What are the tricks of the trade? “I’m not sure I should tell you,” Oldham said. “Dry hands are a particular problem. But you don’t want to see someone licking their fingers onstage. I ball my left-hand into a fist and cover it with my right while I’m waiting.” Inanimate scores can present unforeseen problems. New ones have unbroken spines so the pages won’t always stay put when turned; before a concert Oldham will crinkle the corners of pages and rough up the score a little to make sure it cooperates when the moment comes.