We got there just in time to hear Lenny deliver possibly joking but nonetheless absolutely profanity-laced tirade about caterers in the building setting off the alarm for a party he “wasn’t even ****ing invited to”. We eventually met him, exchanged a few words, got an autograph, and went on our way. Unforgettable.

  • David K. Nelson says:

    and (from what little is here) he was doing so well! so unfair

  • Robert Holmén says:

    He’ll have an interesting story to tell.

    That all-purpose assembly room looks like an acoustical mishap.

    • Sisko24 says:

      Maybe someone should have pulled some kind of alarm on whoever booked that place for a concert?

  • Matthew says:

    Interestingly enough, our school’s water polo final game was going on at the same time as the concert. It’s not ridiculous to think someone pulled it to stop that game and just so happened to stop it too

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