Author: Margaret Evans

John Morris Russell, one of North America’s most celebrated orchestral conductors, has agreed to take up the baton as “Principal Guest Conductor” for the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (HHSO) for the 2011-2012 season, which gets underway in October.   “We are thrilled for this once in a lifetime opportunity to have a major international talent like Maestro Russell come to our community,” said Edward Parrish, chairman of the orchestra board. “When we learned of his interest in leading our orchestra we realized it would mark a major step forward for the presentation of great music in our community.”

  Once again, Edward Arron has arranged a varied program with works by both Clara and Robert Schumann as well as Beethoven, Ives and Copland for the March 27 concert. He is also introducing voice to the evening’s instruments with the debut of baritone Randall Scarlata.  The concert will include Beethoven folk songs and a medley of American songs from the last century.  The final piece of the evening will be the intimate and other-worldly d minor piano trio by Robert Schumann.

                          Back by popular demand, the Duke Symphony Orchestra is coming to town Saturday, March 26 to perform a benefit concert for Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Keyserling Cancer Center and Healing Arts Program.   It’s the eighth year the North Carolina university ensemble has made the springtime trip to the Lowcountry.

The Baptist Church of Beaufort will welcome the Concert Choir of North Greenville University for a free concert on  Sunday, March 27 at 7:30 pm.   In recent years the choir has participated in the South Carolina Upstate Intercollegiate Choral Invitational Festival, the South Carolina Music Educators state convention, the South Carolina Baptist Convention state convention, and a performance at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.  The choir is directed by Dr. Barry L. Combs, who is in his thirteenth year as Director of Choral Activities and Church Music at North Greenville University.