I've been taking a lovely class about music. I don't have the same understanding of or love for music that I have for the visual arts. While I've always enjoyed listening to classical music I never knew much about it, or gave it much thought. This class has been wonderful. The professor, Flavio Chamis, used Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition to teach about orchestration, and West Side Story to teach about tritones and a little bit of music theory. I found it all very interesting but I must admit I find the computer program he uses for demonstrations even more interesting than what he is saying.

Today was a very special class. Our professor brought his wife, Tatjana Mead Chamis, a violist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, who played some of the movements of Bach's Suite for Cello, transcribed for viola and followed by improvisations by a jazz trio, which had been pre-recorded. Listening to her play, standing not 20 feet from me, was a wonderful experience. Equally marvelous is seeing the passion both she and her husband bring to their music. A great afternoon!