Townsend School of Music announces new concert season

Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music recently announced a new season of concerts for 2011-2012. One event was the annual Robert McDuffie and Friends Labor Day Festival for Strings that was held Sept. 1 and Sept. 5 in Neva Langley Ficking Hall of the McCorkle Music Building. The calendar of events, which is available at music.mercer.edu and also featured in the August-September issue of Macon Magazine, consists of over 65 concerts throughout the year.
The Fabian Strings Series consists of 10 concerts featuring world-renowned strings players. It includes the sold-out Labor Day Festival for Strings that drew musicians and music lovers from across America for concerts, master classes and workshops. The Labor Day Festival for Strings featured McDuffie Center for Strings faculty members David Halen and Kurt Muroki as well as distinguished artist, Steve Moretti. Student musicians Erin Dennis, Jecoliah Wang and Yoomin Lee performed “Libertango” by Astorpiazzolla to a standing-room only audience on Sept. 1.
The ten concerts of the Fabian String Series performances include the upcoming event featuring the Orion String Quartet that will be performing on Sept. 29 in Fickling Hall at 7:30 p.m. for $10 general admission or free with a Mercer ID. Following will be Distinguished Artists in Concert on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
One event, Masterworks at Noon, is returning to the Townsend calendar of events with performances under an hour with jazz, choral, string, piano and brass delicacies. This Friday NOON series includes Class Brass with the Mercer Faculty Brass Quintet Sept. 9, Piano Politics with Greg Pepetone Jan. 20, Twelve O’Clock Jazz with Sammy K Feb. 24, The Blue and the Grey…Music of the Civil War Soldier with the Mercer Singers March 23 and String Classics with Trio RPM April 13. All performances are held on Friday at noon.
In celebration of McCorkle Music Building’s 10th Anniversary, Grammy-winning performance Celebrate with Chanticleer will be Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. It has been called “the world’s reigning male chorus” by the New Yorker magazine and was named 2008 Ensemble of the Year by Musical America. A birthday party for McCorkle Music Building will immediately follow in the gallery. Tickets are $25 general admission and free with Mercer ID.
Townsend Faculty Recitals are held throughout the year in Fickling Hall, typically free of charge, and include a variety of performances. University Ensembles, including Mercer Singers, Mercer Orchestra, Mercer Women’s Choir, Mercer Wind Ensemble, Mercer Opera, Mercer Percussion, Mercer Jazz and Mercer Flute Choir will also be performing in Fickling Hall. For concert information call (478) 301-5751.