When the music stops, McFerrin crosses one boot over the other. He leans over the music stand, peers from behind his wire glasses at a musician and says, "Like this," and, with his voice, presents the perfectly pitched sound of bow on string.

Coming from any other conductor, the vocal example McFerrin gave to the musician would have been quite unusual. But it's exactly what you'd expect from this singer of the No. 1 hit "Don't Worry Be Happy" and winner of 10 pop and jazz Grammy Awards, who took his first conducting lessons at age 39 and was recently commissioned by the San Francisco Opera to write an opera.

"Bobby's musicality is grounded in his incredible facility as a singer," says Gustav Meier, who retired as director of the University of Michigan orchestra and professor of conducting two years ago. "His ear is so phenomenal he can pick up anything and perform it."

Meier speaks from experience. Meier and McFerrin met in 1989 at a party honoring Leonard Bernstein's 70th birthday. Soon after, McFerrin began organizing his efforts to conduct the San Francisco Symphony on his 40th birthday and enlisted Meier's expertise. McFerrin took Meier's daily seminars at the Tanglewood Music Festival, consulted him about scores and studied with him at the University in preparation for the debut.

As the time for McFerrin to head to San Francisco closed in, Meier asked the University's Student Orchestra if McFerrin could conduct them for one night.

"The students loved the idea," Meier says. "He conducted them once through Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. It was his first time in front of a symphony orchestra. The next thing was his birthday debut in front of a full audience."

Traditionally, the opportunity to conduct major orchestras, according to Meier, comes after the conductor has pursued a master's degree or doctorate and spent years climbing the ladder from assistant to big wig, small orchestra to large. But McFerrin's training, connections and natural ability took him down the unconventional path toward becoming an out-of-the ordinary conductor.

"He does not do it like the others. Conducting is usually more serious," Meier says. "But he's not self-conscious. It's collaboration; it's having fun. And it's contagious."

The contagion spread at the close of the L.A. rehearsal with Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Cellos. As the lead cello played, McFerrin transformed his voice into the haunting, beautiful notes of the second cello while he simultaneously conducted a circle of supporting musicians. A handful of onlookers in the vast auditorium flashed approving smiles. When the passage finished, the orchestra shouted, "Brava!" McFerrin and his musical partner exchanged a hearty handshake and wide, appreciative grins.

So what, aside from innate musical talent, makes McFerrin so appealing to his conductees?

"He's simply there to make music, and that's very different from other conductors," Meier says. "Bobby's had his success."

McFerrin isn't out solely to climb the highly competitive conducting ladder, as many ambitious conductors have to be to preserve their livelihood, Meier says. So musicians respond to him for music's sake, because "his joy and love for music overwhelms musicians." McFerrin may seem to be on "conducting easy street" these days, but he's had a sizable portion of frustration and distraction along the way.

Sitting on a plush sofa in his suite at the secluded Wyndham Checkers Hotel on L.A.'s Grand Ave., McFerrin motions to his surroundings, saying, "Look at this here."

One would assume he's referring to his good fortune—as if he's in paradise on this one stop among dozens that he will make during a worldwide tour of orchestras this year.

On the contrary, McFerrin takes no interest in his lavish accommodations. "There's no life here," McFerrin says. "I do a lot better—I feel whole—when I'm home with my family. This is difficult." He says his wanderlust is all dried up and he finds the touring lifestyle trying. "Ideally, it would be nice to just work with a few orchestras and leave it at that."

Which orchestras might those favorites be? McFerrin says he won't name names, then changes his mind. "I will mention one: the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra," says McFerrin, who is also the creative chair of that St. Paul group, which some say is the nation's top chamber ensemble.

"I don't have to conduct them," he says. "I hate conducting. I hate beating time. That's the interesting thing about conducting. Whenever I have to do it, I hate it." His love/hate relationship with conducting started with his first guest stint in San Francisco. "I wasn't thinking about a conducting career, but I was hoping I would like it. So I did the gig, but I wasn't bit by the conducting bug. I was just glad it was over and I was ready to party." But then things changed. "A couple of months after San Francisco, I did the Boston Pops and I conducted the last of Beethoven's Symphonies and literally floated off the podium. It got me," McFerrin says. "And gradually I started getting these gigs. Orchestras are a small world."

Melissa Grego '96 is a former Michigan Daily reporter who is completing a year as assistant editor of U (The National College) Magazine in Los Angeles.