hen I first met David many years ago, he was working full time as a professional musician and was at the same time holding the position of the Director of Bands and Choruses at Georgetown University. Every time we were out on a date, we would invariably run into one of his current or former students. They would come across the room to greet him warmly, and reminisce about their time in his class or in one of the many musical theater productions he had directed. It was obvious to me, from the start, that David had made a life time commitment to music education, music production and entertainment. It was during our early courtship that he first considered opening a music agency in downtown Washington, a dream which had become a reality by the time we were married.

David is profoundly musical. I once asked my mother in law when she realized that her sons were destined to a life in music (David’s younger brother, Eric Fletcher, is a recording artist who tours with Christine Olhman and Rebel Montez). She told me that when they were young boys they would pick up instruments and create songs together -- she called them her “little noisemakers.”

Afew years ago, David planned a birthday party for me at our house in Dupont Circle. He hired one of his top jazz trios for the party, and they were playing in front of the large window in the front of our house. A few days later, a couple called him and said they wanted to hire a small ensemble. They described what they were looking for as follows: “Last Friday night, we were walking down Corcoran Street, and there was this group playing in the window of one of the houses -- we would like a group like that.” Imagine their surprise when David informed them that, not only could they have a group like that, they could have that specific group!

Live music is always evocative of a mood, a moment, or a memory, like what was experienced by the young couple that evening they walked past our house. I have always been a music lover, but being the wife of a musician has permanently changed my view of what music means to us thinking, feeling beings. David’s career in music -- from entertainer to educator to promoter -- reflects his lifetime commitment to music, in its many exquisite and wondrous forms.