Starker

I enjoyed meeting other cellists so much during my recent sabbatical that I've made a promise to myself to go down to Bloomington as often as possible this semester to observe Janos Starker's Saturday afternoon masterclasses at Indiana University. With two kids, whose mother is often out of town on the weekends, and the general weekend exhaustion that comes from being a middle-aged college professor on a Saturday, it's a bit of a push. And something I haven't done for quite a while.

I was there this past Saturday. At 81, Starker has retired from public performing and is devoting himself to teaching. He's yet another example that we don't have to "get old" just because we've live a long time. Mentally sharp, insightful, witty, entertaining, perceptive, and playing great.

It was a wonderful class from which I took away a lot of ideas. Glad I went.