Rite of Spring

Attracted by her unusual skill and determination, Gerald Poulin, first bassoonist in the San Francisco Symphony, has taken on the eclectic 19-year-old Herminda Matta as a student. Living in the same city, they come from different worlds, and Herminda finds an unlikely mentor in Gerald as he prepares her to play Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with him in the season's final performance. But music is not the only arena where the lives of this odd couple intersect. While she comes of age, Gerald begins to grapple with his inability to commit to his long-time partner and the likely loss of a close friend to AIDS. Set in San Francisco, 1987, these timeless characters capture the essence of this particular place and time and what it means to grow together.