[VIOLIN PLAYING]
I'm Edward Simons, and I'm 100 years old.
What's coming up on September 10?
I'm gonna be conducting my piece.
And that's going to make you the oldest
conductor in the world.
He's trying to get ready for this concert,
and the way he's doing that is really--
blows me away.
Like, he's now been walking around the little circle
out there.
EDWARD SIMONS: For many years, I used to walk around four times.
So this time, I only walked around twice.
I may do the other two after you guys leave.
And he is writing his exercise bike like several times a day
for like a minute at a time.
EDWARD SIMONS: I make sure that I pedal the bike 35 times.
I don't know, I just decided on 35 times.
He wants to make sure that he's in shape for that,
and he's going to be ready for it.
My age produces feelings difficult to describe,
but music is most inspiring.
EDWARD SIMONS: So are we ready to go?
MAN: I think we are.
When it comes to conducting, I am doing several things
at the same time.
I want to make sure that the various instruments
in the orchestra are responding to the movements I make
with my baton, and I also am singing the music
inside myself all the time.
If I didn't hear that music in my head,
there would be no point in me doing any conducting.
I think if you ask Ed how long music has defined his life,
he'll say from the womb.
He always tells the story of music being
played for him when he was in his mama's belly,
as he would say.
When I was in my mommy's belly,
I responded to music my father was
playing on his record player.
And it made me move.
AVI NAGIN: Then starting from an early age,
his father would roll up a newspaper
and conduct along with him.
All right.
Bravo, maestro.
Bravo. - Thank you.
The rehearsal went very well.
WOMAN: You gonna rest?
Maybe take a nap.
And somewhere along the line--
MAN: Who's gonna eat.
--get into my fancy clothes unless
I can do the concert this way.
I didn't think so.
I've been playing the violin for 91 years.
INTERVIEWER: I feel like you very much want
to play your violin for us.
Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Do you-- did you feel more comfortable if we--
if we did that and you played your violin
for us for a little bit?
I'll be glad to.
DALIT WARSHA: I know when I'm in the throes of composing
a piece of music, it feels like it's
kind of taking me by the arm and leading me somewhere.
It's-- it's a constant with Ed, and it--
it pulls him onward in the most ideal way.
ERIK LAWRENCE: Somebody asked Ed how he's doing and he said,
I'm doing great under the circumstance.
I'm 100 years old.
And I said, so what's your secret?
How did you get to-- to be 100?
And he said, music.
Music is the medicine.
Now he's about to become the oldest conductor in the world
at 100 years old, and I don't think it matters to him.
I think conducting, you know, part of the music is--
is exactly what he's on this planet to do.
JO SIMONS: And it keeps him happy.
He's a happy guy and he's happy because he's
got his best friend with him all the time, and that's music.
[ORCHESTRA TUNING]
[SYMPHONIC MUSIC]