Nancy Shear was only fifteen when she began sneaking into Philadelphia Orchestra concerts through the stage door, and seventeen when she was hired as a member of the orchestra's library staff to help prepare the music; one year later, she became Leopold Stokowski's musical assistant. Being young and female, she was a pioneer in both positions.I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms takes listeners into the homes, studios, and minds of legendary artists with whom Shear shared close pe...