Robert P. Taylor's Musicians: Reflections of Music Making

James Byars, Principal Oboist - New York City Ballet

This drawing was done of Jim as he played the prelude indicated on the program on which the drawing was executed. I have done a number of drawings of Jim (see Jim's 8 April 2001 Christ Chapel Recital below), a long-time friend and excellent oboist. When he told me he was going to play the prelude on this particular Sunday at Riverside, I determined to draw Jim again, provided it was logistically possible. During the prelude , the choir (in which I sing) waits outside the rear of the 200 foot long sanctuary, to process in at the conclusion of the "Life of Community" announcements following the prelude. Needing to be far closer than 200 feet to draw, I left the choir room below the sanctuary with the other choir members, but went in the opposite direction, and by a different stairway and passage than the one they all took, reached my goal at the very front of the sanctuary: the back of a curtained arch just behind the organ. I dared not open the curtain much, since it could be seen from the congregation, so I edged the curtain open just a crack on one side of the archway, to see if I could see Jim. There he was in profile, less than 15 feet away, about to begin playing. Holding my sketch pad so it kept the curtain ajar just enough to see him, but not enough or at an angle that would allow anyone in the audience to notice the crack or see me, I drew this. As soon as the last note was sounded, I retraced my steps, dashed along a subterranean passage under the sanctuary, ascended the stairs back there and joined my colleagues in the choir just as they were about to process in!

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