Chet Holmes: The Inspiration for Emily’s Song Was His Own Personal Tragedy It is often said that art imitates life, and for Chet Holmes it cannot be truer. From the midst of personal despair arose an artistic work, which has kept Los Angeles theatergoers in its grip since its premiere in January. Emily’s Song is the story of a girl who is orphaned of her mother from the birth, and then loses her father, as well. In his real life, Chet Holmes was dangerously close to losing everything, when he was diagnosed with a terrible disease. In pondering the devastating effects of a terminal illness on family and, especially, children, he managed to rise above his own suffering and compose a beautiful story about love, family ties and the strength of a promise kept against all odds. A successful recovery convinced Chet Holmes that this was a story worth telling to the whole world. And this was the sinuous beginning of Emily’s Song. The story was written as a movie script for Hollywood. A celebrity name was advanced for the title role – actress and singer LeAnn Rimes, who has won accolades in various singing roles. Halfway through production, Chet Holmes changed his mind, and, with his unmistakable business acumen, decided that the subject deserved a closer, more personal touch. He, therefore, rewrote Emily’s Song into a musical and even helped compose half, together with his original inspiration for the story – his daughter, Amanda. The lesson behind the story, and its various stages in the making, is that nothing is definite and unchangeable, in terms of a potentially great idea, and that we can fins inspiration in the most unlikely moments of our lives. We all have bad days, both at work and at home, but if we can extract one useful, push-ahead idea from them, we can become the artisans of our own success. For Chet Holmes every opportunity is an obligation to excel and to succeed. Without being in search of stardom, he has nearly found it with Emily’s Song, For him, it is only another undertaken mission he brought to the highest peak of success. Just like in business, the fine art of theatre is a challenge to demonstrate how using core skills, working smartly and taking the right decision at the right moment are the key ingredients of a winner.