Lights on the Hill spotlights employees who go above and beyond for others

Lights on the Hill, a new monthly website feature highlighting College people who are putting service at the forefront, was launched in January. These “unsung heroes” are keeping the University going during the COVID-19 pandemic … and beyond.

Jesse Moorefield, production manager for the department of music, shares his story.

What chief challenge or challenges have you had to overcome in doing your job in the middle of a pandemic?

We have been unable to have musical performances with in-person audiences during this time. Also, our faculty and students who play wind instruments or our vocalists have been unable to rehearse or perform in the same room together. So we decided to get creative and engineer an audio/video pod system that has no latency within our buildings on campus. This allows for musicians to play safely alone in separate rooms without the delay that platforms like Zoom introduce. It’s been a success so far, and we hope to continue to use the technology to host rehearsals and livestream concerts this semester.

Why are you passionate about what you do? What keeps you committed to doing your job in the College?

Music is my No. 1 passion. I can’t imagine a world without live music. It’s been a little quieter around here the last few months, and I can’t wait to manage a live in-person performance one day in the future. In the meantime, we hope the technology we have in place will give students a chance to safely enjoy making music together again.

Visit college.unc.edu and search “Lights on the Hill” for more spotlights.