Music, Music, Music, and the Best of the Beatles

 March was alive with Music! The Meistersingers presented their spring concert March 2, "The Best of the Beatles." My granddaughters get a chuckle thinking about me learning and singing Beatles songs!

The Best of the Beatles concert

Then the March USM Symphony program featured some outstanding students, winners of the annual William T. Gower Competition. See Daniel Petrocelli, guitarist, after the flower pictures. 

Nick Ciraldo and the Guitar Studio at USM held a Screamin' Eagles Guitarfest with lots of impressive talent on display. Many performers enjoy activities and Wednesday night potluck suppers at University Baptist Church, and these talented students presented a Thank You concert in Back Door Coffeehouse fashion. 

Several students held recitals this month in fulfillment of requirements for degrees. I attend as many of these as I can, and am so grateful for the privilege. 

USM Symphony

The Thank You Concert Team
with David W Walker and Linda Ginn

L-R Joao Vitor Gonzaga, Sofia Araujo, Renata Andrade,
Gabriel Barros, Marcus Silva

L-R Joao Vitor Gonzaga, Sofia Araujo, Renata Andrade,
Gabriel Barros, Marcus Silva

The azaleas are blooming, making any driving in town pure pleasure. My front porch is a great place to read or eat breakfast. We have had a couple of rain days, which beats down the blossoms, but more come to take up the show. 

Daniel Petrocelli (one of the William T. Gower winners) 
at the Thank You Concert at University Baptist

Grand Finale for FestivalSouth

 What a marvelous finish for 2023 FestivalSouth--Iconic, a cirque rock symphonic extravaganza. Amazing acrobatic acts along with chart-topping songs from the last four decades, such as Aerosmith, Earth Wind and fire, Michael Jackson, Led Zepplin, and others. I had never even been to a rock concert, much less sung with a chorus (Meistersingers) behind an orchestra! All these pictures were taken during dress rehearsal.

Our view behind orchestra

Our view behind orchestra

Audience view

Audience view

Earlier there were nights of Broadway tunes called Spectacular Spectacular, Bee(r)thoven concert with beer and wine pairings, Odd Couples (guitar with other instruments), and coffee concerts plus other events that I missed.

Coffee Concert at T-Bones with Lauren Cate Leake

Coffee Concert at Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor
with Sarah Hamman and Kay Guiles

Odd Couples with Nick Ciraldo

My exhibit, FestivalFibers, has had a good reception and is being held over an additional week through the end of June, at University Baptist Church. It has been a wonderful three weeks of entertainment, and I'm already looking forward to June of 2024. Mike Lopinto and his crew put on an amazing festival in Hattiesburg. I'm so glad I live here!