Pass the Baton

I enjoyed reading “Robot Conducts Himself Classically” (March 14), about the robot that conducted the Tokyo Philharmonic. However, the writer is incorrect in asserting that it “had just become the first robot to conduct an orchestra.” In my 44 years as a professional musician I have worked for many robots, probably the most well known of which was Christopher Hogwood. In fact, in some cases (but not Hogwood’s), I even preferred them to their flesh-and-blood counterparts.

David M. Sherr

Santa Monica