Pablo Ortiz talks softly but wears loud clothing, preferring Hawaiian shirts accompanied by bright orange socks from Old Navy. At one time Ortiz thought he wanted to be a concert pianist. But the eight hours a day sitting in the same spot repeating the same passage of the same piece made him realize that this was not his future. Instead, the Argentinian became a composer, writing music that he says is hard to explain--newer than classical but still the serious type meant for the concert hall. In fact, his compositions have been heard in the Parisian concert hall, in Argentinian operas and films and in original plays premiering in the UC Davis campus Main Theatre. Colleagues in the Department of Music note that the associate professor is redefining the scope of classical music in a way that is turning heads in musical circles, as evidenced by his piece "Tangos for Bass Clarinet." This winter quarter Ortiz will introduce undergraduates to opera when they contrast Wagner operas of the 1870s with the Star Wars movie music of the 1970s. In the process, they'll be exposed to thinking on the big scale about prevailing musical and dramatic structures, something that Ortiz excels at. What's your idea of perfect happiness? I went to dinner with a friend who had a party for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and I thought that was the idea of perfect happiness--to celebrate your 50th anniversary with your children and grandchildren. That would be a very nice thing. But it's hard to get there--there are a number of factors, most of which you are not able to control. What's your idea of utter misery? Whenever I get a bad performance of one of my pieces, it's horrible. When you write music, the piece is yours--but it is also the performers'. If the performers betray you, you can't be too angry. But on the other hand, whatever was heard was not your piece. You are being judged for something you haven't done. Your greatest extravagance? I like to drive a roadster on Road 128 to Napa. It's a two-seater Mazda Miata. Your most treasured possession? That's very hard. Certainly my family, but I don't think of them as a possession. Your most inspirational experience? When you go to a really good concert and everything happens the way it should happen, it recharges your batteries. Your philosophy? I don't really have one. I like the Roman Stoics, like Marcus Aurelius. There's a certain code of behavior you abide by. There's a strong relationship with the concept of justice. It's being good in a very deep, profound sense--in a secular manner. The most embarrassing CD in your collection? I have millions of embarrassing CDs. One of the most embarrassing is of an organist called Virgil Fox. It's a live performance of Bach at the Fillmore East. He says, "This man Bach has felt everything." I love the fact he says that. It's a great CD--he is playing an electric organ. The instrument is horrible, but the playing is great. There are always these extremes of incredible refinement but with coarse background culturally. A book you couldn't put down? One I read lately was a bestseller, High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby. It's about a guy about my age who has a record store in England. He has all kinds of problems--basically he refuses to grow up. He is going through a midlife crisis. He talks about rock 'n' roll and lists of the five best this or that, the best five of pretty much everything. It's a very-hard-to-put-down book. What do you do when you are bored? I do NordicTrack when I am bored, and I am bored when I do NordicTrack. But I have to do it so I can make it to my 50th wedding anniversary.