Chapter 15

Now you may be wondering, who would be First Cello? The hierarchy was quite definitive of our abilities and ranked us in a not at all subtle manner. Whoever was top dog in this piece would be the undisputed king of our section. So, would you like to know the roster?

In the non-soloist section:

There was 2 cellos. One who started very recently and another who started for a bit longer but was only a part timer and couldn’t be there all the time. They were going to hold up the fort while the 5 soloists did our thing. 

In the seat of Cello 5, it was: 

A new student of CC’s. She had started out around the same time as Mr. Prodigy and was also around his age too. She however, but was not advancing at the breakneck speed he was. She was still doing quite well for her skill level but to be honest, she was almost completely forgotten due to the fact that Mr. Prodigy had been such a big deal. She reminded me a lot about me when I was younger. Though, as you read, I wouldn’t join this orchestra until I was in highschool. I also imagined there was a similar type of situation forming between her and Mr. Prodigy as I had with X. While I didn’t know her that well, I hoped that her family situation was better than mine. I hoped that she either had the gull to tell CC to go screw himself or have the familial bond strong enough to withstand the toxic teachings of CC. 

In the seat of Cello 4, it was: 

Me. I was ranked second last. Aside from Mr. Prodigy and newbie, I was still the newest cello in the section. Like I said, I was okay with this arrangement. Y said that she would’ve put me a but further up but I told her not to do that. She didn’t ask me why I asked her for this but we both kind of knew. There was about to be drama for the first desk and she would soon be occupied with that. My placement any higher than right now was going to cause another headache to her and add to the arsenal of the disgruntled parents. I didn’t have a mom or a parent with me to talk with the conductor about my placement and to carry favor with them, all I had was Y. I really didn’t want any part in the bloodbath that was about to ensue. 

In the seat of Cello 3, it was:

Someone we never spoke about before because they weren’t important to the story. It was Cool Asian guy with glasses. While we never spoke about him before, there are some parallels of his story with mine that are interesting. He was, in some ways, a view into a different life for me. This is because he had an old white guy as his cello teacher. Coincidentally, remember that white gentleman, Mr. CW, whom I almost chose as my next cello teacher over CC? Well, I forgot how I found this out but as it turns out, that white gentleman was his cello teacher. Anyhow, Cool Asian guy with glasses played cello around my level I would say. Maybe he was a bit better though it was hard to tell based on our limited interaction. He was, however, older than me and X by 1 year and had seniority in the orchestra. If Cello 5 was a past version of me, I kind of saw Cello 3 as a future version of me. Afterall, Cool Asian with glasses was kind of on his way out because he’s a twelfth grader. With that said, he wasn’t a true future reflection of me because he never met CC. A part of me wondered if he had the same resentment CC’s students had. He was raised by a white gentleman who was outside of the Chinese circles after all. I wondered if he ever felt bad that despite the fact that he’s been there the longest and that he’s the oldest, he was still overshadowed by X and now by X and Mr. Prodigy. I don’t have any evidence but I had a feeling. I sensed that he didn’t resent anyone. I like the idea of that feeling. I hoped it to be real because him being not resentful gave me a hope that it was possible to exist in this orchestra and exist as a member in it from beginning to end without turning into a cynic. Sadly, we’d never get much conversation to discuss this in the future.

Anyhow, now it was the toss up. 

Who would be number 1? In cello RCM grade 10, William Tell Overture’s Cello 1 was considered a soloist and the excerpt was actually one of the repertoire requirements. Since both X and Mr. Prodigy had learned the repertoire, they both knew about this piece and knew it well. Everyone was unsure as to the seating because while Mr. Prodigy was known to have the chops to rival X, X and X’s mom were known to be well known members of the community. I think a majority of the orchestra thought Mr. Prodigy was going to take the first desk because we all fully expected Mr. Prodigy to surpass X in the next few months. Again, the rate he was learning the cello meant he was en route to complete his second ARCT in cello by the end of the season. This was something that X could not keep up with. She is still just starting to learn the piano. So who gets the solo position? Would the new prodigy usurp the throne? Or would X maintain her dominance over our little section? In a fair world, we would host auditions, but that was not the case here. Solo 1 was simply handed to X. Mr. Prodigy got cello 2.

This made sense to me. Mr. Prodigy was new. As good as he was, he still lacked the presence X had spent years establishing. People trusted her also to know the pieces we were playing. I also knew that she was trying hard and learning all the pieces to the best of her ability. She also did have the talent. At a certain level, playing the instrument was beyond just the notes and everything is subjective. I think X and Mr. Prodigy both were at that level where the differences are only subjective. So in truth, as for skill, there wasn’t really a difference between the two. As the dust settled, the new prodigy, as it turns out, would not cause complete chaos in our ecosystem. The entire bane of his rise was halted because he was still an outsider and had not earned our respect yet.

Is this the end of this story? Not really. Mr. Prodigy’s mom was not happy. Especially since there may or may not have been negotiations done behind the scenes where Mr. Prodigy was only to join the orchestra if he got the solo position. Regardless, that was Y and LLC’s issue to deal with. I can’t tell you what came of it but I can tell you this, Mr. Prodigy stayed with us for the rest of the season. I think LLC and Y must have done a lot convincing to keep Mr. Prodigy there and at the second desk. I couldn’t tell you exactly what was worked out since Y seems to not like talking about the subject but it seems the conversations were not mutually productive. 

From what I gather, the ruthlessness of Mr. Prodigy’s mom rivaled that of X’s mom. I think parents of musically exceptional students need a certain level of ruthlessness to get there and work behind the scenes for their kids. If anything is to be credited 100% to the Asian parents, I think this would be it. These are the stories where Asian parents should be credited, sucking up to the adults who can help their offspring in some way. However, we never tell these stories because they are toxic and unpleasant to the ear. Regardless, I would never truly understand this since my mom never even showed up to one rehearsal. 

And so it was. Our quintet had been established. Rehearsals went on. I think X’s mom must have had a sigh of relief that her daughter was not dethroned yet. She may have even been feeling triumphant that her daughter was sitting superior to a Prodigy. That is, of course, all speculation. I think I should remind you, I was not an unbiased observer. Remember, I still had a complex going with CC and to be honest, Mr. Prodigy showing up kind of meant that now CC had two favorites, both of which aren’t me. 

I understood this and kind of accepted it. While I was now good friends with everyone, and really did not want to stir the pot. I tried to stay as out of the spotlight as possible. I wanted them to work it out themselves and hoped that afterwards I could stay friends with as many people as possible. Also, I have come to know what being in the spotlight, even just in our little community here, was not always a good thing. A part of me kind of hoped for a blood bath for both of the first desks but was more out of pure morbid curiosity than anything else.

I did want to see how X’s mom and Mr. Prodigy’s mom would try and gain ground. I think this would’ve made for good entertainment. I still find myself wondering some times what went on with Mr. Prodigy’s mom and LLC and Y. I know it must’ve been difficult because like I said, to get to Mr. Prodigy’s level, you must have backing. The parent is the kid’s agent and cheerleader. They must be as competitive if not more competitive on the relations for the kid to foster so much talent and to also be recognized. 

Since I knew X’s mom at least a little bit, I wondered what Mr. Prodigy’s mom was like. Unfortunately, I would get a glimpse of this soon.