When music professor Dr. John Salmon sent junior Antonio Truyols an email with an attachment announcing the Bucharest International Jazz Competition in May, the same week as finals, some students might have been inclined to shrug their shoulders and hit delete. Not Truyols.

Debra Sea's experimental film “balance” is short — clocking in at less than four minutes — but that didn't keep it from catching the attention of the Academy. Yes, that Academy.

One has made a name for herself in folk music circles for her fierce banjo playing with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The other is a rising star with multiple talents as a singer, actress and model. But when you combine Cheryse McLeod Lewis '01 and Rhiannon Giddens, what may seem like artistic contradictions meld into beautiful music.

Mystery novelist Margaret Maron '60x gave a thoughtful commencement speech during the May 2010 ceremony, instructing graduates to leave themselves free to explore the open roads ahead. Listen to her address and look at photos from the event.