Mississippi College Students Write Compositions for Mississippi Symphony Orchestra

Two Mississippi College music students penned compositions recently performed by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra.

The works made their debut at the symphony’s Composers Forum at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson on April 4.

The MC students receiving recognition for their musical pieces included Clinton resident Norman Wood, a cellist with the symphony for many years. Byram resident Tyler Griffin, a senior music education major, produced a composition at the event for the second year in a row.

Next fall, Griffin plans to teach music at a public school after receiving his diploma on the Clinton campus in May.

Mississippi College music professor Ben Williams guided Wood and Griffin as they created the new musical compositions that premiered in Jackson.

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra conductor Crafton Beck created the third annual Composers Forum that’s open to talented students from metro Jackson colleges.

The program’s format provides an initial reading of each piece, a conversation with the composers, input from the musicians, a second performance and a recording of the selections.

Each year, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra performs more than 120 concerts before audiences that total 75,000 people.

In addition to concerts at Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson, at the Pepsi Pops at Old Trace Park, the symphony performs in such cities as Vicksburg, Cleveland, McComb and Pascagoula.

For more information, contact Dottie Serio of the Mississippi College Department of Music at 601.925.3440.