When we started the opera cycle ( An American Dream, showing at the Harris Theater tonight and Sunday afternoon), the four woodwinds were sitting stacked in a rehearsal room. In other words, the flute to my right, the bassoon behind me, the clarinet behind the flute, just like in the orchestra. And it was OK. We were fairly close together, the room was resonant, and we were working on orchestral details. But when we moved into the pit, this seating felt VERY isolating. The four of us were far apart, on two different levels, the wall was right next to me, and intonation and ensemble were very much more difficult. Our entrances and releases were not clean together, and because we had to balance to the singers on stage, I found my playing getting more and more tentative. Don't be too loud, don't come in early before the clarinet, keep everything in the box, try to lead the entrances but stay in the texture... And it felt like everything that was not quite great was my fau