TEARS AND LAUGHTER
In retrospect, Linda admitted that more than once the word "quit" crossed her mind. "I wanted to be perfect, but I couldn't. Then I thought to myself, maybe I shouldn't have learnt cello at all," she said.
On these occasions, her father would say "it doesn't matter if you want to quit; we could sell the cello." At that time, the cello and music lessons were not cheap.
After all the tears, however, Linda was still unable to put down her bow. "Gradually I found out the problem: I wasn't practicing in a right way."
Talking about interesting experiences, Linda could go on and on, such as being hit by the baton, or having a colleague making mistakes in a reprise.
But the most unforgettable was a final concert, when she had piano accompaniment by a friend. Linda played passionately, while her friend got excited as well. "Suddenly, I saw something flew over in front of me," she said, still laughing at the story. "It was his glasses. My friend was so excited that he shook off his own glasses."
She remembered her teacher tried hard not to laugh, while her mom -- who had been nervous for her exam -- suddenly became relaxed.
ON THE WAY
Linda has graduated now and has become a teacher in King's College. She has played in concerts, and even launched her CD with pianist Ian Brown last month.
Her idol is Yo-yo Ma, the French-Chinese-American cellist. "I met him once at the master class in Manchester," she said, recalling his humor and charisma.
"He was modest as well. While talking about music, he would relate it to a painting or a country, which greatly inspired me."
To Linda, music was not like physics or mathematics. "It was something quite personal," she said. "It was part of you, with your understanding of life."
China's weekly story (2013 6.22-6.28)
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