“Ever game these days for the occasional joke, the Cleveland Orchestra released a humorous announcement Friday very much in the spirit of April Fools’ Day,” writes Zachary Lewis in Friday’s (4/1) Plain Dealer. “Picking up the sports thread it started last year, the group said it sent its tallest musician, the 6-foot, 8-inch violist Richard Waugh, to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he proceeded to practice and engage in signing talks with the professional basketball team. ‘The Cavs,’ read the orchestra statement, ‘who do not currently have a violist on the team, have now filled this critical role with a seasoned Clevelander who has experience playing all round the world.’ … The notion of Waugh as an NBA player isn’t exactly a crazy stretch. In addition to his above-average height, the violist also boasts legitimate athletic credentials, having played basketball for the University of New Mexico while a student there. He also is an accomplished endurance cyclist…. No less impressive are Waugh’s viola statistics. Since joining the Cleveland Orchestra in 1994, the violist, said the statement, has jokingly averaged ‘18.4 pages per symphony, 90.2 minutes per concert, and 8 rebounds.’ ”
Posted April 1, 2016
