Jones elected to post on orchestra’s board

Cairo resident and founder of the Cairo violin program, Harold S. Jones, was elected to serve on the board of directors of the Paducah Symphony Orchestra at the board’s annual meeting on July 27. 

Jones is the first black person ever selected to the board.

He said he has been an involved contributor to the orchestra for a couple of years.

The mission statement specified to bring diversity and provide the region with great music and Jones felt he could accomplish that.

In the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, there are 65 members from 30 counties and six states.

It’s the only professional orchestra in the region, Jones said.

Jones’ parents were both originally from Cairo. They moved to Detroit, where his father, who was a chemist, went to work for General Motors.

When his father passed away, his mother moved back to Cairo.

Later in life, while Jones was living in Atlanta, he visited his mother. At a church service during that visit is where he met his wife.

While in Detroit, Jones worked for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. While there, he would go into the  local schools’ classrooms and lecture them about composers that the orchestra would be performing.

Then the students would watch the performance by the orchestra.

Jones recently started the violin program at Cairo School. He said it was his way of giving back and aiding the development of the young mind.

“Cairo has its challenges. It doesn’t matter where you live, it’s what you’re doing,” Jones said.

The violin program currently has a waiting list.

Ballet will also be offered as an after school program, like the violin program, for children in 3rd to 6th grade.

Jones also owns his own business, Research Associates.