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Bailey crafting legacy as musical visionary Trisha Atluri
Executive Entertainment Editor @trish_atluri
One conversation with violin and viola player Jerry Bailey takes the listener in directions they never would have expected. Bailey, a seasoned classical musician, helped found the Galveston Symphony Orchestra and is a dedicated member of the Coppell Community Orchestra. Despite his colorful past, Bailey maintains an unassuming and kind demeanor, preferring to discuss the evolution of the violin bow from the baroque period to modern times rather than his lengthy list of accomplishments. A thoughtful conversationalist with both words and musical notes, Bailey cares about every aspect of music, from the minutiae of instrument parts to accessibility to its education. “Music is strong, beautiful, mysterious and enigmatic,” Bailey said. “You play it this way, and then you set that piece aside and come back to it six months later, and you have a whole different concept of it. You keep on discovering stuff.” In 1979, Bailey decided it was time to establish the Galveston Symphony Orchestra. A newspaper ad, several grant applications and six months later, the orchestra was officially operating as a nonprofit organization.
Financially, the group was initial- “Sometimes he will give sugges- but be inspired every time that I ly supported by a $10,000 grant tions to the surrounding mem- see him,” Coppell Community Orfrom the Moody Foundation. bers, and that saves me a lot of chestra President Vanessa Younts “Every community needs a time as the conductor, because if said. “Him and a few other mucommunity orchestra,” Bailey people are working well in their sicians, when they walk in the said. “This pandemic has just section you don’t have to micro- room, I feel calm because I know we’ll be able to play today. When been awful in the arts commu- manage them.” nity throughout Texas. The way Both his music experience he’s around and there’s opportuthat lifestyles are changing, I and business knowledge make nities, he’s always one of the first think community orchestras, him a valuable addition to the string players to volunteer. I love community bands, community orchestra, as his past allowed that about him. He’s so open, and choirs, community everything, him to advise the Coppell or- he’s always willing to participate they’re going to be much more chestra board in its early years. and help others.” With decades of music and important and actually vital to Now, after five years of active communities. People go crazy participation, orchestra mem- leadership experiworking from home if they don’t bers know Bailey as a dependhave something else to do.” able and helpful face who takes In 2000, Bailey left Galveston time out of every orchestra to support his family in Coppell. practice to educate younger muFor the next 17 years, he traveled sicians in the string section. between the two cities to play “I look at him and I can’t help dress rehearsals and concerts with the symphony orchestra. Though he prioritizes his family, he found it too difficult to abandon his career legacy. A few months beDon’t ever turn down an invitafore his last Galveston performance, Bailey tion to play somewhere. Work, applied for the Copwork, work and practice, pracpell Community Ortice, practice and collaborate chestra. One look at with other musicians. The best his resume impressed founder and direcmusicians I know work everytor Cecilia Hamilton so day and don’t take days off. much that she bypassed his audition and invited him on board immediately. “He has a great deal of musical knowledge,” Hamilton said.
ence under his belt, Bailey’s story inspires many. “Nothing’s ever easy,” Bailey said. “Starting an orchestra isn’t easy. You have to find people who can help and resourceful people and people who have enthusiasm and people who have the skills and then you have to motivate them to do what you would like as a team to do. You have to compromise and keep hustling and it’ll get done.”
What advice would you give to younger musicians?
Galveston Symphony Orchestra founder Jerry Bailey plays the viola at the Coppell Arts Center on Jan. 19. Bailey’s musical experience has been instrumental in the Coppell Community Orchestra. Nandini Paidesetty
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APRIL 2022
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Gopinath dually conquering stage fright Yaamini Jois Staff Writer @yjois12
After six years in choir at Coppell Middle School East and Coppell High School, senior Megna Gopinath has spent her last year performing with the Madrigal choir with a speaking role in the 2021 Madrigal feast.
This year, Gopinath was named a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Musician for treble choir along with six other singers. This recognition is the most prestigious honor that a high school performer in Texas can receive. As a thespian, Gopinath has performed at the Texas Thespian Festival and acted in a short film, Terrifying Texas Tales, in her junior year. How did you get involved in choir and theater? I started choir in sixth grade when my mom told me I should. Though I originally wanted to do band, I joined choir and loved it. During this time, I wanted to act as well, but I was scared of joining the theater program because I had stage fright. I had this fright in choir as well, and I was often absolutely terrified of the solos all choir members perform. I also didn’t have enough space in my schedule for both choir and theater, but
I was able to join theater in my sophomore year. What are the differences between choir and theater? Being a part of choir and theater goes hand in hand. Joining theater forced me to become more comfortable on stage, and I learned to be more confident. Moving on a [stage] is a unique experience, because you have to be fully comfortable with your body and exaggerate your movements to make an impact on the audience. I was shy before I joined theater, but the program changed my life. Because of what I learned from theater, I was able to perform better as the Jester in the Madrigal feast. [The Jester role] has to be over-exaggerated, so I had to be comfortable with moving around and overusing my movements. The first day I walked into my theater class, I realized that you can truly be as open as you want. No one judges you for who you are, which helped me become less shy as well. I always wanted to take theater, but I was afraid of acting or even having to perform solos, so it took time for me to become more confident when I performed. What did the role of Jester in the Madrigal Feast mean to you? The Jester role leads the song “Masters in the Hall,” which is a traditional piece that the Mad-
rigal choir performs. Performing during rehearsals and performing on stage were different experiences for me. Being in the costume of the Jester helped me feel like I was truly the Jester, so I was more comfortable performing on stage. We performed two nights for the Madrigal Feast, and I was able to take in all of the feedback I received from the first night to make the second night even better. During rehearsals, I got nervous and doubted myself more, but [choir directors Aaron Coronado and Bona Coogle] let me know I was chosen for a reason, which assured me that people believed in me. What are some of your takeaways from your years performing? I’m a perfectionist, so learning to accept that not everything can always go perfectly was hard. In my first semester of this year, I got frustrated anytime I didn’t meet my expectations with my performances, with TMEA and my role as Jester in the Madrigal Feast. However, I’ve learned that your performances and [failures] don’t define you; the results you get from a competition or audition don’t define your talent. Directors you’ve never met only see you once before they accept
Coppell High School senior Megna Gopinath was named a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Musician for treble choir and wishes to pursue film acting. Gopinath has been involved in multiple choirs since sixth grade, including the Coppell Middle School East choir, treble choir and Madrigal choir. Sruthi Lingam and Aliya Zakir
or reject you, so they don’t know your skills like a teacher or director at school. In my freshman year, I was nervous anytime I performed, and I couldn’t focus on anything else. Now, I’m still nervous, but I have learned to focus on how I can be better. I always ask if there’s anything I can do better on because they are the ones who can give me the most valuable feedback. The basic goal: am I improving or not?
