Pepsi Pops, on May 10 at Old Trace Park on the Barnett Reservoir, delivers its usual infectious mix of marvelous melodies by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and a charming outdoor setting to enjoy them. This year, as the captivating tradition reaches its 43rd year, the concert also brings a prime chance to recognize the 75th season of the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra – MSO’s educational arm and a vital stake in our community’s music for the future.
Author: Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
Soloist Sachs, ensembles shine in Woodworth’s ‘Vibrant’ concert
“Vibrant Echoes,” Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s final chamber concert of the season, April 27 at Tougaloo College’s Woodworth Chapel, celebrates the rhythmic thread of Black musical traditions and influences in America, from the late 19th century clear through to contemporary times. Its relevant setting, at the historically Black college that played a key role in America’s civil rights struggle, enhances the resonance.
MSVU Choir, ‘Seven Last Words’ mark spring Cade Chapel matinee
Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed is a searing reach into the human heart and a powerful cry for social justice. The Atlanta-based composer’s choral work is the centerpiece for MSO’s “Symphony in the Community” spring concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at Cade Chapel M.B. Church in Jackson. Giving it voice is the 55-member-strong Mississippi Valley State University Choir, led by MVSU Director of Choral Activities Brandon Cash.
Embracing the fun and freedom of the sax, in ‘Ultimate Fusion’ and beyond
Dannel Espinoza was just a tyke when he started the path that would become his forte. His parents offered the option of karate, baseball or piano when he was 3 1/2 or 4. “I decided to take up piano,” he said. The instrument became a staple of his south Florida childhood, until he reached school band age, took after his older brother, and took up the saxophone.
Clarinet, Copland and a concerto to cherish at MSO’s Bravo-IV
When Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Principal Clarinet Ken Graves steps into the solo spotlight in Bravo-IV’s “Alluvial Soundscapes” March 9 concert, he’ll deliver an Aaron Copland concerto that’s among the instrument’s greatest hits.
Six timpani and a ‘striking’ solo in MSO spotlight
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Principal Timpanist Bud Berthold is the centerpiece of MSO’s February 24 “Striking Surprises” concert, 7:30 p.m. at St. James’ Episcopal Church, in Jackson.
Listen for love in all the right places with MSO’s ‘Heart Beats’
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s “Heart Beats” Pops concert February 10 ramps up the romance with a lineup that celebrates love in all its richness, rapture, pang and promise.
Concertmaster holds spotlight in new concerto by local composer
A bright gaze ahead and a poignant look back — local composer James Sclater’s new concerto celebrating Shellie Brown Kemp’s rise to concertmaster with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra ties past with present in a stirring tribute.
Heavenly combo, candles aglow in ‘Mozart & Friends’
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s “Mozart & Friends by Candlelight” concert, January 13 at Belhaven University Center for Arts, widens the spotlight to shine on the composer’s contemporaries as well, bringing in a fresh take for this popular annual chamber concert.
Music and poetry speak to the soul in MSO’s ‘American Constellation’
The rhythm, the lyricism and the gamut of emotion that great poetry evokes are the very characteristics that make verse a great partner in music performance, and Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming “American Constellation” Bravo Series concert sets a sterling example, on November 4 at Thalia Mara Hall.