Music: Brahms in the Bush

As the battered old F-27 touched down on the runway, the huddle of welcomers in fur parkas and boots shuffled about enthusiastically at the edge of the airport. They would have cheered, but when the wind howls in southwest Alaska, why bother? Inside the plane, the musicians stretched, checked their thermal underwear, down booties, sweaters, ear muffs and fur coats and hats. Then they stepped out the door into the frozen flats of Bethel, Alaska (pop. 2,500, predominantly Eskimo). "We can't believe you're here," said Nancy Hohman, principal of the Bethel elementary school....

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