The Georgia Southern University Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music will present the season’s opening performance of the Georgia Southern Symphony String Camerata, under the baton of Dr. Steven Elisha, Sunday, October 8 at 2:30 PM, in the Carol A. Carter Recital Hall, Georgia Southern University – Statesboro Campus.
The program, entitled “Galant Music of Rococo,” of music written during the first half of the 18th-Century, includes Giuseppe Tartini’s Sinfonie in A, Carl Stamitz’s Orchestra-Quartet in C Major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Cassation No. 1, Georg Frierich Handel’s Sarabande from his Suite No. 11, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in B-flat Major for violin and cello, featuring Gretsch School of Music faculty Dr. Larisa Elisha, violin, Dr. Steven Elisha, cello, and Dr. Jonathan Murphy, harpsichord/continuo. The performance is free and open to the public.
The performance will be repeated on Sunday, October 15, 3:00 PM, at St. John’s Church, 325 Bull Street (on Madison Square), Savannah, Georgia. The October 15 performance is free and open to the public (with a suggested goodwill offering).
The Georgia Southern Symphony provides a high-quality orchestral experience to members of the Georgia Southern community and students pursuing degrees in Music Performance, Music Education as well as Music Minor and non-music disciplines. With a repertoire of symphonic and chamber orchestral works, spanning from the Baroque to the Contemporary periods, the Georgia Southern Symphony features faculty, student, and guest soloists.
In 2018, the Regional Southeast EMMY® chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized Georgia Southern University with a Student Production EMMY® Award for Arts and Entertainment/Cultural Affairs. The Multimedia Development Center (MDC), under the direction of Dr. Arthur Berger, received an EMMY® for the production of the “Strings at Southern Chamber Music Festival,“which included the Georgia Southern Symphony.
As a new initiative since August 2016, the Mentor-Apprenticeship Program was established to give talented high school instrumentalists the opportunity to participate in the Georgia Southern Symphony, collaborate with university students, and be mentored by the older, more experienced musicians, rehearse and perform works from the standard symphonic repertoire and learn the skill of orchestral playing.
This program has already involved participation from schools and academies throughout the State of Georgia and the Southeast Coastal region, including Statesboro High School, Savannah Arts Academy, Mill Creek High School (Atlanta) Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (Jacksonville, Florida) and Glynn Academy (Brunswick).
As a cultural beacon, the Symphony enhances the musical education of its members and contributes to the cultural life of the region. Serving the Statesboro and Armstrong campus communities as well as Statesboro, Savannah, and the Southeast Coastal region, the symphony performs three full-length orchestra programs and one opera production, in collaboration with the Georgia Southern Opera.
Each year, students are selected to perform with the Symphony, as winners of the concerto and solo competition. The Symphony has been featured in performances at the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conferences, as well as at the Performing Arts Center and Carol A. Carter Recital Hall on the Statesboro Campus, Fine Arts Auditorium (Savannah), the Dublin (Georgia) Arts Council Gala and Vidalia’s historic Pal Theater.
Funding for the Symphony is provided by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Membership in the Symphony is open, by audition, to all Georgia Southern students who demonstrate proficiency on a string, wind, or percussion instrument. Auditions for participation in the ensemble are held at the beginning of each term. All Symphony members are eligible for a service award based on available funds, attendance, preparation, and performance.
The Symphony aims to enhance the musical education of its members and to contribute to the cultural life of the region.
Find upcoming events and performances here.
The Carol A. Carter Recital Hall is located in the Foy Building near the Russell Union. The physical address is 84 Georgia Avenue. For more information, please call 912-478-5396 or email [email protected].
