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

After Arrowmont, USM Symphony

Coming home from Arrowmont brought a little unexpected excitement when someone picked up my red bag (containing Elizabeth My Almost Perfect Cat quilt!) instead of his red bag at the Jackson airport. It took several hours to locate the person, and I had to drive on home to Hattiesburg without my quilt and all my class exercises and the week's worth of clothes. Everything was delivered safely to me the next afternoon.

Working on some of Paula Kovarik's stitching exercises has been fun, even with my trusty Pfaff giving me technical problems. After a week of stitching black thread on white and white thread on black, I thought I would try a stripe background.

These range from 6" x 7" to 12" x 9"

Of course, Elizabeth wanted to help

My talented friends in the University of Southern Mississippi's symphony orchestra amaze me with their performances. Last night's program was entitled Viva Mexico and featured works with a decidedly Latin beat. 

Alejandro Junco Romero and Marlene Gentile

A week earlier for Halloween they dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf! They are such a pleasure to have come to our University Baptist Church suppers for our home-cooked meals.

Tasha Tudor Exhibit at the Oddfellows Gallery

The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi brought a marvelous exhibit to Hattiesburg last week. There are 130 pieces of Tasha Tudor's art on display, along with miniature dolls and their clothes, books, toys, and untold other items. A two-day symposium featured Tudor scholars and a daughter-in-law, who told some of the history of this unique woman who recreated life of an earlier time. She lived 1915-2008 in New Hampshire and Vermont and produced more than 15,000 drawings, paintings, illustrations, books, cards, calendars, and stationery.
I knew quilters were dedicated but learned that Tasha Tudor fans are just as loyal. There were people who drove to the symposium and exhibit from Pennsylvania, Tampa, Nashville, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Mobile. And they were not disappointed.

Pine Belt Quilters were asked to take part in the symposium and exhibit by displaying some quilts and presenting a lecture on "The Timelessness of Fabric." Susie Jackson and I gave the lecture and showed examples of quilting through the ages and how it has changed from merely utilitarian covers to an art form.

My quilt "This Is My Story, This Is My Song" and Susie Jackson's whole cloth masterpiece

We displayed 12 quilts in the lobby area of the Oddfellows Gallery. The gallery used every available space, even above the elevator and doorway.

Quilts by Martha Ginn and Ella Lucas

Quilts by Betty Allen and Linda Flanders

The exhibit will run through December, 2015. There are two more special events in November and December, a cooking demonstration and a Victorian tea.

Quilts by Joe Bingham, Martha Ginn, and Ella Lucas

Quilts by Vivian Plummer and Ellen Hall

Oddfellows Gallery in Hattiesburg