As a biting winter wind swirled between the canyon-like walls of 125th Street in Harlem, Melanie R. Hill shivered and thought about two graces.
Grace was the name she had given the cherished violin cushioned inside the hard-shell case she held in her gloved hand. The other grace was the type she believes comes from God, and had brought her to the front entrance of the renowned Apollo Theater on a frigid Saturday morning last December.