Southern Miss Bands Celebrate Mississippi Musicians鈥� Month
Mon, 02/26/2024 - 09:47am | By: Mike Lopinto
91少女集中营 (USM) band program kicks off Mississippi Musicians鈥� Month with a series of free concerts in Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus March 4-7.
Mississippi鈥檚 musicians occupy a special place in the world of music. From writers to performers, Mississippi鈥檚 musicians have had a global impact, great and timeless music in one of the state鈥檚 primary exports.
A chief promoter of musicians statewide, USM alum Dr. James Brewer, who founded the Mississippi Musician鈥檚 Hall of Fame, coined the phrase 鈥淭he Birthplace of America鈥檚 Music鈥� will be honored at the March 5 concert.
鈥淭he School of Music represents the finest musicians and music educators that have had and are having a global impact,鈥� said Dr. Colin McKenzie, Director of the School of Music. 鈥淭his series of concerts, with the special honor to one of our own, state and world premieres, and featuring our best and brightest, is testament to the scope and impact our program has on the state, region and world.鈥�
Opening the concert series on March 4 at 8 p.m., the University鈥檚 premier band, the Wind Ensemble, presents the 2024 winds, brass and percussion concerto winners in concert. Under the direction of Dr. Catherine Rand this concert showcases the winners of the band鈥檚 annual concerto competition. They represent the best of the best at Southern Miss and often progress into professional careers as performers, college professors, music educators across the nation.
The program includes 鈥淐oncerto for Clarinet鈥� by Martin Ellerby featuring Elias Anderson, clarinet with Dr. Cody Edgerton, conductor; 鈥淪axophone Concerto鈥� by Stephen Danker, featuring Juan Oviedo, alto saxophone in his own arrangement with DMA student, Kyle Aufderhar, conductor; 鈥淚I Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Band鈥� by Oscar Navarro featuring Gerby Keiny Guerra Galvin, Clarinet with Steven Cooler, conductor; and 鈥淓instein鈥檚 Dream鈥� by Cindy McTee with Aufderhar conducting his own arrangement.
On March 5 at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Dr. Colin McKenzie, the Symphonic Winds presents another exciting performance featuring music with origins and inspiration from all over the globe. Dr. Brewer will be honored with a proclamation from the City of Hattiesburg and a plaque from the School of Music for his dedication to the musicians of Mississippi on this, the start of Mississippi Musicians Month.
Dr. James (Jim) Brewer received his BMEd., MEd., and EdD degrees from USM and spent many years as a band director, administrator, and special projects director in the public schools of Mississippi before joining the faculty at Mississippi College. Never straying far from his musical roots, Brewer always had a heart for those who have made Mississippi famous for its music while receiving little or no recognition for their work. In 1994, he founded the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame that has inducted more than 140 musicians into its ranks; and induction ceremonies still continue throughout the state.
With the establishment of the Hall of Fame and the two museums, he coined the phrase 鈥淢ississippi, Birthplace of America鈥檚 Music.鈥� The slogan has been on Mississippi car tags and signs placed at every major highway intersection leading into the state.
The Symphonic Winds program that evening includes 鈥淪lava!鈥� by Leonard Bernstein; 鈥淭he Old Boatman鈥� by Florence Price; 鈥淪uite Provencale鈥� by Jan van der Roost; 鈥淭he Glory of the Yankee Navy鈥� by John Phillip Sousa; 鈥淥 Magnum Mysterium鈥� by Morton Lauridsen; and 鈥淢arch and Cortege of Bacchus鈥� by Leo Delibes.
Wrapping up the series on March 7, the Concert Band under the direction of Dr. Travis Higa. The program includes the Mississippi premiere of 鈥淔eather鈥� by Danielle Fisher with Dr. Cody Edgerton, guest conductor; the world premiere of 鈥淎utumn Verses鈥� by Southern Miss alumnus, Alan Theisen; 鈥淐ourtly Airs and Dances鈥� by Ron Nelson with master鈥檚 student Griffin Wilson, conductor; 鈥淚n Memoriam鈥� by John Philip Sousa; and 鈥淔antasy on a Theme by Sousa鈥� by Andrew Boysen Jr.
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