Thomas Jones is 22 years old, a budding composer and an opera connoisseur. His parents, Sean and Joanne, said he has listened to opera on Saturdays since he was old enough to turn the dial on the radio.
“You can sing him three or four measures of an aria and he can probably tell you what the aria is and which opera it was from and who wrote the opera. He knows his opera,” Joanne Jones said.
Thomas and Craig Jessop, Utah State University's Dean of the Caine College of the Arts, have been good friends for years, and at Saturday’s concert Thomas will have his conducting debut with the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
“It’s something we’ve dreamed of his whole life. Thomas has always had an affinity for classical music. To have him have this opportunity to actually conduct a full orchestra and chorus is...,” Joanne said.
“Mind-blowing,” his father filled in.
“Yeah, it’s more than we could have ever imagined happening,” Joanne said.
Thomas was also born with cerebral palsy.
"What do you like best about going to concerts?" Joanne asked Thomas during a recent visit with the family.
“I like listening to music,” Thomas said.
"What’s your favorite opera, Thomas?" Joanne said.
"La Bohème," Thomas said.
"And who is your favorite opera singer?" Joanne said.
"Renée Fleming," Thomas said.
As an active, music-loving family, the Jones often find it challenging to attend concerts together.
“We have friends that have two daughters that are autistic," Joanne said. "They’ll be going along just fine and then all of a sudden just scream out. There’s nothing they could do about it. But they could never take them to a formal concert. But music like a formal concert does wonderful things for children with hurt brains. And so if we could get people used to the fact that every once in a while there is a concert where everyone is welcome and there’s going to be noise...,”Joanne said.
“And it’s OK,” Sean filled in.
“And it’s OK. So that families can feel like at least sometimes they can bring them,” Joanne said.
Bryce Fifield is the director of the Center for Disabilities at Utah State University and also sings bass in the American Festival Chorus. From both his life and work experience, he is well-acquainted with the particular challenges those with disabilities face when attending live concerts and events.
“They have varying ways of experiencing music and sometimes they might get really excited about it and shout out," Fifield said. "They might get very moved by the music and want to sing along with it or express their delight, or their inspiration of the music. If you’re in a quiet concert hall listening to something kind of quiet, sometimes that disturbs other concert-goers and especially family members might feel ill-at-ease in that kind of situation. So we wanted to create a very accepting, safe environment for folks to come and just have a blast with this concert, and to let loose and just have a good time with it," Fifield said.
As preparations for the concert were underway, Fifield and his team made efforts to accommodate every individual, from providing transportation to using sign language interpreters for the Deaf. In addition, this free concert will only last about an hour.
He added that most of us have someone close to us who has been touched by disability. One in fifty-eight children born today in Utah is on the autism spectrum. One in ten aging adults face dementia or some form of diminished cognitive capacity. And for many, their disability is not immediately evident. Fifield hopes events such as these will increase awareness and visibility of the disability community.
“The music we’ve selected is just… if you listen to it carefully, it is all about disabilities, it is really an amazing selection of music,” Fifield said.
“The one [piece] that sticks out, several that stick out in my mind are the songs from 'Beauty and the Beast' and the songs from 'The Little Mermaid,'" Fifield said. "Those songs are all about overcoming a disability. So Ariel, the Little Mermaid, wants to walk, she wants to have legs, she wants to be able to walk up there where the people walk, she wants that so bad that she gives up her voice and her ability to sing. That is tremendously poignant. In 'Beauty and the Beast' the Beast has a disability. That’s a metaphor for not being his true self and his adjustment to that and being accepted in a world that is not his,” Fifield said.
The concert, with the theme “Dreamers and Heroes,” will feature engaging music from Disney, gospel and even Star Wars. For more details about Saturday’s concert, please visit the American Festival Chorus website.