Mary Ann Coggins Kaza

Violin

At this moment …

We would find Mary Ann preparing the music for the Symphony's next Classical concert, and tending to three miniature dachshunds, three cats and one bird. "With all the animals, there's a lot happening simultaneously at our house."

On the CD player …

Mary Ann is listening to a recording of Eugene's early performances of Bach and Mozart, recorded at Oberlin College in 1945. She's also listening to some Isaac Stern recordings. "Isaac Stern is responsible for us getting married; he did a recital in Portland and we went to it together. The rest is history."

In the kitchen …

Around dinnertime you'll smell paprikash, a Hungarian chicken dish. Mary Ann likes to cook a variety of dishes, so there are many different ingredients available. At holidays you can sample the 1-2-3-4 cake: one cup butter, two cups sugar, three cups flour, four eggs "plus other secret ingredients. We make it once or twice a year; it's my family recipe."

On the music stand …

Lifelong friend and composer Harry Taub's "Migdal Hamalka" and arrangements of Two Guitars and Czardas. "I'm preparing it as a surprise for him. Otherwise it's mostly Symphony repertoire and of course I'm always playing Bach. It's like in the kitchen you always have certain ingredients, on your music stand you'd better have Bach."

And on the nightstand …

Music Talks, a collection of interviews with musicians about music by Helen Epstein. "Some interviews are with folks I've known and others I've admired over the years." Mary Ann also reads both the Oregonian and the New York Times. "I find the Times' perspective quite different from the Oregonian. With all our animals, we also use the paper for other things at our house."

Before you left …

You'd have to meet the dachshunds and Eugene. "They're the dominant members of the household." You'd also see hundreds of photographs on the walls, pictures of Jimmy [DePreist], Isaac Stern, Victor Borge, and lots of family pictures.