Not so long ago in our very own galaxy, Jackson’s premier performance venue Thalia Mara Hall came back to life, and now the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra is blasting back in with the hyperspace velocity of the Millennium Falcon escaping the Death Star’s grip. May the Force be with us all. If a heart emoji comes to mind, that’s just perfect since this all comes together in MSO’s “Star Wars” Pops concert on Saturday, February 14 — Valentine’s Day.
“Nonstop” is how Jackson State University Director of Chorale Activities Harry Cecil described first-semester JSU Chorale rehearsals for Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s January 24 concert “Transcendent Voices.” MSO positions JSU’s top vocal ensemble to unfold the heart of the evening’s program through the intertwining of Joel Thompson’s acclaimed Seven Last Words of the Unarmed (2015) and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem (1888).
For Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s “Mozart Magic” concert January 10, Conductor Crafton Beck has conjured a program that glows with the genius of two masterpieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and lights up, too, with a lesser-known gem by another composer of the same era.
Principal Clarinetist Jorge Diez made a splash onstage last year during his first season with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and is back in the spotlight for the upcoming Bravo concert “Epic Dreamscape,” November 22, 7:30 p.m. at Jackson Academy Performing Arts Center.
It was, of all things, a class in the business of opera at the Boston Conservatory that left soprano DeAnna Tisdale Johnson with a key nugget about this business of life. Her professor was also the director of all the operas they presented. He told them, “No matter what happens with your career in music, you should keep in mind what your true purpose is, and your true purpose doesn’t necessarily have to do with music.”
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra cuts loose in its “Quad Fusion” concert Oct. 18, a first outing in the night club setting of Duling Hall and first concert primarily devoted to 21st century works. This is the music that perks up young ears and resonates with the rhythmic drive of current times, capturing a pulse that can’t be categorized or confined to a single genre. It’s the music emerging from urban hotspots across the country, where serious musicians and young composers gather to listen, jam, experiment and entertain audiences eager to hear the music of the moment.
The 38th annual celebration takes place February 12, 2026, at The Westin Jackson. We’re so honored to stand with this year’s fellow recipients: Jesse Robinson, Dottie Armstrong, Heather Christian, and Greg Harkins, each of whom has been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Mississippi.
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 commands the second half of MSO’s opening Bravo concert – “Orchestral Brilliance” – bringing a mighty and magnificent start to the flagship series that presents Mississippi Symphony Orchestra at its most grand.
MSO returns to Jackson Academy Performing Arts Center for its two fall Bravo concerts, as restoration continues at Thalia Mara Hall.
“What the heck is that?” That was Taylor Shorey’s response as a young high schooler, when his band director first brought up the bassoon. Up to that point, he’d never heard of one. A saxophone player, Shorey had his eye on the oboe for a switch from sax, but the band already had a couple of good oboe players. Why not try the bassoon?
