MACON — This month Mercer University will hold four outstanding music events featuring an array of performers from across America. The month begins on a high note with the Robert McDuffie and Friends Labor Day Festival for Strings at the McCorkle Music Building. Opening and closing concerts in Fickling Hall draw the Mercer family and the community to campus to experience performances by some of the stars of the strings world, including Festival namesake Robert McDuffie. The Opening Concert today begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free with Mercer ID, $10 for the general public. The Closing Concert on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, begins at 3 p.m. and admission is free. For reservations call (478) 301-5470.
The Grand Opera House opens its new season with the premiere performance of the national tour of Sphinx Virtuosi in concert. This ensemble includes some of the top African American and Latino musicians in the country performing masterpieces by Bach, Handel and Schubert, along with rarely heard works by important African-American and Latino composers. The ensemble has played at Carnegie Hall, Brevard and at some of the top venues across the country, to rave reviews. The inaugural concert of their new tour begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Opera House on Monday, Sept. 19. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Purchase online at TheGrandMacon.com or call (478) 301-5470.
The Mercer University Orchestra’s premiere concert of the season set for Tuesday, Sept. 27, will be conducted by rising star Case Scaglione, who begins his tenure as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic this month. Recipient of numerous awards and honors, this native Texan is widely regarded as one of the most diverse conductors of his generation and promises to deliver an excellent concert in Fickling Hall. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
This month ends on another high note with the Fabian Strings Series concert featuring the Orion String Quartet, also in Fickling Hall, on Thursday, Sept. 29. Known for a repertoire of both classic and masterworks by living artists, this is one of the premier string quartets in America today. Their concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free with Mercer ID, $10 general admission. Call (478) 301-5470 for tickets.
