If you ever see a list of people who are perpetually dissatisfied or unenthusiastic, here’s a name you won’t find there.
“My name’s Steve Zeserman and I play double bass in the San Antonio Symphony.”
His optimism is palpable, and you can hear it when he talks about anything. From his days in college at the Curtis Institute of Music:
“I guess it was similar to eating caviar every day for four years, the richness of the culture,” he said.
To landing his job with the San Antonio Symphony:
“It was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life at that time,” Zeserman said.
He's awfully enthusiastic about San Antonio, too.
“I fell in love with its people," he said. "I fell in love with its culture. With its history.”
His time in San Antonio and with the symphony has given him much, but he's not too keen on keeping what he's been given.
“I believe that as much as I have, I want to give it away,” he said.
He believes the musical knowledge he’s gained is something that needs to be shared. While he works with Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, he wanted to do more. So he and a pair of school orchestra directors targeted getting more kids good enough on their instruments to get into the all-state band.
“What we decided to do was to put together a set of master classes," said Zeserman. "Every Monday, nine weeks in a row. For nine classes the price is $75; $8.30 a class.”
It would seem that getting wealthy is not high on his list.
“We wanted to lower the bar financially so there was absolutely no reason for these kids not to want to take the challenge," he said. "That is my calling: To help the children of San Antonio.”
So when you go see the symphony know that the guy at the double bass is working hard even after the curtain falls.
"I’m living a dream," he said.
Watch Steve in action here:
