It’s taken a few days to come down from the exhilarating high produced by the Carolina Performing Arts concert by The Knights and Gil Shaham.  As the program noted, The Knights is a chamber orchestra that defies boundaries with programs that showcase a passion for artistic discovery. Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time.

The entire performance was a metaphor for “joy.” The orchestra conveys the feeling that these largely young musicians have gathered for the sheer pleasure of musical expression—it could have been in somebody’s home—but we were fortunate to experience the elation on the stage of Memorial Hall. Gil Shaham added, if even possible, an exuberance that still, weeks later, lights my day.

It was especially exciting to share this experience with many, many students in the audience.  Several were discussing their plans for Gil Shaham’s master class the following morning.  Imagine. It is extraordinary that the world class artists who share their talent and creativity in Memorial Hall often spend the next day sharing their passion for the arts with students and faculty on our campus. I understand from CPA staff that the willingness to immerse themselves in these master classes–so central to the mission of the university–even guides the selection of artists.  Rarely, if ever, does an artist decline the opportunity.

What could Big Time sports—football and basketball—learn from Carolina Performing Arts?

For all the costs in academic integrity, public relations and legal fees, disruptions to the life of the community on game days, what, ultimately are we left with other than the temporary thrill of these circus-like events and tribal loyalty?  The Knights’ performance of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, the Eroica, indeed provoked heroic thoughts and feelings.

 

— Lew Margolis

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