MC-Community Concert Band to celebrate Clayton Center of the Arts with annual spring concert

April 6, 2010
Contact: Annie Standridge, Communications Assistant
865.981.8085; annie.standridge@my.maryvillecollege.edu

The Maryville College-Community Concert Band will present its annual spring concert on April 18 in the new Clayton Center of the Arts on the MC campus.

In recognition of the recent grand opening of the $47-million facility for the fine arts, the theme for the concert is “Celebrations.” The band, under the direction of Dr. Larry Smithee, associate professor of music, will play overtures, Broadway show tunes and traditional marches.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre.

“We feel that there is much to celebrate, and we will be performing several music pieces offered in praise of our new arts facility,” said Smithee.

This year, two of the band's own members have composed music for the program.

Maryville College student and band member, Shaun Salem, composed an original piece for the annual concert entitled “Overture for the Great Hall.” Band member Mark Boring composed an arrangement of the well-known hymn “Glorify Thy Name.”

The concert will open with John Moss's “Ceremonium.” Other featured music include a set of folk pieces entitled “American Riversongs” by Pierre La Plante and an Sousa-styled concert march called “The All-American March” by Chris Sharpe.

Concert promoted with home tour

Smithee said the 4 p.m. start time should accommodate people who are participating in the 2010 Historic College Hill District Home Tour.

From 1-5 p.m. on April 18, Willard House and RT Lodge in the Maryville College Historic District will be open for the tour, along with seven other homes in the College Hill Historic District.

“Two homes on the tour are on the Maryville College campus, so I would encourage people to plan to end their tour at the Clayton Center and with our spring concert. It promises to be a very special, very enjoyable afternoon,” said Smithee.

Tickets for the 2010 Historic College Hill District Home Tour can be purchased for $10 each at Above and Beyond Interior Design or by mail. Make checks payable to HCHNA and send with a self-addressed stamped envelope to College Hill Neighborhood Association, 109 Goddard Ave, Maryville, Tenn. 37803.

For more information on the band concert, contact the College's Fine Arts Division at 865.981.8150.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester was 1,078.