HUDSON, NC (January 10, 2019) — Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Associate in Fine Arts – Music Program will once again host the Performing Artist Concert Series this spring with several featured events that are free and open to all students and the general public.
Following is a schedule of events and additional details.
On Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in the CCC&TI Recital Hall (B–100), CCC&TI’s Caldwell Campus in Hudson will host the Lenoir-Rhyne College Singers.
The LRU College Singers is a select chamber ensemble drawn from the members of LR’s flagship choral ensemble, the A Cappella Choir. The College Singers perform music from a variety of genres and time periods from Medieval chant to contemporary collegiate a cappella. In addition to performing regularly as part of A Cappella Choir programs, College Singers participates in “A Lenoir-Rhyne Christmas”, the LR Choral Festival, and a variety of banquets, alumni events, and community functions throughout the academic year. The College Singers are directed by Ryan Luhrs, LR Director of Choral Activities and assistant professor of music.
On Monday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. in the CCC&TI Recital Hall (B–100), CCC&TI’s Caldwell Campus in Hudson will host guest lecturer Dr. Melisse Brunet.
Mélisse Brunet is one of the six conductors selected from 161 applicants for the Linda and
Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera. She was the Assistant Conductor of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic for two seasons and guest conducted with them five concert series. She also regularly guest conducts five French professional orchestras, and made her guest conducting debuts in January with Symphoria in Syracuse, N.Y. Mélisse believes that each stage appearance is an opportunity for sharing her passion with the audience during concert talks and by the creative interaction of the musicians and the audience throughout the performance. Her passion for sharing has always been transposed through her teaching and mentoring of younger musicians. In July 2016, she was named the Director of Orchestral Activities at Appalachian State University where she is conducting all the symphonic concerts, operas and musicals. Brunet will lead a discussion on the role of a female conductor in modern classical music.
On Tuesday, March 19 at 1 p.m. in the CCC&TI Recital Hall (B-100), CCC&TI’s Caldwell Campus in Hudson will host guitarist Derek Gripper.
Derek Gripper is a classical guitarist who has taken a unique path. As a South African classical musician, he found himself limited by the music of the traditional classical guitar. So, he went on a journey through different musical styles, returning always to the guitar to find ways of bringing what he learned onto the instrument. In 2012 he completed a ten year project to understand and translate the music of the West African kora (21 string harp) virtuoso Toumani Diabate to solo guitar, resulting in two critically acclaimed albums and an international concert tour.
On Wednesday, April 17 at 1 p.m. in the CCC&TI Recital Hall (B-100), CCC&TI’s Caldwell Campus in Hudson will host the Firecracker Jazz Band.
In hundreds of performances since 2003, Firecracker Jazz Band has played everywhere from street corners, speakeasies, jazz festivals from coast to coast, dance halls, Bonnaroo and the Kennedy Center. Based in Asheville, N.C., these six musicians revitalize traditional jazz with unbounded energy and pay homage to the pioneers of early 20th Century Jazz, including that of Dixieland and New Orleans. Firecracker Jazz Band strives to carry on the traditions forged by such greats as Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong & Bix Beiderbecke. April is Jazz Appreciate Month and a free Firecracker Jazz Band concert is the perfect way to celebrate.
On Tuesday, April 30 at 12:15 p.m. in the CCC&TI Recital Hall (B-100), on the Caldwell Campus in Hudson, the CCC&TI Chorus will present their Spring Concert. An encore performance will be held on Thursday, May 2 at 12:15pm at St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Lenoir.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information on CCC&TI’s Associate in Fine Arts – Music Programs or these events, contact Program Director Justin Butler at 828-726-2457 or email jbutler@cccti.edu.