Ralph Vaughan Williams

When soprano Jane Eaglen and baritone Dean Elzinga walked out onto the stage of Eastman Theatre last October, I expected to be dazzled by Eaglen’s powerhouse, Wagnerian voice. But Elzinga was a surprise, equally forceful in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, based on Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” Elzinga delivered a warm, rich tone similar to that of Bryn Terfel, but with a mournful aspect. He was, in a word, spooky.

I’ve been tagged with the Happiness Meme by my friend Andrew, who keeps a fascinating personal blog at http://drewtherat.blogspot.com/2007/11/happy-happy.html.

You're probably thinking what I thought, which was, "OK. What does that mean?"

The rules are simple, Andrew wrote. Just create a post about any number of things that have made you happy recently. Then tag any number of people and have them post this meme on their blogs.

I thought about it and decided to pick ten MUSICAL things that make me happy. They are, in no particular order:

1. Anticipation. The guitarist tuning her strings . . . the strings answering the oboe. . . the singer removing his chewing gum . . .