A year in the planning, a Centennial Celebration Concert presented by the School of Music in September invites the university and local communities to share in its historic milestone.
The concert will include performances throughout the Koger Center and its outdoor plaza stage by the school’s major student ensembles.
“The School of Music is great at both bringing music into the community and at bringing the community to the University of South Carolina,” says director of orchestras Scott Weiss, chairperson of the concert planning committee. “At the top of our list for the community is simply enjoyment. People coming to this concert will be highly entertained by some of the finest university ensembles in the nation and will, without a doubt, enjoy a lovely evening of music.”
The concert is among the events and special performances with a centennial flair designed to showcase the School of Music’s programs, students and faculty. The theme for the yearlong celebration, “Sing Thy High Praise: 100 Years of Music at Carolina,” is pulled from the first line of USC’s alma mater.
Setting the tone
Organizers expect the performances to be a great reflection of what the School of Music has to offer and an exciting tone setter for the year.
“This concert provides an opportunity to look back on everything that's been accomplished in the last 100 years and how music has contributed to the culture on our campus and in our community,” says committee member and director of bands Cormac Cannon. “We are also celebrating the School of Music today by creating special events to showcase our students.”
People might come to the orchestra concerts but don’t necessarily hear the jazz groups, so the opportunity for them to get a taste of the variety we have to offer at the School of Music is really exciting.
More than 500 student musicians will perform a variety of musical selections. It is the first time in memory that all the major ensembles will perform together, including the USC Concert Choir, USC Wind Ensemble, The Carolina Band, Opera at USC, Left Bank Big Band and the USC Symphony Orchestra. A pre-event performance on the outdoor plaza stage will feature the Palmetto Pans Steel Drum Band and various ensembles from the Music Industry Studies program. Those in attendance will hear types of music they know and love, and they’ll likely hear something that is new to them.
“A big centennial event with the extra appeal of the variety of ensembles and music on the program has potential to attract a wide audience,” says director of choral studies and committee member Alicia W. Walker. “People might come to the orchestra concerts but don't necessarily hear the jazz groups, so the opportunity for them to get a taste of the variety we have to offer at the School of Music is really exciting.”
Ellen Schlaefer, director of opera studies, calls the concert “a great appetizer for all that is to come this year.” Similarly, Allison Yablonski, a Virginia native seeking her Master of Music in Choral Conducting, called it a “taste test” of what the university has to offer.
Yablonski, who will be performing, says, “USC does a great job as the flagship university of reaching out and being visible to the community with concert opportunities throughout the year. It gives every music enjoyer an opportunity to find a performance that's perfect for them. At a big concert like this where the audience will be exposed to so many different things, I want to go in with the mindset to give a great performance and honor their experience.”
In concert with the community
Yablonski and Kate Falvey, an undergraduate music education major from Columbia, South Carolina, agree that students benefit from the community built by participating in ensembles, which are open to both music and non-music majors.
“I love the environment USC’s School of Music school cultivates for creativity, collaboration, musical and personal growth,” Falvey says. “Working with so many musicians is such a privilege, and I am so excited to get to showcase our hard work to the greater community in the upcoming centennial celebration.”
Community building, outreach and engagement are central to the mission and the vision of the School of Music, and are a distinguishing characteristic of the school nationally, as recognized by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) among is 642 member institutions.
“Something that the pandemic reminded all of us is that community is vital,” Weiss says. “I’ll never forget the first time we could play together as an orchestra after not being able to for so long. It was a very emotional experience, and more than a few tears were shed. Having a ‘home’ in one of our major ensembles is so important to so many of our students.”
Harmonious happenings
While concert planning hasn’t come without challenges, committee members have enjoyed the collaboration and creativity and problem-solving during the process.
“It’s always tremendous fun to collaborate,” Weiss says. “We have put a great deal of thought into the flow of the program. With multiple ensembles and hundreds of performers involved, we had to give a lot of thought to the order of the program and the stage plot.”
The challenges have primarily been logistical such as getting ensembles on and off the stage and considering instrumental and vocal needs.
“With so many students and ensembles sharing a stage, it’s quite an undertaking to showcase everyone while making the concert flow with a good pace to keep the audience engaged,” Walker says.
Ultimately, the School of Music and concert planners hope the concert will share the joy and power of community in making music.
“It’s exciting to think about the experience the audience is going to have with the variety of music they’ll hear,” Cannon says. “Hearing so many people making music together makes all of the organization and work worth it.”
Students like Falvey appreciate the opportunity to share their love of music and creativity with the community.
“I am excited for Columbia to see how much the School of Music has to offer and the incredible gifts we have to give. As one of my professors, Dr. Mandi Schlegel, says ‘More music, more people.’ The more people we reach with music, the better we can communicate and understand one another.”
If you’re going
The Centennial Celebration Concert is on Sept. 13 at the Koger Center for the Arts.
- Tickets are $30 adults; $25 seniors, USC faculty and staff; $8 students under 18; USC students: free with student ID.
- 6:45 p.m. Pre-event performances on the outdoor plaza stage will feature the Palmetto Pans Steel Drum Band and various ensembles from the Music Industry Studies program. Food will be available for purchase.
- 7:30 p.m. The Centennial Concert begins in the auditorium and features the Concert Choir, The Carolina Band, Left Bank Big Band, Opera at USC, USC Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
- Jazz Combos will perform on the Grand Tier during intermission.
- For anyone who cannot attend in-person, live streaming is available.