Phil Ficsor took an interest in the music of William Bolcom as a teenager. During the summer of 1991, the violinist prepared to play in a national competition in upstate New York. He had to choose between two pieces by contemporary American com-posers: Aaron Copland’s violin sonata or Bolcom’s “Second Sonata.” Phil’s music teacher immediately ruled out Bolcom’s piece as “too challenging.” 1 Column Content Background Color White Heading...