To the Editors:

To the members of the Oberlin Wind Ensemble who were laughing during the performance of Varese's "Deserts" at their recent concert:

That was a incredibly stupid thing to do. The performance failed because you couldn't control yourselves during the tape sections of the piece. Are the sounds in those sections unorthodox? In a Wind Ensemble concert, yes. But does that mean they should be laughed at?

Let me tell you something. You play the flute. You play the french horn. Those instruments make sounds that are just as "funny" as you heard Varese's electronic sounds to be, so grow up and try to appreciate all the music that you perform.

I do not mean to incriminate the entire ensemble in this letter. A majority of the ensemble gave an honorable performance.

Unfortunately for them, for the audience, for the conductor, and for the composer, certain members of the ensemble made it all look like a joke.

—Sam Kulik
Conservatory senior