- FRIDAY JAM: A rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go (12/1/23)1
- SATURDAY JAM: You feel the turning of the world, so soft and slow (11/11/23)
- SUNDAY JAM: Hello, Darkness, my old friend (11/5/23)
- FRIDAY JAM: Plowin’ straight ahead, come what may (10/27/23)1
- WEDNESDAY JAM: Some folks say there ain't no bears in Arkansas (10/25/23)1
- FRIDAY JAM: I took a drive today... (10/20/23)
- SATURDAY JAM: Canadian coldfront movin’ in (8/12/23)1
In the presence of greatness
My line of work offers some wonderful opportunities to interact with powerful and notable people. It's long been one of my favorite things about being a journalist.
I've had the chance to introduce a sitting governor as the speaker at a local event, watch as another politician (unknowingly) slapped my boss on an already injured shoulder and even meet one of the heroes of my profession -- learning, unfortunately, that he's kind of a jerk.
Other times in this job, it's not so much interaction with power and greatness as it is simply being greatness-adjacent, as has been the case for a number of Ubben lectures at DePauw.
The latter was true again on Monday as Yo-Yo Ma, generally considered the world's greatest cellist, was a block from my office to cut the ribbon on DePauw's new "Music on the Square" project.
I felt a bit of excitement as I knew that I again had the chance to be in the presence of greatness.
When Ma showed up, he didn't disappoint. Far from the arrogance one might expect from a former child prodigy and 18-time Grammy winner, he exuded kindness and modesty with a big smile, handshakes and hugs for everyone around him.
I was especially taken by his interaction with Dean Mark McCoy's triplet daughters, as he crouched to exchange a few words with each of them.
Later, inside the building, Ma continued to be the unassuming center of attention, his words and mannerisms belying his status as one of the world's preeminent musicians.
His unassuming presence didn't matter, though, when he brought forth from the cello wonderful and enchanting sounds.
I'm no expert in classical music, but when Ma played Bach's "Suite No. 1 in G major," there was no denying his greatness.
There is also no denying that, warts and all, I have an awesome job.
- -- Posted by drdmmccoy on Sun, Jun 14, 2015, at 8:33 AM
Posting a comment requires free registration:
- If you already have an account, follow this link to login
- Otherwise, follow this link to register