Deadly Overtures: A Music Lover's Mystery Read Online Free

wavy dark brown hair. He raised a hand to the audience, giving them a nod and a smile on his way across the stage. When all three judges had shaken hands with Hans, they descended a short flight of stairs and took the seats reserved for them near the front of the theater.
    When the applause for the judges had died down, Hans introduced the first piece of music we were going to play, Pavlina’s Storm of Sorrows . He provided a snippet of information about Pavlina herself, including an outline of her musical education. Then he moved on to speak about her composition, describing it as innovative and beautifully eerie. After he added a few more words about the piece, it was time to begin.
    Hans took his place on the conductor’s podium and I raised my violin to my shoulder as my fellow musicians readied their own instruments. A short stretch of silence hung over the theater. Then, with a signal from Hans, we were off, bringing Pavlina’s composition to life.
    Storm of Sorrows had a distinctly modern flair, with the occasional dissonant, jarring phrase. Those parts weren’t quite to my personal musical taste, but overall, I couldn’t deny that the piece was beautiful, that it was uniquely Pavlina’s. The mournful and at times turbulent sounds created by each section of the orchestra blended together to create a haunting and memorable piece that I knew would leave a lasting impression on many members of the audience.
    When we reached the last note and drew it out until Hans signaled the end of the piece, barely a second of silence held the theater in a captivated hush before a roar of applause erupted from the audience. The bright lights hid Pavlina from view where she sat in the front row of the theater, but I knew she had to be pleased. We’d given life to her musical vision, and the audience had accepted it with appreciation and gratitude.
    Eventually, the applause died down and Hans approached the microphone once more. This time he spoke about Sherwin Banes and his composition, A Winter Symphony . While Sherwin hadn’t had the same media attention as Pavlina, he was still exceptionally talented. A Winter Symphony adhered more closely to the classical music of old than Pavlina’s did. In his music I could detect influences from Vivaldi, one of my favorite composers of all time. Although Pavlina’s Storm of Sorrows was arguably the most innovative of all the entries, Sherwin’s was more to my personal taste and I thoroughly enjoyed every movement of the symphony.
    After we played the last bar of music and applause once again filled the theater, my eyes strayed to the wings of the stage where Sherwin stood with Olivia Hutchcraft. Olivia was speaking to him quietly but urgently, and when Sherwin shook his head in response, she hurried off backstage, her ever-present clipboard in hand. Sherwin glanced around, uncertainty plain on his face.
    I turned my attention back to Hans as he spoke to the audience.
    “Please join me in welcoming to the stage tonight’s featured finalists, Pavlina Nicolova and Sherwin Banes.”
    The audience clapped and my eyes returned to the wings where Sherwin still stood, more uncertain than ever. He glanced behind him, but he was alone. My eyebrows drew together as I watched him. I was as puzzled as Sherwin apparently was. Where the heck was Pavlina?
    After receiving an encouraging nod from Hans, Sherwin took a hesitant step onto the stage. As he emerged into the bright light, he blinked, but then focused on Hans and crossed the stage with more confidence. Hans leaned toward him and whispered something in his ear, but when Sherwin shrugged and shook his head, Hans returned his attention to the audience.
    “I’m afraid Pavlina is unable to join us at this moment, but I’m pleased to present to you the composer of A Winter Symphony and one of our four finalists, Sherwin Banes.”
    If the people in the audience were thrown off by Pavlina’s absence, they didn’t let it affect their enthusiasm.