Ever meet someone who didn’t just witness history—but lived right in the middle of it?
That’s Nancy Shear.

For more than twenty years, Nancy was woven into the fabric of America’s classical music world—an orchestra librarian, broadcaster, and behind-the-scenes insider who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the greatest musical minds of the twentieth century. She slipped into Philadelphia Orchestra rehearsals at fifteen, joined the library staff at seventeen, and by eighteen was assisting the legendary Leopold Stokowski himself.

In her remarkable new memoir, I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms, Nancy pulls back the curtain on a golden era of classical music. She brings readers into rehearsal rooms, backstage hallways, and the private lives of Stokowski, Ormandy, Rostropovich, and more—capturing the brilliance, the ego, the arguments, and the humanity behind the concert stage.

It’s a story about music, yes—but also about perseverance, mentorship, and carving out space in a world that didn’t always welcome her. A reminder of the power of art, and the people who devote their lives to it.

🎙️ Join us for a conversation with Nancy Shear about the extraordinary life behind I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms—and the history she helped shape from the inside.