Andy's Concert Hall

Andy's Last Classical Concert was at Furman University.  I call it his $25,000 concert, because that is the entire cost of a year at Furman.  We struggled, despite 10 scholarships, to pay for it. He needed a GOOD instrument, and I told him I had no money for a good instrument for him to audition with.  He had two Cremonas, one for HS and one for home and the BCO.  I told him unless a bag of money fell at my front door, he had to audition with what he had.  Then my dad died.  Dad had taken out a life policy on Andy, and when I called them to tell them Dad was dead, and cancel the policy, little did I know the exact cash value was the money needed to buy Andy's Roth replica Stradivarius. A bag of money landed on our doorstep, and Andy SAILED through all of his auditions.  Remember, he was self-taught, no viola teachers in Beaufort in the '90s.  Andy was invited to audition for Juillard, for Ithaca, for Brevard and for Johns Hopkins and so many others.  We could even not afford to make the trips to audition.  I cannot describe the guilt of not being able to provide a gifed child what he deserved.  His father had abandoned him at age 3 and had no interest nor concern in any aspect of his life, knowing full well he faced life and death issues his short time with his son. Had Andy been born to a family with a father who cared  if he lived or died, he would have realized all of his greatness.  So he cinched his Furman audition (despite a 17% acceptance rate that year). With his ROTH!  I would be happy to send anyone who would like one a copy of Andy's Last Concert.  Sea Symphony, Ralph Vaughan Williams, New World Symphony.  Some interesting factoids about this:  I picked up the Cincinnati Symphony's rendition and the Furman kids blow them out of the water. KEITH LOCKHART, the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony (who produced the CD I bought(, and NOW CONDUCTOR of the BOSTON POPS (who doesn't LOVE Keith Lockhart!!!) graduated from Furman and Andy saw him on campus doing master classes!! The first movement was played at his funeral.  The second movement, which I call the viola movement, Andy remarked that the soloist at the end of the movement ROCKED!  The third movement, Andy said it took the students 3 months to learn. If you listen to it, you will understand why. The 4th movement, I play at night to help me sleep.  The professor could not get the music and it took him years to transcribe the oratario and symphony.  The female soloist in the first movement was NOT a music major.  She was breathtaking.  During a pause in her solo, you hear a cat's meow. Andy and I always laughed at the baby who, during the concert, let out a howl.  It sounds just like a cat and we delighted in this!

Andy's real love was techno-industrial and I also have a copy of his performance on a COMPUTER Remember this was in the 90s when we did not have the technology and especially a poor kid from Beaufort, SC, did not have the resources other gifted musicians had. 

 Andy did without his entire life, and he so deserved the BEST!  He gave it all.  He never got it all, but he always gave 400%. 

Please email me at andys_child@yahoo.com if you would like a copy of either his last classical concert or the only techno-industrial recording that exists.