Rick and Pat Berlet

What inspires your love of music?

I had music — jazz, popular, classical — in my home from my earliest recollection. My father, in particular, was a great fan of 30s and 40s jazz. I attended a concert by Satchmo at a local high school when I was 10 or 12 years old.

What initially drew you to the CSO?

I have always loved classical music, and my relatively new wife, at the time, was assistant principal violist of the Civic Orchestra. She went on to play for 20-plus years in the Chicago String Ensemble and other orchestras and gigs until we moved away in the early 2000s.

Why do you feel it’s important to support the CSOA as a member of the Theodore Thomas Society?

This started with me taking an early distribution of part of my mother’s estate and, in her name, setting up a CGA. Then, some years later, I made a more sizeable CGA in my own name. Music is such an important part of life for us, and the CSO is just superb, a great source of pride, even though we now live in Oregon. We still try to get back at least once a year for a couple of concerts.

Theodore Thomas Society members
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Theodore Thomas Society member
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Theodore Thomas Society members
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