Editorial

Jazz festival will be missed in Sisters

We are saddened by the decision of the High Mountains Jazz at Sisters festival to fold their tent. Hopefully the board of directors will be able to find a new executive director and enthusiastic new volunteers and come back strong in 2002.

Events such as the jazz festival are too valuable to the Sisters community to lose.

The value is not found so much in the economic benefits the festivla has brought --though they have been significant, particularly in the early days when Sisters rolled up its sidewalks at the end of August.

The real value of the jazz festival has been the character it brought to Sisters. This is a little town in an out-of-the-way place -- not a place where it was easy to find top-flight musicians playing first-class music.

The jazz festival put Sisters on the musical map, brought great players to town and provided a level of entertainment unrivaled anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest.

Jazz fans came from all over to partake in what quickly became known as one of the best festivals on the circuit.

Fired by love of the music, the organizers of the jazz festival shared their passion with their friends and neighbors. For many of us, the jazz festival provided our first real exposure to this genre of American music and we gained a new pleasure from what we heard.

Music students in Sisters schools gained invaluable exposure to skilled professional musicians -- an inspiring learning experience that most small schools can't provide.

As wonderful as such festivals are, they are not easy to stage. It takes an awful lot of work behind the scenes to produce a smooth-running, entertaining show. The demands on the time and energy of volunteer boards can be tremendous, and the financial burdens of even the most successful event are heavy.

Hopefully, with the support of the Sisters community, the festival can make a triumphant comeback.

If we have heard the last trumpet note in Sisters, we should pause to reflect on what we have lost -- and thank the festival organizers for a long and joyful run.

J.C.