CityView Magazine

24 | September 2020 Fascinating Fayetteville eater people call it the ghost light. It's a light with a single bulb, usually a floor lamp of some sort, le lit on the stage when the rest of the theater is closed and dark. Across the country, theaters have gone dark because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Art galleries and other cultural venues also have been forced to close. At risk is the livelihood of many people who earn a living only when the curtain rises. At risk, also, is an integral part of all communities, large and small. Larry Wells, pictured above, just about always has the music in him. "No days off, or at least not many," he said. "Even on Christmas Day, right aer the presents are opened, I'm either headed to play for a church service or to practice." And that's the way he likes it. Figure out what you're good at, he advises the young musicians under his direction in the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra. And figure out what you're passionate about. "I work hard," Wells, 53, said. "But almost never do I get up in the morning and not look forward to going to work." Wells will tell you he had 145 young musicians eager to hone their cra at the end of last year's Fayetteville Youth Symphony Orchestra season. But the musicians of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra have all been on their own since the pandemic forced the end of performances and group rehearsals. at's a shame when things had been going so well. "is year has been awful … no gigs," Wells said. "But sooner or later, the show must go on. And when the bell rings, I want to be ready." Artists are known for their resilience. ose featured on these pages are keeping the faith that, sooner or later, the show will go on. And when it does, they'll be ready. THE SHOW MUST GO ON Stories by Kim Hasty — Photography by Matthew Wonderly

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