Music, Lakes, and Blue Corduroy: A Memoir of Interlochen traces the development of a young musician during the Cold War era, complete with the emotional issues faced by a gifted adolescent musician. This is a book for anyone who would like to know what it feels like to play in a symphony; to survive bouts of performance anxiety, a tyrannical genius conductor, and a ruthlessly competitive "challenge" system for orchestra chairs; to develop lifelong friendships and a love of Michigan lakes; and to fall under the spell of a magical place that continues to affect one's life story long after one has moved on.