Bich Tran
After years as a summer-camp canoe-launch roster keeper, Bich Tran, fifty-six, argues with principal violists about who authorized the breath before the entrance. Bich also argues with conductors about whether a broad preparatory gesture means welcome, warning, or merely an arm in the air.
Articles by Bich Tran
Backstage Tuning Room Descends Into Anarchy as Seven Instruments Warm Up Simultaneously
The resulting sound was described by the stage manager as 'what I imagine the inside of a tornado sounds like, but with more Paganini.'
Principal Cellist's Chair Squeak Identified as Source of Mysterious Note in Recordings
Audio engineers spent three months isolating a recurring B-flat in the orchestra's recordings before discovering it was the principal cellist's chair, which she refuses to replace because it is 'lucky.'
French Horn Section Unanimously Agrees That Passage Is Impossible, Performs It Anyway
The Strauss tone poem's horn writing, which requires a range spanning nearly four octaves and what the principal described as 'the lung capacity of a blue whale,' was executed flawlessly after three weeks of what the section called 'grief counseling disguised as rehearsal.'