Gerchel E. Holbert, Storyteller

GERCHEL E. HOLBERT, Market Auditor

I remember going to my first performance by the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra, followed by the opening night party. My godfather, Kenneth Ervin Kilgore, made this moment possible. It was one of the many ways he encouraged me to wonder and to be consciously apart of the larger creation.

We were all one that night, artists and spectators alike.

At the party afterward, the conductor and all of the musicians were there. My senses were heightened...they were completely energized! I understood for the first time that the sustained glow, in spite of their demanding performance, was the reward of doing what they loved. We were all one that night, artists and spectators alike. It was life-giving celebration. I've been hooked ever since.