By ELIZABETH BENNETT
Stephen Jones, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, just returned from the first orchestra rehearsal of his piece, “At the exactest point.”
“You should never ask about first rehearsals,” he said Tuesday, Jan. 6. “Also, you should never gauge by first rehearsals.”
He relented slightly and added, “but over all, it went well.”
Jones is in Chicago, working closely with the prestigious Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which will premiere “At the exactest point” tonight, Thursday, Jan. 8.
Jones was selected in 1998 to receive a commission from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A composer in residence had passed Jones’ work along, and he was selected for the job from several candidates.
When he heard the news, “I think the roof almost came off because I screamed so loud,” Jones said.
“It is hard for a young composer to have music performed by an orchestra of this caliber,” he said. “It represents something that happens very rarely. It represents a very significant opportunity.”
Jones received his undergraduate degree in composition at BYU before going on to receive master’s and doctorate degrees in composition from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
According to his Web site, Jones has received commissions from the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, the Utah Arts Festival, St. Thomas University, Emory University and the Meadows Wind Ensemble at Southern Methodist University. His works have been performed nationally and internationally.
“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is one of the top five orchestras in terms of quality and prestige,” said Vard Hadfield, associate director of Major Gifts at BYU.
“[Jones] is very hard-working, anxious to respond … he has an expansive vision,” Hadfield said. “He’s very driven to succeed and to help other people succeed.”
While his works are not fundamentally LDS, Jones said LDS principles are still intertwined with what he writes.
“There are two quotes that guide me a lot,” Jones said. “[C.S. Lewis] once said … that we need less books on Christianity and more books by Christians where their Christianity is latent or present. [A French philosopher] said, ‘Do not try and make Christian art. Be an artist and be a Christian and your values and belief will show up your work.’ In this music, since it’s purely instrumental, I’m attempting to bring the values of … how we’re directed and how we ought to be exact and precise in our life.”
Jones said he feels very grateful for the support he receives from the university and from the church.
“It’s a wonderful thing to work at BYU and be involved in the teaching of students, and supporting the faculty in what I think is a very important effort … making music is a real privilege.”
