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Music Professor Ben Williams Premieres Piece with Mississippi Symphony Orchestra


Ben Williams

Ben Williams composed the musical piece titled “Jitters” that will be showcased for its initial performance at a Mississippi Symphony Orchestra concert.

Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson is the place to be to witness the world premiere of “Jitters” on the evening of October 31.

That’s a pretty awesome achievement for the talented Mississippi College music professor. The Clinton resident began work on the musical piece in January and finished in July.

“Jitters,” Williams says, is “based on the idea of two musical parts going in and out of sync, sometimes producing blur, sometimes surprising beauty.” The piece, he adds, “refers to an electronic error that causes timing to go out of sync.”

But given the split-second nature of events spanning the globe, “Jitters” also reflects “how we might feel when we get overwhelmed by the fast pace of modern life that technology makes possible,” Williams says.

A native of Northeast Ohio, Williams got started in the music world at an early age. “I’ve been making music as long as I can remember. My first piano teacher could only keep me interested by letting me write some of my own music.”

Ben began serving as the organist/pianist at his church when he was a middle school student. Back then, the Ohio teen stayed busy on weekends composing and improvising for worship services. He studied music composition in college, first earning his bachelor’s and master’s at the University of Akron, and finally his doctorate at Ohio State University. “I realized that I enjoy teaching music.”

The assistant chair of the MC Music Department comes from a gifted musical family. His wife, Emily, plays violin with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Emily also teams with Ben, who plays piano, in the Mockingbird Trio. When he’s not teaching MC students in Aven Hall, Williams entertains crowds with the Brick Street Trio, a local jazz ensemble. He’s also shined with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra bassoon section in recent years.

But it’s his splendid composition with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s 2015 Selby and Richard McRae Foundation Bravo Series that’s generating headlines this fall.

Colleagues like Music Department Chair Angela Willoughby hope to see a large contingent of the MC family on hand to hear his new composition in the capital city.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Dr. Williams to be able to have a large-scale piece performed by a professional orchestra,” Willoughby said. “Some composers wait many years for something like this. It is also a significant vote of confidence in his compositional skill as well as his respected reputation in the musical community. We couldn’t be more proud!”

The 7:30 p.m. concert at Thalia Mara Hall begins with Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Maestro Crafton Beck opening with Four Dance Episodes from Aaron Copeland’s Ballet Rodeo. The program ends with “Symphony No. 4” by Danish composer Carl Nielsen.

Tickets for the Jackson performance will be available beginning at 6:30 p.m. that Saturday evening at the Thalia Mara Hall box office. For more information, go to www.msorchestra.com or call 601-960-1565.