Countermelodies: A Memoir in Sonata Form - Paperback

by Ernestine Whitman (Author)

Offering a uniquely musical perspective on the #MeToo experience, this is the story of a talented and fiercely determined musician--a young woman with everything to gain and, ultimately, nothing left to lose--who finds a way through despite multiple betrayals by the men in her life.

She won the audition of her dreams . . . only to find that her beloved mentor had become her most dangerous enemy.

Growing up in the shadow of a brilliant older sister, ignored by a father who dismissed her ambitions, music was the one place Ernestine belonged. Her flute teacher saw what no one else did: talent, fire, and potential. For years, he was the father she never had. So when at twenty she wins a seat in the Atlanta Symphony, sitting beside the mentor she adores, it is everything she's ever wanted. Until, without warning, he turns against her.

In the months that follow, the man who once inspired and supported Ernestine does all he can to destroy her--chipping away at her confidence with relentless verbal attacks, undermining her position, and threatening the career she's worked so hard to build--until, confused, isolated, and spiraling, she faces a choice no young artist should ever have to make.

Set in the fiercely competitive world of classical music, Countermelodies is a story of betrayal, resilience, and a stubborn love of music that refuses to be silenced.

Author Biography

Ernestine Whitman began her career as a professional flutist at age twenty, making her the youngest member of the Atlanta Symphony. Her passion for teaching brought her to Lawrence University, where she was professor of flute for thirty-three years. A passionate advocate for restorative justice, she volunteers frequently in programs at several Wisconsin prisons. Ernestine and her husband, Howard Niblock, divide their time between their condo in midtown Atlanta and their longtime residence in Appleton.