Opening Notes is an educational outreach program of ETSO featuring Jim Yancy as coordinator. This pre-concert event starts at 6:45 p.m. on Masterwork concert evenings in the Cowan Center’s Opera Classroom, which can be accessed through Braithwaite or Vaughn Halls.

Yancy draws from his personal knowledge and study of symphonic and operatic music to lead discussions on repertoire, composers and significant performance background. Yancy has presented a continuous opera class for more than 20 years at UT Tyler, and is a retired faculty member in English and Humanities at Tyler Junior College. He confirms he was a member of the brass section (playing trombone) in the East Texas Symphony in earlier times.

Patrons unfamiliar with the Cowan Center may ask the members of the Junior Symphony League for directions to the Opera Classroom.