You Know That Super Bowl Xlv Kickoff Concert?

SUMG · June 27, 2010

Today there's an ad in the DM News for the Super Bowl XLV kickoff concert, Sept. 10. This is the concert which will feature Tim McGraw, Van Cliburn and the UNT Symphony Orchestra.

Well get this: IN THE Freaking ad........no mention at all of UNT. As a matter of fact, our symphony is referred to as the XLV Symphony Orchestra.

If UNT had any balls at all....it would tell Jerry and the NFL...either refer to us as the UNT Symphony Orchestra or get some other group.

Or.....refer to Mr. McGraw as Tim XLV and Mr. Cliburn as Van XLV.

Ridiculous.

Edited June 27, 2010 by SUMG

SUMG · June 27, 2010

The ad is on page 12 E of the DMN and page 14 A (according to FFR) in today's FW paper.

eulessismore · June 27, 2010

Today there's an ad in the DM News for the Super Bowl XLV kickoff concert, Sept. 10. This is the concert which will feature Tim McGraw, Van Cliburn and the UNT Symphony Orchestra.

Well get this: IN THE Freaking ad........no mention at all of UNT. As a matter of fact, our symphony is referred to as the XLV Symphony Orchestra.

If UNT had any balls at all....it would tell Jerry and the NFL...either refer to us as the UNT Symphony Orchestra or get some other group.

Or.....refer to Mr. McGraw as Tim XLV and Mr. Cliburn as Van XLV.

Ridiculous.

+1. Really, this is beyond outrage. Maybe Jerry Jones connection to the SMU "Circle of Champions" won't even let him at least acknowledge our fabulous College of Music. Honestly, unless we're getting the same kind of money as Tim McGraw, or publicity in kind, what's the point of our student ensembles even playing at such an event? It's not like the performers would be wearing a uniform to identify them with UNT. And almost certainly, the vast majority of the concert goers won't hear anywhere near the quality of sound that they would in almost any other venue. The one review I read of acoustics at Jerry World (yes, in the DMN) was nothing but a lengthy excuse based on either "what can you expect in this big a place", or "if you pay a lot of money for one of the better seats, you can hear the performance". Maybe we're not all that far from the days when, according to what an SMU alum told me, if the SMU orchestra was performing a piece that required more players than what were enrolled at SMU, they'd just hire some from North Texas, "because of the vast pool of talent there".

NT03 · June 27, 2010

The SuperBowl website says UNT so maybe it's a DMN thing and not a Jerry Jones thing , couldn't post the entire pic

XLV

Edited June 27, 2010 by NT03

SUMG · June 27, 2010

Words that I will politely throw back at our interim President in an e-mail. These are quotes from him in the online version of The North Texan, where the school is encouraging our alums to buy tickets to this concert:

“This is something the entire UNT community can be proud of and excited for, as it recognizes our prestige as a renowned music school and our significance in the North Texas community,” says UNT President V. Lane Rawlins. “UNT is the only university invited to participate, and I know the 90-piece orchestra will give an extraordinary performance in this one-of-a-kind setting."

sumg

SUMG · June 27, 2010

The SuperBowl website says UNT so maybe it's a DMN thing and not a Jerry Jones thing , couldn't post the entire pic

XLV

I guarantee you it's not a DMN or FW paper thing. This is the NFL. If the ad sent to them said UNT Symphony Orchestra....that's what they'd put in the paper. Somebody at the NFL or Jerry World have come up with the idea of calling it the XLV Symphony. And if we don't put a stop to it....that's what they'll PROBABLY be billed as.

Edited June 27, 2010 by SUMG

eulessismore · June 27, 2010

I guarantee you it's not a DMN or FW paper thing. This is the NFL. If the ad sent to them said UNT Symphony Orchestra....that's what they'd put in the paper. Somebody at the NFL or Jerry World have come up with the idea of calling it the XLV Symphony. And if we don't put a stop to it....that's what they'll PROBABLY be billed as.

Another +1. Advertising outlets do what their paying customers (advertisers) pay them to do, unless it's illegal or would cause a subscriber revolt. If you want to register displeasure with this, direct it to those who paid for the ad. To be marginalized in such a way, and not to speak out, would be the worst kind of negligence by UNT alums towards their alma mater.

letsgiveacheer · June 28, 2010

A Google of XLV Symphony Orchestra brought me to this:

"As with the other two concerts, this one is presented by Frito-Lay. Live Nation and Host Committee partner CorporateMagic are handling event production. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will introduce Emmitt Smith. And the University of North Texas’ internationally acclaimed College of Music is assembling the 90-piece XLV Symphony Orchestra."

My guess is that the contract specified the name of the XLV Symphony Orchestra and North Texas agreed to this. Or...the orchestra is hiring professional players or utilizing faculty to supplement its ranks.

PlummMeanGreen · June 28, 2010

As a UNT student and a few times as an alum I had the priviledge to hear the UNT Symphony in concert and each time I came away totally in shock & awe. I am not a conissieur of symphony orchestras but I've heard the Dallas,Fort Worth and Houston Symphonies and these college kids in Denton are not so far of their marks of excellence at all. Of course, many of our UNT Symphony alums will be future members in major city orchestras across the USA & World upon their graduations.

I digress: :rolleyes: The best "A" I feel I ever made on any report card at any level of education was a "B" I received in private trumpet lessons under the late professor Larkins at the UNT College of Music. I took the course as an elective. I had several other music courses at UNT under my belt that were electives. Had the opportunity to take a Music Appreciation course under the late 'Fessor Floyd Graham in what I believe was his last year on the UNT College of Music staff. ('Fessor Graham first started on the UNT staff I believe in 1928 as I recall him saying). One day 'Fessor told our class how he had put UNT students Pat Boone & Roy Orbison in a quartet at our Denton campus. How great it was for our alma mater to have 2 of Rock & Roll's earliest pioneers. 'Fessor Graham was a plethora of great stories & vignettes about our alma mater in its early days at the College of Music.

Now gol'darn it Arkansas Jones, make sure our school's world class symphony orchestra receives the recognition its due! :blink: :rolleyes:

Edited June 28, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

eulessismore · June 28, 2010

Well, I will be waiting until tomorrow to see what further information comes out of this, requested by one of the extremely few who care (it seems they can be counted on fewer fingers than required for a Microsoft three-fingered salute) about this. At this point, one has to dig down further in any Internet public announcement than most people are willing to scroll in order to find out that the orchestra has anything to do with UNT. To add insult to injury, the event schedule put out by the local Super Bowl committee has the game between SMU and TCU in Gerald Ford Stadium that same day at the top of its September calendar. It's hard to believe that as much time as is spent on this board on how others are defining us, so little is spent on the way we let ourselves be defined by those who purport to recognize, and employ the services of our "internationally acclaimed College of Music".