<<  -- 4 --  Ted Kendall    VIVACIOUS ENERGY

Looking to the 2006-07 Season, Nuzzo said he is very eager to implement and develop the MCO's Educational Outreach Program: 'The orchestra members are really looking forward to working with students of all ages in elementary, junior and high schools, as we gear up and get ready to take this show on the road!'

Then, I just had to ask: Maestro, are you, by chance, from Brooklyn? 'Brooklyn-Italian all the way! Been there my whole life! Both my grandfathers were born just outside of Naples, and they came over to the States in the early 20th Century, just after World War One. Both served in the United States army shortly thereafter.'

The interview was nearing its conclusion, and I flipped back through my rather extensive notes. Two things had become crystal clear. One, Maestro Nuzzo was a hysterically funny personality. I was in a constant state of hearty laughter throughout the interview, catching my breath between his exclamations of 'Oh, baby' and 'Oh wow' (which I have eliminated in his quotes for the sake of brevity). And two, he certainly enjoyed indulging in conversation. Interestingly enough, however, this was not a case in point of pure babbling, for some chatterboxes tend to be guilty of letting their mouths run away with them. Papa Nuzzo, on the contrary, seemed quite at a loss, as if his mouth could not outrace the meteoric tempo of his mind. Such is the mark of a truly intelligent individual.

To hear him relate such earnest sentiments about classical music and the pure, unadulterated aesthetic power that it holds over music-lovers and music-makers everywhere had proved very enlightening. It reminded me just why musicians do what they do in the first place, as a labor of love, above all else. This is a fundamental principle of a sublime art form, which often, and too unfortunately, gets buried amidst all the politics and practicalities of a business profession.

Nuzzo's vivacious energy as he spoke about his devotion to the MCO and their wonderful contribution to the artistic community was certainly infectious. I closed the car door behind me and suddenly felt refreshed and invigorated, finally prepared to venture back out into the frosty evening air. Funny, though, it didn't seem as cold anymore.