High Notes (Mostly) in a Music Career

Mark Swed’s article about the evolution of the Los Angeles Philharmonic was remarkably accurate--I was there (“The Salonen-Gehry Axis,” Aug. 31). I joined the orchestra is 1954 and retired in 1999. It was a career choice that I never regretted. Alfred Wallenstein was my first conductor in the old Philharmonic Auditorium. I remember some wonderful concerts. I was 24, and it was the culmination of a dream for a young musician.

Backstage was terrible: filthy dirty and few facilities. When we moved to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, it was heaven. So give the old girl her due--let her rest on her laurels. Everything passes, and each change brings a new era of hope and promise.

Don Muggeridge

Rolling Hills Estates