For composer Walter Mays, writing a piece of music is a lot like writing a play.
?People have asked me, is it like painting, or is it like writing poetry?? Mays said. ?I think it?s more like writing for the stage. ?We write our pieces, and then we have to turn them over to the musicians, who are like the actors who present them to the public.? Mays? most recent composition was commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Pro Arte Quartet, which kicks off its centennial year on Saturday, Oct. 22, with a free concert in Mills Hall.