A confluence of skills - Anthony Ward's set, Mark Henderson's lighting, Jon Driscoll's video and Adam Cork's soundscape - creates a reverberating cathedral of light and darkness, a mammon heaven.
Mr. Neff, he said, through a peculiar confluence of skills and singlemindedness, has joined a small but distinctive class of artists who, in isolation, have created works that resonate with a broader audience.
But this confluence of skills is rare.
Radiating and dazzling, a wonderful confluence of science, art, and skill, fireworks celebrations attract crowds around the world.
Safeties are not rare — Allen's tackle resulted in the 14th safety in the N.F.L. this season, making it slightly less common than a punt return for a touchdown — but they are almost always unexpected, occurring because of an unpredictable confluence of luck, skill and sometimes poor decision-making.
"People who love computers, who love crime scene investigation, see this as a natural confluence of their skills without having to reach under a dead body," said Craig D. Ball of Austin, Tex., a former trial lawyer who advises judges and lawyers on the use of electronic evidence.
The happy confluence of opportunity and skills is not a phenomenon peculiar to the Defense Department but is the essence of America's immigrant history, whether the newcomer is an Army surgeon or translator or an Oregon entrepreneur or a Long Island landscaper.
Coaches did not think they possessed the qualities needed: quick thinking, good judgment, leadership and a confluence of mental and physical skills.
For example, longer mean reaction time could be a function of slower information processing skills, rather than, or in addition to, inattention the confluence of which may be impossible to disentangle using a mean reaction time score.
