OXFORD, Miss. – The ninth annual Pride of the South Benefit Concert is scheduled Tuesday (April 28) at the University of Mississippi. The 7:30 p.m. event in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts is to raise funds for the Friends of Note Marching Band Scholarship.
Sponsored by the Friends of Note organization, the concert will feature the UM Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. A reception is scheduled in the Ford Center lobby beginning at 6:45 p.m. Admission to both the reception and concert is free, and donations to the scholarship fund are encouraged.
Nancy Frohn, chairman of Friends of Note, said the program is certain to be entertaining. “If you have not heard the Pride of the South Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, you have certainly missed a treat,” she said. “These students are just absolutely incredible and the music is just wonderful. I would put them up against any symphony in this country – they are that good.”
A wide range of music will be featured, from Sousa to the ’70s. The styles range from classical to Latin, and most everything in between.
The concert is also being used as a recruiting tool. More than 100 students from north Mississippi high schools will be attending. David Willson, director of the university band, plans to give the students a tour of the band hall and facilities, newly renovated Nutt Auditorium and Ford Center.
For more information about the Pride of the South and the Friends of Note, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/band/index.html. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7390.