Snowed-in Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Jam at Ann Arbor Pizzeria

The big winter storm may have caused a slight detour in the Cleveland Orchestra's concert schedule, but the ice didn't stop 30 of its members from joining young amateur and student musicians in a jam session at Silvio's Organic Pizzeria at the University of Michigan.

"It was a special moment that happened as a result of an unfortunate circumstance," says Liz Stover, programming coordinator of the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, who was part of the audience.

Stranded in Ann Arbor, their Chicago concert canceled, the orchestra members joined the local chapter of The Classical Revolution, which plays chamber music every Wednesday night.

"It was so wonderful to see these professional musicians from one of the nation's best orchestras getting down and dirty in a beer and pizza joint without some of their own instruments," says Stover.

Amidst the Coronas and pepperoni, three basses played an arrangement of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, and other orchestra musicians performed the eloquent sounds of Mozart's horn quartet. World-renowned pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who performs with the orchestra at Carnegie Hall this weekend, played Brahms. Snowstorms may cause stress and schedule conflicts, but maybe getting stuck in Ann Arbor was really a blessing in disguise.