Opera is "World Class" - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Apr 3, 2005

Opera is "World Class"

Date: Apr 3, 2005

Two points:

A) Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, James Galway, Yo Yo Ma, Doc Severinsen, Ray Charles-- surely these people are world class.

B) Dr. Dean is occasionally guilty of hyperbole in hyping these events, but make no mistake-- they occur only through his tireless promotion and fund-raising. There is remarkably little support from anyone in the administration.

Date: Apr 3, 2005

The concert was wonderful and thanks is due to Jay Dean and others who made it happen. The only sour note was just after intermission when SFT got up onstage to point out that this was a "world-class" evening and a "world-class" event. My companion pointed out that those in attendance for the most part knew who was performing and didn't need to be told it was world-class. That part was somewhat embarrassing.

Date: Apr 3, 2005

Jay Dean receives full support of the dean's office and The Partners for the Arts, while many others in the arts are bypassed. While this event and other forums including world-renowned experts are important to servicing our community, to consider any single event as having a significant impact on the quality of USM's scholarship in the arts is narrow-minded. What was the resulting impact on world knowledge (other than the obvious entertainment and economic local benefit)? The ol' COTA is gone. Any ol' MS university can be worl' class. Just hire an orchestra and a few worl' class performers. Any Ol' Miss folks lis'nin'?

Date: Apr 3, 2005

See, this is the problem with this board. You have a very successful event put on by Jay Dean, yet here is someone trying to diminish what was accomplished. Because of jealousy? I don't know but you see it all throughout this board.

quote:
Originally posted by: Southern Gentleman
"Jay Dean receives full support of the dean's office and The Partners for the Arts, while many others in the arts are bypassed. While this event and other forums including world-renowned experts are important to servicing our community, to consider any single event as having a significant impact on the quality of USM's scholarship in the arts is narrow-minded. What was the resulting impact on world knowledge (other than the obvious entertainment and economic local benefit)? The ol' COTA is gone. Any ol' MS university can be worl' class. Just hire an orchestra and a few worl' class performers. Any Ol' Miss folks lis'nin'? "

Date: Apr 3, 2005

sympathy - EXACTLY

Date: Apr 3, 2005

Sympathy and unreal--

I don't think anybody on this board has the wherewithal to affect in any way what happened last night. Do you believe we have that kind of power?

The event can stand on its own. We posters could not have made it one bit better by praising it or one bit worse by criticizing it.

The only criticism I note is the continuing overuse of that tired cliche. No one has even pointe out that SFT used it in the program, too. I can't help but wonder whether folks such as Jay Dean use it to curry favor with SFT or with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Them that are truly world class, don't spend all their time talking about it. They don't need to. It is obvious to everyone.

Do the Monday morning quarterbacks not have plenty to say after a football game -- even after a win?

Date: Apr 3, 2005

Ram: "Them that are truly world class, don't spend all their time talking about it. They don't need to. It is obvious to everyone."

Herein lies the truth.

Date: Apr 4, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Southern Gentleman
"Any ol' MS university can be worl' class. Just hire an orchestra and a few worl' class performers. "

Hire an orchestra? Those "world-class" performers have appeared with the USM orchestra which is full of students getting USM degrees. After I was here (and charmingly agreed to have my picture taken with any student who asked), the USM students all had my picture in their instrument cases for inspiration, and practiced all the harder. So it's not just entertainment. It is educational for USM students.

Date: Apr 5, 2005

Hey children--I don't think Southern Gentleman was disparaging the achievement of the USM Symphony Orchestra. Even if that were the case, he was also pointing out something very important. It takes a lot of money to have "wurl class" or even respectable performing arts. Aubrey Lucas saw the value of the arts both in aesthetic and in practical terms. The medical community certainly has used their vitality at USM as a selling point in recruiting new doctors. I have no doubt that prospective faculty asks about this. Lucas was willing to invest what money he could in developing them--especially music. But it is impossible to have an orchestra like USM's (or a summer theater program like SAT) at a university in a small, poor, rural state without substantial scholarship dollars. So in that regard, all the performing units--marching band (yes, athletic fans), Southern Arena Theater, USM Symphony--are bought. Is it worth it? YES! Has any other school in the state had the foresight and imagination to build programs like this? NO!

Date: Apr 5, 2005

On second reading, I do believe Southern Gentleman was venting his frustration with Professor Dean.

Date: Apr 6, 2005

Someone made a good point in this morning's Sun Herald. They said only in Mississippi can you go to a "world-class" event like the Placido Domingo concert, and eat a hot dog.

Pavarucci loathes hot dogs!

Date: Apr 6, 2005

I likes me weiners....yes I does.