While on tour a number of years ago with classical guitarist Christopher Parkening in Europe, we landed in Vienna for the last concert of the season. While arriving at our sound check at the intimate Brahms Hall, we noticed famous conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story) rehearsing in the adjoining Symphony Hall. I asked Chris if he knew him, and he replied that although he had met him before, he didn’t know him well. We decided that after our sound check, we would go over and say hello. After introductions had been made, Chris casually encouraged him to write a concerto for the guitar. (Andrés Segovia had given the mandate to increase the repertoire of the classical guitar, and Chris has been faithful to do so.) Maestro Bernstein laughed and said that the guitar had enough concertos. Then he said, “Now the tuba…there’s an instrument that could use a concerto!” That was as close as the guitar world got to a having a guitar concerto from one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. I was inspired, however, to see Christopher Parkening use that and other opportunities to try to enrich the repertoire of our wonderful instrument.