A “Monday Morning Gossip” Extra on Hurricane Katrina

By Darcy Lewis

LPO Violinist Evacuates New Orleans

Violinist Burt Callahan, the only member of the Louisiana Philharmonic trapped in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, has now evacuated the devastated city and is safe with friends and family near Houston.

For eight days, Callahan, who has no car, remained in his second-floor apartment in the St. Charles neighborhood of New Orleans, unable to leave the city.

Although colleagues from the orchestra offered him rides out of town on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28 before the hurricane struck, Callahan declined. “Generally, I ride out the storms because my apartment building dates from 1885,” he says. “My landlady survived [Hurricanes] Betsy and Camille in that building. I figured it was safe enough for me.”

Two other reasons came into play, reasons that may seem inconsequential to some but news reports have shown were shared by thousands. “My cat, Sparkles, is a totally indoor cat who would get very agitated in such a storm,” Callahan says. “I just couldn’t leave her alone and frightened.”

And Callahan had taken advantage of a pre-LPO lull to get some work done on his apartment. “When my mom passed away three summers ago, one thing she really wanted me to do was to put aside some money to redo my apartment,” he says. “Before Katrina made it into the Gulf, I had arranged for work to be done during my open week before the LPO started up again.”

As it happened, the painters didn’t complete their work until the evening of Saturday, August 27. “At least I had a freshly painted apartment to ride out the storm in,” jokes Callahan.

Initially, Callahan did have one companion besides Sparkles. When the rest of the building’s occupants evacuated Saturday night, one neighbor, a man in his early 60s, decided to stay. “We figured we’d ride it out together,” says Callahan.

Aftermath was “really tough”

He spent the weekend gathering provisions, then hunkered down, figuring that New Orleans would once again dodge the bullet. The storm woke Callahan when it hit before dawn on Monday, August 29, but Sparkles slept on. “There were a couple times when I really thought the roof was going to come off, but somehow I knew I’d be ok through the storm,” he says. “The aftermath was really tough, though.”

As in the rest of the shattered city, Callahan’s power went out when the storm hit, but, oddly, his gas service remained uninterrupted. And his phone was able to receive incoming calls, although Callahan could not place any calls.

Once word got out that he was the only orchestra member stranded, Callahan spent hours on the phone talking to reporters, mostly throughout Germany. He also spent much time talking with other LPO members, some of whom asked him to check on their homes for them.

Callahan’s apartment was undamaged, but his immediate neighbors were not so fortunate: the storm blew out the windows on either side of Callahan’s, leaving those apartments open to the elements. Century-old oak trees had been uprooted and tossed around the street. Flooding in his area was relatively minor, though there were some streets that were not navigable without a boat.

He was able to verify that at least a couple of his colleagues’ homes appeared undamaged, then spent hours “doing reconnaissance” and searching for water once supplies ran low. “Conditions deteriorated day by day,” he says. “I saw people looting the Rite-Aid and Whole Foods, and there was no police presence.”

Chaos sets in

Around the fourth day of the ordeal, Callahan’s neighbor decided he couldn’t take the chaos any more, so Callahan found a staging area nearby for him to be bussed to the Convention Center. “I spent the last three nights totally isolated. I was terrified armed gangs would break in, so I tried to hide my presence,” he says. “All I could do all night was listen to the radio and sweat.”

By Sunday, September 4, Callahan was determined to get out of the city. Choking down his fear of being robbed of his precious violin, he left Sparkles with three weeks of food and water and an ID tag on her carrier, packed up one small suitcase and his violin, returning to the staging area that had welcomed his neighbor.

The military had finally arrived and were dispensing meals-ready-to-eat (MREs). “I started helping them, so I didn’t have to think of my own plight. I distributed MREs, picked up trash and helped people get on buses,” says Callahan. “An N.O. police officer was so grateful, he gave me a huge hug.”

Bussed to the Convention Center later that day, Callahan was appalled at the conditions. But military personnel treated him well, telling him of sons and daughters that play instruments and expressing amazement that his 200-year-old violin had come through Katrina unscathed.

Out of New Orleans

On the helicopter ride from the Convention Center to the airport, he got his first birds-eye look at the devastation. “Only then did I see how much of the city was underwater,” he says. “It tore my heart out.”

At the airport, Callahan and others were hustled onto a donated 757 with no idea of their destination, which turned out to be Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia. After receiving a medical exam in a makeshift hangar, he was on a bus two hours later, bound for a shelter in Rock Eagle, Ga.

For 48 hours, home was a barracks at Rock Eagle’s 4-H Center. Callahan’s chief worry continued to be keeping his violin safe. “I picked a top bunk near the closet and put my violin on the top shelf,” he says. “I laid a clean towel over the case, then buried it in dirty laundry until my case was completely hidden.”

Meanwhile, Callahan used cell phones belonging to Red Cross volunteers to let friends and family know he was safe. And he participated in a trip to a local mall, where evacuees used vouchers to obtain new clothing. “I just picked out some socks, underwear and a t-shirt,” he says. “Everyone there was so much worse off than I.”

Early on Tuesday, September 6, Callahan found out that a local church was donating van rides to the airport—but only for those who had confirmed flights out. “There was only a single phone available and I lined up to use it before 7 a.m.,” he says. “I called Delta and they were just wonderful—got me on a flight that afternoon and only charged me $150.”

One of the lucky ones

Reunited with friends and family in Houston that day, Callahan knows he is one of the lucky ones, made all the more so by the fact that two LPO colleagues made it back into New Orleans to rescue his beloved Sparkles. Reunited with her in Texas on Thursday, September 8, Callahan has found a welcoming veterinary clinic to house her until his future plans become more settled.

And yet Callahan has not come through entirely unscathed. “I can’t even describe half of what I’ve seen and feel,” he says. “There were times when I really wasn’t sure if I’d get out alive. I slipped into survival mode, even breaking into my neighbor’s apartment when I ran out of food and water. I was desperate.”

But throughout the privation and raw fear, Callahan saw a lot of good, too: “There are so many wonderful people working to help others in New Orleans. And I’ll be ok—I have great people looking out for me.”

© 2005 by Darcy Lewis. Interested parties are encouraged to link to this article, but may not reproduce it without express written permission from Darcy Lewis.

Donate to help displaced musicians

Three funds have been set up to benefit displaced musicians.

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra has set up its own fund.

Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Relief Fund
c/o Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Attn: Babs Mollere
P.O. Box 14209
Baton Rouge, LA 70898

You can make deposits to this account at any Bank One or Chase branch.

Also, the American Symphony Orchestra League has established the Gulf Coast Orchestra Relief Fund to support storm-affected orchestras, including the LPO, the Gulf Coast Symphony in Biloxi, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra.

To contribute, send a check payable to the ASOL:
American Symphony Orchestra League, 33 W. 60th St., 5th Floor, NY NY 10023.

Write "Gulf Coast Orchestra Relief Fund" on the face of the check. For further information, contact Stacey Weston at sweston@symphony.org.

The American Federation of Musicians has also set up a fund. Donations should be sent to:

AFM Gulf Coast Relief Fund
1501 Broadway, Suite 600
New York, NY 10036

Checks or money orders should be made payable to the “Gulf Coast Relief Fund.” An online payment system will be activated within in a few days. The AFM will match every dollar contributed, up to $100,000.

Note: If you are seeking information about a specific member of the LPO, visit
LPO Family

Link to previous columns

Seattle Symphony Presents
“A SYMPHONY OF RELIEF”
for the victims of Hurricane Katrina

FUNDRAISING CONCERT SEPTEMBER 16 AT 8:00PM AT BENAROYA HALL

Proceeds To Benefit American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony will give a special fundraising concert on Friday, September 16, at 8:00pm in Benaroya Hall to benefit the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Orchestra musicians, Music Director Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall staff, including ushers and stagehands, are donating their services to produce the concert. Renowned cellist Lynn Harrell, who will be in Seattle for the Orchestra’s season-opening Masterpiece series performances, will also be donating his services to perform at the benefit.

Admission to the performance will be free, and attendees are encouraged to give generously at the concert. Tickets will be available starting Monday, September 12, 2005.

Donation Information
Check or cash donations will be accepted the evening of the concert. Credit card transactions will not be available. Those who write checks made out to the “American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund” will be issued receipts by the Red Cross. No receipts will be given for cash donations.

Ticket Information
General admission tickets for “A Symphony of Relief” may be picked up in person only at the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office in Benaroya Hall from Monday through Friday between 10:00am and 6:00pm or at the door on September 16, depending on availability. Up to four tickets will be available per household. Although there is no charge for the tickets, they are required for entry to the concert. Tickets will not be mailed.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Patrons must be seated by 7:45pm. Seating will not be guaranteed after that time. Patrons without advance tickets will be seated after 7:45pm. For more information, contact (206) 215-4747 or toll-free (866) 833-4747.