A Sudden Masterclass

Fifteen minutes before the morning masterclass was scheduled to begin, Hall A at the Manhattan Conservatory of Music was completely packed...

Graduate fellows filled the tiered workstations, while faculty members and undergraduates stood along the side aisles.

Word of Jude's playing from the previous afternoon had spread across Lincoln Center, and most of the room had shown up just to see him in person.

10 minutes before the hour, the rear doors swung open.

Vanessa Thorne walked in, flanked by 2 classmates from her sorority.

A brief murmur moved through the back rows.

"That's Vanessa Thorne."

"Marcus Thorne's daughter."

"Even she showed up for this."

Used to turning heads, Vanessa took a seat at the center console in the second row. She had only come because clips of the guest instructor were all over her feeds, and she wanted to see if the reputation was earned or overblown.