Life doesn't always align with our dreams. This true story is told in the style of a fairy tale. Once upon a time there was a golden-haired girl who dreamed of becoming a musician. She studied piano as a girl and then switched to composing music as an adult. Her masterwork, Variants for Orchestra, is a stormy, complex piece that has few rivals in scale and scope. Few conductors know it. Interest in the music has come from younger musicians.