“See you later.”
“See ya, Tinsley,” I echoed.
After she left, I stood at the window watching her walk back toward campus, her curly hair catching the afternoon sunlight. Rory made a soft sound against my neck, and I bounced her gently.
“Yeah, I know,” I murmured to my daughter. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”
Rory cooed in response, and I smiled, suddenly struck by how quickly everything had changed. And maybe I wouldn’t be the villain in Harper’s story after all.
TWENTY-FIVE
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, staring at my laptop screen in disbelief.
The email from the Montana Philharmonic Fellowship committee had arrived just moments ago, and its contents had turned my carefully planned audition strategy upside down.
Dear Ms. Tinsley,
We are pleased to confirm your upcoming audition for the Montana Philharmonic Summer Fellowship Program. In addition to your prepared classical selection, the committee has decided to require all candidates to perform a contemporary piece (composed after 1980) that showcases versatility and modern interpretation skills.
This addition reflects the Philharmonic’s new community outreach initiative aimed at engaging younger audiences. Your contemporary selection should be 3-5 minutes in lengthand demonstrate technical proficiency while highlighting stylistic range.
We look forward to hearing your selections.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Beckman
Fellowship Committee Chair
I slammed my laptop closed and groaned. Three weeks until my audition, and now I needed to not only perfect my Bach Chaconne but also learn and master a contemporary piece I hadn’t even chosen yet.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked, pausing in the doorway to my bedroom with a mug of tea in her hand.
“The Philharmonic just changed the audition requirements,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “They’re adding a contemporary piece requirement to ‘engage younger audiences.’”
Rachel winced. “Ouch. How much time do you have?”
“Three weeks.” I stood and began pacing. “The same three weeks I was planning to use perfecting my Bach. Now I have to split my practice time and learn something completely new.”
“What are you thinking of playing?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. I don’t really specialize in contemporary.”
That was an understatement. I’d always gravitated toward the classics when it came to violin—Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky. Contemporary music was fun sometimes, but I didn’t have very many pieces in my repertoire and certainly none that would be impressive enough to get the fellowship.
Rachel set her mug down on my desk and gave me a thoughtful look. “What about that Philip Glass piece you were messing around with last semester? The one from that movie soundtrack?”
“That’s not technically demanding enough,” I said, shaking my head. “They specifically mentioned technical proficiency.”
“Jennifer Higdon?”
“Too experimental for my taste.” I flopped back onto my bed. “I need something that shows range but doesn’t sound like I’m just making noise.”
“Ayanna might have some ideas. She was working on some contemporary stuff for one of her classes.” Rachel glanced at her watch. “And speaking of Ayanna, we’re supposed to meet her and Talia for lunch in twenty minutes.”
I groaned. “I can’t. I need to figure this out and start practicing immediately.”
“Harper,” Rachel said firmly, “you need to eat. And Ayanna might be helpful with this. She loves contemporary stuff. One meal won’t derail your audition.”
