Hamilton College

I know that I had prepared well for this moment. For two arduous months, I readied my fingers for an exciting concert. No anxiety could undermine my confidence in my preparation, and my piano recital’s success was “in the bag.” I selected three pieces for my repertoire: the ambience of Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1 as the opener, a somber contemplation of Beethoven’s First Movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and Bach’s light and surreal Prelude in C Major for the conclusion. My shining moment arrived, and I strode purposefully toward the piano. The building in which my performance was held was…