Mississippi College Fall 2012 Musical Lineup Features Outstanding Performances

A diverse lineup of musical attractions at Mississippi College this fall runs the gamut from outstanding chamber music to splendid performances of the Broadway smash hit “Ragtime.”

Blended with numerous band and choral concerts, guest recitals plus the Festival of the Lights, MC’s productions on the Clinton campus are always first-rate and affordable.

“These events, many of them free of charge, provide multiple, unique opportunities, for the community to experience music performed by gifted artists at a high level of expertise,” says Department of Music Chairman James Meaders.

MC’s School of Christian Studies and the Arts invites audiences in metro Jackson to experience a year bursting with art, music, song and theatre productions.

One of the cornerstone attractions is the James S. Sclater Chamber Series named in honor of the award-winning composer and musician. A Clinton resident, Dr. Sclater retired in 2010 after the professor devoted four decades of service to the Mississippi College School of Music.

The Sclater Chamber Series begins at 7:30 p.m. on September 28 with a concert at Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall. Musicians from the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and MC faculty and staff artists will perform. The first concert in the series is dedicated in honor of President Lee Royce and his wife, Rhoda. The Royces recently completed ten years of extraordinary service at the Christian university.

Another stellar performance in the Sclater series will be at the same venue on October 26. Tickets are $25 at the door for each production and $10 for any student with a school ID.

Music professor Kristen Johnson is thrilled to announce that 50 MC students and alumni will perform a concert version of the musical, “Ragtime.”  The show at the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall runs from October 12-14 and October 19-21. All evening performances begin at 7 p.m. and there’s a Sunday matinee beginning at 2 p.m. “The music in this show is some of the most beautiful music we have ever performed at MC,” she says. “We have an all-star cast delivering solid theatrical and musical performances for the audience.”

The “Ragtime” show by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is based on E.L. Doctorow’s epic novel set in the melting pot of early 20^th Century New York City. It tells three American tales of “a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician,” says writer Kenneth Jones. Along the way, historic figures like infamous escape artist Harry Houdini, auto giant Henry Ford and celebrated educator Booker T. Washington offer their perspective.

Tickets for the show, a production of the university’s Music Theatre Program, are $15 for adults and $10 for students with a school ID.

There are other key dates to circle on the musical calendar this fall. On October 2, soprano Amy Pfimmer of Tulane University will be in concert at Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall. The 7:30 p.m. event is free. Other free events include the MC Singers Homecoming concert at 1:30 p.m. on October 27 at Provine Chapel and the November 19^th Symphonic Winds program at Swor Auditorium at 8 p.m.

Among the fall’s most memorable evenings will be the Mixed Company Holiday Dinner Show set for November 16-17 at Anderson Hall. It will feature a night of holiday favorites presented by Mixed Company, MC’s vocal jazz ensemble and starring children from the metro Jackson area. It costs $25 for dinner and the show, with reservations required for the 6:30 p.m. program.

A must-see attraction will once again be the Festival of Lights spotlighting the MC Singers. Performances are set for November 29-December 1 at historic Provine Chapel. For more than two decades, the festival has ushered in the Christmas season on the Clinton campus. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for MC faculty and staff, and $5 for students with a school ID. Each performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on Mississippi College’s musical attractions this fall, contact Dottie Serio of the Department of Music at 601.925.3440 or serio@mc.edu.