Upon first hearing the news, I was dumb struck. That SIUC’s young singers/musicians could be so suddenly deprived of something that had been an integral part of our cultural landscape for an uninterrupted and unprecedented 58 years caused surprise that a person could cynically determine the live Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts would be terminated.

Imagine, if you will, a museum director going through his galleries and putting all the masterworks of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Picasso in the attic only to replace them by childish sketches and paintings on velvet. Can one not reasonably say the traditions of fine music and opera, timeless art, historical architecture and classical ballet have a genuinely important place in our oftentime hum-drum lives? These are the very things that so often can genuinely uplift us and make many of lives meaningful, beautiful and ultimately worthwhile.

Last year SIUC’s Karen Henrickson undoubtedly inspired by the broadcasts won the much-coveted prize of being a co-equal finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and sang at the Met. Does it make sense for WSIU to deny the scores of dedicated weekly listeners and other young talented singers/musicians like Karen the opportunity of listening to the Met each Saturday afternoon and preventing them from dreaming of what was and, especially, what might be?

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Professor, School of Music