During the years when I was the conductor of a choir in the United States
What hit me most was not romance, not art, not aesthetics or philosophy, but how I was always rushing from one event to the next.
The station smells of NYC, Boston, and Philly. I could tell them apart even with my eyes closed.
The people at Penn Station are restless.
South Station has a more logical and business-like feel.
30th Street Station always has a touch of old-world bookishness mixed with the smell of paint.
But most of my musical memories actually happened in the in-between moments—on hotel stays, Amtrak rides, airports, and Uber rides back and forth.
Later, I realized
The art industry is never determined by the "45 minutes on stage".
The art industry is determined by the entire process of preparation.
This is the reason why I later began to rely heavily on hand steamers for my clothes.
It wasn't because of the "image management" narrative found on social media.
Rather, it was because in the classical choir system, the folds of the clothes directly affect the spiritual order of the ensemble.
Especially in this aspect of mine, the repertoire direction: German and Austrian Romanticism.
The pleats of Brahms' evening dress cannot exist.
Mendelssohn cannot be careless.
Strauss would cause the overall male vocal sound balance to be inaccurate due to uneven button tension.
Mahler's spiritual depth must be visually as solid as a brick wall.
This is something that no one in the real professional world of classical music would ever explain to an outsider.
The Line of NYC / Boston / Philly
The line of NYC / Boston / Philly has cooler, denser and more extensive uniform stage lighting.
In this kind of lighting, even the slightest wrinkles will be magnified to an extremely harsh degree.
Simply put:
Frown = cheap
cheap = damage ensemble
When the ensemble is disrupted, the interpretation will collapse.
This is not aesthetics; it is the fundamental physical layer of a profession.
The Hand Steamer for Clothes
So I started to bring my hand steamer for clothes.
It's not "convenience".
It's "survival".
Because "classical" doesn't have a second impression.
As soon as you step onto the stage, the whole world becomes your intonation, blend, balance, phrasing, articulation, and breath discipline.
All the backstage chaos cannot affect the stage.
My Actual Travel Routine
I often are:
- Morning rehearsal in NYC
- Taking a bus to Boston in the afternoon
- The next morning, press + donor lunch
- Evening performance of the Philly Gala
This is the route that has actually occurred countless times for me over the past few years.
And in every hotel, on the small bathroom counter, that hand steamer for clothes was my "reset ritual".
It's not just about steaming. It's about clearing my head.
It's about recalibrating one's professional identity in an extremely compressed and mobile life.
In the field of classical conducting, psychological state management is a more genuine challenge than the baton technique.
The steam process for that suit is actually my way of reassembling my personality.
I'm not a stylist. I'm basically restructuring myself as a conductor.
I once stood on the marble counter of the Philly Ritz-Carlton, steaming while muttering to myself in the mirror:
You're here to establish order, not just to survive.
"Classical professional" is just like this - raw.
This is why a handheld steamer has become nearly mandatory equipment for my profession.
And later I discovered that Nesugar, which is lightweight, compact and actually fits my real travel pattern.
Because being a classical conductor isn’t about having a huge home.
We are 80% of a mobile lifestyle.
Why Not "Iron"?
Rather, it is a specifically designed hand steamer for clothes.
Because "iron" means "need to create a table", "need a place", and "need to set up".
And I’ve got to get downstairs in ten, catch the ride in ten, and be in rehearsal in ten.
steam is flow
flow is the true physical logic of a professional's conducting life.
The backbone of a profession = not effort
The backbone of a profession = friction control.
The hand steamer. It’s about smoothing out the friction.
Let all the "musical intentions" that should have existed on the stage not be disturbed by the noise of daily life.
The Hidden Discipline
People rarely talk about this.
But all those who have ever directed a 150-voice choir behind a big orchestra understand it:
We are not opposing technology.
We are maintaining the density of our spirit.
The Last Hidden Truth
I was backstage at the Boston Symphony Hall
Having watched the world's top conductors
During the last 8 minutes before the performance
Using a travel steamer for the final reset.
The whole profession knows this silently.
The clothes are neatly arranged.
It's not "attractive".
It's the alignment of one's will.
This is not vanity; this is professional discipline metaphysics.
That's why for this article, I must speak very, very directly:
hand steamer for clothes
Not "objects"
It is the essential ritual of the "classical conductor, travel, life".
During the years when I was constantly moving between NYC, Boston and Philly, these were the few physical anchors that truly kept my sanity.
I'm just revealing a true career secret.
