Doc, Just following up on your email....I will not be returning next season. And once again, thank you so much for making the last three seasons so memorable for me! Music is a powerful trigger of memories for me, and I can guarantee that any time I happen to hear a piece we played during my time with the symphony, I'll be right back in that band hall under your baton. My violin teacher told me I should eventually try out for the Austin Civic Orchestra, but I must say I have no desire to. The WCSO is so unique in that it plays high quality music, but is neither stuffy nor competitive. Everyone is there because they want to be there, not because they want a shot at something loftier. That dynamic is what keeps the WCSO fresh and alive! We laughed at our mistakes, but fixed them, applauded our strong points, yet improved them, and kept rehearsals enjoyable, while still being productive. Thank you so much for leading such a wonderful group, and for letting me be a part of it!

- Daniel Johnson

Doc, thanks for the "attaboy". After 18 years of teaching all instruments, conducting two rehearsals daily ,both middle school and high school, I thought that except for vocal work in solo and choir work, ( I also had a church choir or two while teaching) my "musician " days were over. A few dance jobs now and then, and not even that after moving to TX in "84. Then I heard WCSO at a park concert, and the fact that you were losing a bass player. These events motivated me to buy a used bass and join, really not realizing how much playing ability had lost in over 30 years. I know now that had you had an audition, there would have been a string bass for sale, cheap!yI really can't thank you enough for your patience with a poorly trained bass player who hadn't read well to begin with, and still couldn't. Your patience, the orchestra, and the help of a competent teacher have brought me a long way. I now look forward to each rehearsal and spend several hours weekly working on the music you have chosen, and also on technique studies, sight reading , and lesson materials. The WCSO and you have given me a new outlook on a lot of things, and allowed me to say, again, "I play in an orchestra"! God bless you and the WCSO , for all of your efforts, and may the music never cease.....

- A current member of WCSO