She returned carrying her cello and sat underneath the glowing bough. The children immediately sat at her feet and she started playing carols, as everyone sung lustily. The more we sang, the more powerfully she played, until her sound was so strong the children moved away. There was a pause after ‘See Amid the Winter’s Snow’ and in that moment, Jackie launched into Bach. Her sound in that echoey playroom was so overwhelming and the intensity of her playing so direct, many of the children burst into tears and were quickly herded out. But Jackie was carried away on her own wave and we were transported with her as she played underneath her illuminated crown. << less