Joint concert by Orchestra, Community Chorus will feature alumni

April 19, 2010
Contact: Annie Standridge, Communications Assistant
865.981.8085; annie.standridge@my.maryvillecollege.edu

The Orchestra at Maryville College and Maryville College Community Chorus will present a joint Spring Concert on Mon., April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts.

The ensembles will feature as soloists two young professional singers who are also MC graduates: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Neace, a member of the College's Class of 2003, and Laura Atkinson, a member of the College's Class of 2005.

Maestro Bill Robinson will open the concert by conducting the Orchestra in the rousing “Festive Overture” by Shostakovich. Shostakovich wrote “The Festive Overture in A major” to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia.

“Pines of Rome,” a work by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi will follow Shostakovich's piece.

Choral Director Alan Eleazer, the MC Community Chorus and guest soloists will join the Orchestra and perform three selections during the second half of the program.

Atkinson will perform Johannes Brahms' “Alto Rhapsody.” Atkinson completed her graduate degree in vocal performance in the sacred music program at Yale University. She currently lives and performs in New York.

Neace will sing during Vaughan Williams' “Five Mystical Songs.” After completing a graduate degree in vocal performance from the University of Tennessee, Neace joined the United States Army and is now a baritone with the U.S. Army Chorus. He has performed the National Anthem and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at professional baseball games, including games of the 2009 World Series.

The ensembles will join at the conclusion of the program to perform Leonard Bernstein's “Make Our Gardens Grow” from the operetta, Candide.

Tickets are available at the Clayton Center for the Arts box office and will be available at the door on the evening of the performance. The cost is $10 for adults and $7.50 for seniors who are 60 and older. The performance is free to students, who are 18 and younger, and to all MC faculty, students and staff with ID.

For more information, 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.