​How many of you "believe" in Serendipity? I would love to share an amazing story about me and my Mother with you, that still gives me goosebumps of joy and wonder and love.

Wikipedia tells us that "Serendipity is a fortunate happenstance"- not just a matter of a random event, nor can it be taken simply as a synonym for "a happy accident". It is evidently one of the hardest words to translate in our language, such is its wide-ranging meaning.

I think that the serendipitous can play an important role in the search for truth. It has for me, time and time again.

The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines serendipity as "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a satisfactory or beneficial way, understanding the chance as any event that takes place in the absence of any obvious project (randomly or accidentally), which is not relevant to any present need, or in which the cause is unknown."

The first noted use of "serendipity" (meaning pleasant surprise) in the English language was by Horace Walpole (1717–1797). In a letter (1754) he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of". The name stems from Serendip, an old name for Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
Serendipity is a capacity. The Nobel Prize laureate Paul Flory suggests that significant incidents are not mere accidents.

Several years ago, after the death of my mother, I inherited a ring with 3 diamonds. I cherished that ring. A year later, I looked down, and to my horror discovered that the central diamond was missing. I retraced my steps, but to no avail. I gave up in dismay, and resigned myself to a careless tragedy. I was heartbroken, not only for me, but for the legacy of my mother, and also for the meaningfulness for my own daughters, bereft of family heirlooms that they, too would inherit, and the deeper love and meaning that is transferred upon gifting of such treasures.

Soon, I shall be embarking upon a trip to my "homeland". It is no surprise that, although I have adopted Australian shores and even have become an Aussie citizen, that I am a "Born in the USA" girl through-and-through. My heart is in Georgia, and always will be. I find a resonance when I am in the Deep South.

In a month, I will be traveling to the USA, taking my youngest daughter Raiyah Paine to introduce her to the "clan", and also traveling with my dear Bob Halstead. He, too, will meet as many of my relatives (on both sides of my family), as we can fit into three glorious weeks on both sides of my great country!

Well- it is also not a great secret that for a few long years (that seemed they would never end) I also went through a big trial, and faced many challenges that threatened my spirit of loving life, adventure, people and places. That particular difficult time is behind me now, and I have never been happier. I am finally, getting "Leigh" back, and I feel more grounded in who I am than ever before in my life.

So.....just yesterday, after the USA tickets had been confirmed, I was here, in my bedroom, enjoying my first cup of coffee. I reminisced, and took a cherished photograph off my bedside table. It is a photograph of my Mother, Katy (Catherine Bradley Walker), radiant in her beauty. She is one of my heroes. My dad is my other. I clutched her photo, and the tears gushed as I told her that her daughter was "going home again." I told her I was happy now, and there had recently been closure on incidents that had hurt me in the past. I told her I was happy, and that I was moving on. I told her that I would be ok. (She had always known that, but it felt good to tell her myself, and out loud.). I told her that her youngest granddaughter was going "home" with me too, and that Bob was coming to meet all the Aunts and my dearest, loving "crazy cousins!" She was a receptive audience- Mother always looked regal, even in her most casual times! I felt she was REALLY there with me, and was, somehow hearing me. Maybe I am also a "crazy" cousin! But it felt good, and the tears were healing and gentle. I dried my eyes - (after all, another cup of coffee was in order....), and I jumped out of bed, feeling on top of the world, and happier than I can remember at the thought that we were going "home" again soon.

I went into my ensuite, and saw the turquoise scarf that Mother had bought me the one and only time that she had visited my family here in Australia. We had selected it after a perfect day together in Palm Cove, seven years ago. I had just worn it for the first time since her death. I was annoyed it had fallen to the bathroom floor overnight. As I bent to pick it up, I noticed a glint.

There was Mother's missing diamond.

Serendipity? You decide.
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Mother, I am coming HOME again! I know that's your way of telling me how happy you are for us!
Can't wait to see Y'ALL! California, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, look out, we have our tickets and here we come! Love you all.

When I learned last week that my faithful studio pianist for many years in annual exams was suddenly whisked to the hospital for emergency surgery, my heart went out to Larry for a swift and sure recovery. It left me with a rather last minute dilemma. No accompanist for my string students. Exams loomed.

With only a month to go before exams, the rehearsal time with the pianist becomes crucial. How amazing therefore, that on the very same day that Larry had to cancel, I received a call from dear piano colleague Bill Doolan Kevin Scott. He had moved down to the Gold Coast last year and I thought he was well settled there. How wonderful to get his call saying he was moving back to Cairns and did I have any piano accompaniment work in my studio! Talk about serendipity!

We started working with my students last week and continued today with intensive rehearsals with all the kids from 9am til 6:00 tonight. Kevin is a blessing to the studio and a delight to work with. The day was full, but a day full of music and doing what we love never exhausts us- rather, it fuels us to want more! So....during our brief lunch break, when I suggested to Kevin that we sight read one of my latest favorite tunes, he readily obliged.

I have always adored the swing and croon music of this era a la Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Sarah Vaughan, and of course Ella Fitzgerald. A few months ago I first heard this Hoagy Carmichael tune and fell in love with it's lilt and poignant chord transitions. We had Kyrene Mei Paine record us as we sight read in one raw take, and other than one slightly dodgy "e" that morphed into the more appropriate 'e' flat, ( this is show biz after all and we think we deserve a bit of jazz-inspired artistic License) we think Hoagy might have approved.

So -this is a hearty thank you to dear Kevin for rescuing my studio from our no -pianist emergency, as well as a huge welcome back to my friends! It was bliss to be able to communicate through the music and just well, do what we do.

Here then, as performed on my new French acquisition "The Lily" , is our rendition of the gorgeous song 
"I Get Along Without You Very Well"

But dear Bob Halstead as I know you know the lyrics , you will understand how much I really DO miss you!

I remember my parents playing me this recording of the "Violin King" when I was about 6 years old, and being amazed at how easy it all sounded! If only I knew......as my professor Gingold used to say, "When Heifetz walked in the room, any other violinists might as well start packing up their violins. There was no point to even try to match him!" Hora Stacatto is known for its up and down bow stacattos, and Heifetz plays each way with equal bravura. Sigh! Time for bed!

When Legendary Artist David Bowie died, I too was devastated by the news. You see- I met David Bowie myself, way back in December, 1983, when I was a first violinist in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra!

Bowie was on the Serious Moonlight World Tour, one of his biggest and most successful. The final two nights of the tour were in Hong Kong, in the colossal Coliseum. My HK Philharmonic was the accompanying orchestra on stage. I had only recently arrived in the city the previous September, freshly out of my Graduate Degree at Indiana University School of Music, and beyond thrilled to take on my first permanent professional orchestral job.

Hong Kong in the early '80s was cacophony- a riot of neon, skyscrapers, shoulder pads, bustle, traffic, the best cuisine on the planet, night markets, obscene assaults of color, sound, smells, bodies and energy. Hong Kong was relentless, yet perfect for my wide-eyed 22 years of eagerness. I relished the new shock of every sensation the city and my job had to offer- I was independent, proud, and ALIVE!

Imagine, then, my astounded reaction when I learned that we select musicians would be accompanying the Icon at the conclusion of his World Tour. Speechless? Yes. In Awe? Yes.
We arrived at the Coliseum on the afternoon of his first performance, ready for rehearsal. We loved seeing the all-white grand piano on stage. The members of Bowie's touring band, who we were supporting by adding the strings, winds, and brass sections, greeted us. I was star-struck and the Man himself wasn't even on stage yet! Would he even appear? Maybe the band would just take us through the set order and the changes. That was not uncommon for artists of Bowie's stature. Then he could have appeared only at the Show, and the fans would be none the wiser. But- No! There he was!

Laughter erupted from a seat in the cavernous auditorium. It was HIM! David leapt up to the stage, swinging up on his arms and skipping the stage stairs. Dressed impeccably in a pure white suit, hair bleached and coiffed, grinning and eyes twinkling. In his oh-so-English accent, he said hello. He thanked us for being a part of this historic tour. He sat at the piano and motioned to begin. As we struck the opening chords, "Scary Monsters", something was not to his liking. He stopped us, and began schooling us, ever-so-politely, in what effect he wanted. Oh my! It dawned on me that he must have Perfect Pitch. He was plucking obscure notes out of the air, time after time, without first referencing his pitch on the piano. He never missed or dropped a note. I too, have perfect pitch. It is s blessing and a curse! It means if I am reading a score and it is being played in a different key than what is notated, I go crazy!

Anyway, noting that Bowie was so incredibly musical when singing live (because the recording studio can famously hide a multitude of musical sins), I vowed to myself that I would somehow pluck up the courage to say hello and thank you right back to him at the break.

I did not know if my idea would work, as it is all-too-customary for famous artists of any genre to disappear in hiding to the Green Room as soon as there is a break in rehearsal. Sometimes artists are whisked away by their minders or agents.

December 7, 1983, was however my lucky day. The conductor left the stage for a tea break. Bowie stayed right where he was- at his piano.
I sidled sideways towards him, not wanting the embarrassment of rebuttal so trying to make my approach random. I must have been a sight! What ELSE could I have possibly been heading towards? The podium next to the piano?

Bowie smiled. He smiled AT ME. OH MY GOD!
He patted the spot next to him on the piano stool. "Come- sit and join me- I'm too tired to get up!"
I went through the motions as any 22 year old in shock might do. There I was. David Bowie and I were- well, "cheek to cheek"!

I said "hello" and he told me he loved the violin, as an instrument, which I was clutching. My knuckles were red from squeezing it so hard! He said he loved the sound of the violin but instead, at his Boy's Grammar School in England, been made to learn the flute. Having been an excellent choir boy,
he later took up sax and piano.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I believe you have perfect pitch"! "Yes, you must too, to be able to tell! Looks like you and I were not destined for the Cricket Pitch"! He chuckled at his joke. I sat frozen. Did he notice? What will my Mother say when I tell her?
It is a strange sensation, when one is so close to a famous celebrity, what odd mannerisms we adopt. I have met many other celebrities in my life, and over the years have learned (only slightly) how to relax and be more natural. But that day I know Mr. Bowie's gracious charm and gentle manner won me over completely. The best thing, that stands out in my mind even today, is that not once did he make me feel uneasy or out of place. He never made me feel inferior. I was his musical colleague on stage, and no matter I was green and young, I was treated with such polite kindness.

We continued chatting until gradually, my fellow musicians trickled back on stage. Bowie asked me about my home in Georgia, and how I liked new life in HK. "We have more than music in common, Leigh- you see, I share your love affair with all things Asian." "Cherish this time of your youth and your musical journey. You have already embraced life by coming here to a new job on the other side of the world. Live it- Love it-Enjoy It." I asked him how he liked the Touring Life. He responded- and I will never forget it- that "Tours are not about fame and fortune. Tours are chances to take our art- our love of music- to the people. We would be nothing without the people. If we cannot be human with them, why would we expect them to buy our albums, attend our concerts? I love interaction. I love people. " I also was amazed at his humility, in including me in his sentiments, by saying "our" and "we". As in "we musicians". That was the gift Bowie had. It was obvious why he was so popular. Artistry, consummate musicianship, compassion, and that bright spark.

That's it. And then, in a flash, I was back near the front of the First Violins. My stand partner poked me with her bow and gasped. "Oh my! What was he like? We had no idea he would stay on stage and that anyone could TALK to him!"

"What was he like"? I responded- "A complete gentleman- and funny too. "

We played two shows together. I'm sure I played all my notes brighter and better since our chance meeting. I was on cloud nine. On the second night. backstage, David gave me a big hug.

I didn't faint. But I shook all the way home!
I wanted to tell my story immediately after I learned the news of his death, but have had to wait until my pain from surgery subsided. I have been resting at home and recovering, and started thinking about those memories of sharing a stage with him. I remembered that his tour managers made a short film about his trip to Hong Kong- and, after a quick Google search, I found the film!

The film is eclectic and kinky and magic- just like Bowie. It somehow captures the essence of HK in the 80's, and evidently Bowie wanted the short film made to document his deep joy of the city and the culture and the people of HK. If you have a spare 15 minutes, enjoy. I loved it, as it brought a flood of memories of a great city - my fav on earth- at a great time.

You can just spot me, there on stage in his final show, as Bowie raises his blonde tresses skywards and starts the first few notes of his tribute and thank you to Hong Kong- his rendition of "China Girl".

I'm near the very end of this short film. I'm on the left in the violin section - the blonde glint of my hair is visible as I play my heart out in the spotlights as the camera pans out wide angle. I also found a better clip of the orchestra, when Bowie sings Lennon's "Imagine" in tribute. I'll post that clip in the comments section.
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Bowie you were great. Bravo forever!