The Department of Fine Arts and the University Artist Series sponsor a wide variety of performances that are open to the public, usually free or at a minimal charge. Those held in the downtown Performing Arts Center venues are typically ticketed, Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm. Other than University Theatre performances, events held in venues on the main campus are typically general admission with no advance reservation system.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $5, as space allows.
The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
Due to CoViD-19 considerations, many public performances have been suspended, shifted to outdoor venues, or moved online. FMU believes arts events are vital to the enrichment of our students and our community; and public performances and exhibitions are important to evaluate progress by Fine Arts students. As circumstances permit, we will resume scheduling both public and online events.
FMU Jazz Combo – “From Gershwin to Monk: An Evening of Jazz Standards”
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
6:00 pm Thursday, October 29, 2020 Rescheduled due to hurricane Zeta
The FMU Jazz Combo performs “From Gershwin to Monk: An Evening of Jazz Standards” at the Fresh Air Fest! Fresh Air Fest is a free, multi-day, outdoor concert series this fall at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. The festival will offer a variety of musical entertainments in a safe, outdoor environment. Audiences will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444. Patrons who make a reservation will check in at the information tent near the entrance to the amphitheater. Others will be admitted as space allows. The amphitheater will open for patrons one hour before show time. Socially distanced seating will be provided at the amphitheater, but guests may bring portable seating as well. Individuals may bring food and drinks to the event, but please note that each concert will last an hour or less.
Florence Symphony Woodwinds – “Austrian Winds”
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
2:30 pm Sunday, November 1, 2020
The Florence Symphony Woodwinds perform “Austrian Winds” at the Fresh Air Fest! This will be a two part FSO concert, with the FSO winds performing at 2:30 p.m. and the FSO Brass performing at 4 p.m. on November 1. Fresh Air Fest is a free, multi-day, outdoor concert series this fall at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. The festival will offer a variety of musical entertainments in a safe, outdoor environment. Audiences will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444. Patrons who make a reservation will check in at the information tent near the entrance to the amphitheater. Others will be admitted as space allows. The amphitheater will open for patrons one hour before show time. Socially distanced seating will be provided at the amphitheater, but guests may bring portable seating as well. Individuals may bring food and drinks to the event, but please note that each concert will last an hour or less.
Florence Symphony Brass – “Crazy for Brass”
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
4:00 pm Sunday, November 1, 2020
Florence Symphony Brass performs “Crazy for Brass” at the Fresh Air Fest! Fresh Air Fest is a free, multi-day, outdoor concert series this fall at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. The festival will offer a variety of musical entertainments in a safe, outdoor environment. Audiences will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444. Patrons who make a reservation will check in at the information tent near the entrance to the amphitheater. Others will be admitted as space allows. The amphitheater will open for patrons one hour before show time. Socially distanced seating will be provided at the amphitheater, but guests may bring portable seating as well. Individuals may bring food and drinks to the event, but please note that each concert will last an hour or less.
FMU Music and Arts Day!
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
2:00 pm Saturday, November 7, 2020
It’s FMU Music and Arts Day at Fresh Air Fest, featuring the FMU MI Ensemble! Fresh Air Fest is a free, multi-day, outdoor concert series this fall at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. The festival will offer a variety of musical entertainments in a safe, outdoor environment. Audiences will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444. Patrons who make a reservation will check in at the information tent near the entrance to the amphitheater. Others will be admitted as space allows. The amphitheater will open for patrons one hour before show time. Socially distanced seating will be provided at the amphitheater, but guests may bring portable seating as well. Individuals may bring food and drinks to the event, but please note that each concert will last an hour or less.
FMU Voice and Choir – “A Light in the Darkness, an Evening of Inspirational Song”
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
6:00 pm Tuesday, November 17, 2020
The FMU Voice and Choir perform “A Light in the Darkness, an Evening of Inspirational Song” at the Fresh Air Fest! Fresh Air Fest is a free, multi-day, outdoor concert series this fall at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. The festival will offer a variety of musical entertainments in a safe, outdoor environment. Audiences will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444. Patrons who make a reservation will check in at the information tent near the entrance to the amphitheater. Others will be admitted as space allows. The amphitheater will open for patrons one hour before show time. Socially distanced seating will be provided at the amphitheater, but guests may bring portable seating as well. Individuals may bring food and drinks to the event, but please note that each concert will last an hour or less.
Windows
FMU University Theatre Online Production
Uploaded Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Windows – Francis Marion University Theatre Online Production
A collection of original student monologues written for virtual presentation that explore the multi faceted inner landscape of life during a pandemic. Join the students as they share their experiences, drawing us closer together with their words even as we are in necessary separation.
Cast: Melissa Gragg, Alex Simmons, Chris Steele and Marina Mack.
Direction: Jess Willis
Artistic Consultant: Glen Gourley
Scenic Design: Jess Willis and Aaron Krohn
Lighting and Video Design: Aaron Krohn
FMU Music and Arts Day!
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
1:00 pm Saturday, April 10, 2021
The FMU Performing Arts Center’s outdoor concert Series returns! All Fresh Air Fest performances will be held at the PAC’s outdoor amphitheater.
FMU’s University Place Gallery, and its current show, “Dust and Shadow” by FMU’s Anna Dean will be open before, after and during all Fresh Air concerts. Admission to the gallery is free.
The following safety protocols will remain in place for this spring’s “Fresh Air” concerts:
- Social distancing is required
- Masks are required
- Reservations are recommended for the concerts and can be made through the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444.
- Performances are limited to 150 guests.
Fresh Air Fest: FMU Jazz Combo
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
6:00 pm Tuesday, April 13, 2020
The FMU Jazz Combo allows students in a small group setting to learn and hone improvisational skills within the the jazz idiom. Recently, works have been selected from music by Metheny, Corea, Ritenour, Jobim and others.
FMU’s University Place Gallery, and its current show, “Dust and Shadow” by FMU’s Anna Dean will be open before, after and during all Fresh Air concerts. Admission to the gallery is free.
The following safety protocols will remain in place for this spring’s “Fresh Air” concerts:
- Social distancing is required
- Masks are required
- Reservations are recommended for the concerts and can be made through the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444.
- Performances are limited to 150 guests.
“The Power of Music” – FMU Concert Choir and Voice Collective
Dr. Fran Coleman, director
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
6:00 pm Thursday, April 15 2021
Open to all university students, the University Concert Choir has an average enrollment of between 35 and 45 students. This group has sung in numerous area churches and has also performed with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. They have performed such major choral works as the “Polovetzian Dance and Chorus” of Alexander Borodin, the “Schicksalslied” of Johannes Brahms, and the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Recently their concerts have included selections accompanied by the newly formed Francis Marion string ensemble.
Francis Marion’s Voice Collective is a small, audition-only vocal group. This group performs throughout the region for schools and service organizations. They have also performed in Orlando, Florida, in Baltimore, Maryland, in Washington, D.C., in Vienna, Austria, and on a performance cruise to the Bahamas.
The FMU Music program is “singing it safe” at the FMU Performing Arts Center amphitheater in downtown Florence. Audience will be limited to 150, and FMU policies requiring masks and social distancing at all University events will be in place. To make a reservation, contact the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444.
FMU’s University Place Gallery, and its current show, “Dust and Shadow” by FMU’s Anna Dean will be open before, after and during all Fresh Air concerts. Admission to the gallery is free.
From Europe to Argentina: a journey through opera and tango
Gustavo Feulien, baritone
Paolo André Gualdi, piano
South Carolina Chamber Music Festival
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, artistic director
FMU Department of Fine Arts, Artist and Lecture Series
Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. Monday, 19 April 2021
The South Carolina Chamber Music Festival will host an abbreviated series of chamber recitals due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic. to showcase the artists participating in workshops and masterclasses taking place throughout the week.
Hailed by the New York Times as “rich voiced” and by Opera News for his “interesting and convincing portrayal of Scarpia, most impressive in Te Deum” in Tosca, Argentinean-American baritone, Gustavo Feulien, continues his career with great success.
Most recently, Gustavo performed as Scarpia in Tosca with Maryland Symphony Orchestra and this season he will perform this role with Gulfshore Symphony.
For his New York City Opera debut as Silvio in Pagliacci, critics hailed his performance for his “sharp, powerful gestures in both his acting and singing, was both ardent and tender” and “the love scene with Silvio, rakishly sung by Gustavo Feulien, drew bravos from many in the audience”. This season, Gustavo will sing Silvio with Boheme Opera in New Jersey. Gustavo made his role debuts as Marcello in La Bohème with Wichita Grand Opera, as Scarpia in Tosca with Loft Opera and with Gulfshore Opera he sang as Sharpless in their productions of Madame Butterfly.
Gustavo Feulien made a successful European opera debut as Belcore in L´elisir d´amore and as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro as a regular guest artist with Theater Bremen in Germany.
His American career was launched with his Carnegie Hall debut in Faure´s Requiem and with DiCapo Opera, Gustavo Feulien was part of a US tour singing Silvio in Pagliacci.
The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
Dr. L. Dawn Larsen’s Granny’s Fixit: An Ozark Guide to Healing the Body and Soul
Fresh Air Fest
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
6:00 pm Thursday, April 15, 2021
Dr. L. Dawn Larsen’s will reprise her original play, Granny’s Fixit: An Ozark Guide to Healing the Body and Soul.
THE STORY:
Grannywomen were healers, seers, midwives found in rural mountain regions in the US. They were there to minister to their communities when doctors…and hope weren’t.
Come get a cure for what ails you in this workshop performance. Let her fix you through historic and original song, word, and image.
FMU’s University Place Gallery, and its current show, “Dust and Shadow” by FMU’s Anna Dean will be open before, after and during all Fresh Air concerts. Admission to the gallery is free.
The following safety protocols will remain in place for this spring’s “Fresh Air” concerts:
- Social distancing is required
- Masks are required
- Reservations are recommended for the concerts and can be made through the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444.
- Performances are limited to 150 guests.
FMU String Ensemble
Dr. Terry Roberts, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts/South Carolina Chamber Music Festival
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Open to all university students and faculty interested in learning and performing chamber music, the University String Ensemble members meet for weekly rehearsals during Fall and Spring academic semesters, giving public recitals and accompanying other campus ensembles.
The FMU String Ensemble performance will be held in the PAC’s Mainstage Theater, and limited to 100 guests. Seating will be by reservation only. The cost is $10 for the General Public and free for FMU Students with ID. Contact the Ticket Office at 843-661-4444, or stop by 201 S. Dargan St. between 12 – 5pm, Monday – Friday. Social Distancing will be required while in the venue and masks are required at all times.
Hidden Treasures
Cármelo de los Santos, violin
Paolo André Gualdi, piano
South Carolina Chamber Music Festival
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, artistic director
FMU Department of Fine Arts, Artist and Lecture Series
Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. Friday, 23 April 2021
The South Carolina Chamber Music Festival will host an abbreviated series of chamber recitals due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic. to showcase the artists participating in workshops and masterclasses taking place throughout the week.
Brazilian violinist Cármelo de los Santos was the first prizewinner of the IV “Júlio Cardona” International Competition, held in Covilhã, Portugal, in 2003. He also received the special prize for the best interpretation of the required Portuguese work.
In 2002 Cármelo performed at the prestigious Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall with the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, both as a soloist and conductor.
Cármelo won the first prize at the Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Artist Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio. He came into prominence in 1993 when he won Brazil’s most prestigious music competition, the “VII Eldorado Prize”, São Paulo. Since then he has appeared as a soloist and as a recital player with major orchestras in Brazil and South America, in the most important halls. Other prizes include the second prize in the “VII Young Artist International Competition” (1991), Argentina, and first prize in the “I Young Talents of MEC Radio Competition” (1996), in Rio de Janeiro.
He has recorded many programs for radio and television in Brazil. In 1994 he made a CD under the Eldorado Radio label which featured Brazilian and other composers of the twentieth century.
Cármelo began his violin studies at the age of nine. He graduated from Rio Grande do Sul Federal University, Brazil, where he worked with Fredi Gerling and Marcello Guerchfeld, and came to America in 1997 to study in New York at the Manhattan School of Music with Sylvia Rosenberg. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of Georgia, having studied there under the Russian violinist Levon Ambartsumian. He is currently Associate Professor of violin at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
TBA
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
TBA
TBA
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $5, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Concert Band
Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
TBA
The Francis Marion University Concert Band will be performing its fall concert at the FMU Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence.
The Francis Marion University Concert Band is composed of FMU students as well as community members from the Pee Dee region. Community members include professional area music educators, band directors, choir directors, ministers of music, and FMU music faculty members. Membership is open to all FMU students and area residents who are experienced concert band instrumentalists. Performances include traditional concert band music as well as popular and show music. The program began as a way to give students of FMU a chance to perform music, earn academic credit for performance in the ensemble, and to become involved with other students in campus life.
Beginning in the spring of 2002, the FMU Concert Band rehearsals were scheduled on Tuesday evenings and adult musicians from the region were invited to participate. The band continues to rehearse every Tuesday evening.
We are always seeking additional participants; if you play a band instrument or know someone looking for a place to play, please contact us. Information can be found at Music – Instrumental Program or email Dr. Terry Roberts at troberts@fmarion.edu
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $5, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Chamber Jazz Ensemble
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
TBA
The FMU Chamber Jazz Ensemble allows students in a small group setting to learn and hone improvisational skills within the the jazz idiom. Works have been selected from music by Corea, Glasper, Shorter, and more.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $5, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble
Dr. Brandon Goff, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Chapman Auditorium, McNair Science Building
TBA
The Music Industry Ensemble is a chamber ensemble devoted to the development of individual performance and improvisation skills through the staging of music for small groups representing a variety of classic and modern jazz, pop, rock and soul styles. The M.I.E. provides a workshop in which students also learn arranging, microphone technique and scheduling, sound reinforcement and lighting design.
Please contact Dr. Brandon Goff bgoff@fmarion.edu for additional information about participating in the M.I. Ensemble.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
Studio Voice Recital – Students of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
TBA
Come celebrate the accomplishments of voice students in Dr. Coleman’s studio as they perform classical as well as contemporary songs.
RESERVATIONS: This performance is free and open to the public. No reservations, general admission.
TBA
FMU University Theatre
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
TBA
RESERVATIONS: Reservations may only be made by calling the FMU Performing Arts Center Box Office at 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm. $5 admission supports the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble
Dr. Brandon Goff, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence
TBA
The Music Industry Ensemble is a chamber ensemble devoted to the development of individual performance and improvisation skills through the staging of music for small groups representing a variety of classic and modern jazz, pop, rock and soul styles. The M.I.E. provides a workshop in which students also learn arranging, microphone technique and scheduling, sound reinforcement and lighting design.
Please contact Dr. Brandon Goff bgoff@fmarion.edu for additional information about participating in the M.I. Ensemble.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
TBA
FMU Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
TBA
Colton Parker is a Nashville based singer-songwriter and musician. The man is talented doing everything from singing, to playing bass, and even running sound. His hard work has made him a recognizable face around Music Row and led to him playing on the road with some of Country Music’s biggest acts.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
Arts International Festival
FMU Campus
TBA
FMU’s Arts International set to showcase performers from across the globe
Francis Marion University’s Arts International Festival, the region’s long running annual celebration of arts and culture, returns on Saturday, April 18.
Performers from throughout the world will descend on the FMU campus, providing a day filled with international entertainers from noon until 6 p.m. rain or shine.
There is no admission charge and all entertainment is free and open to the public. There is a charge for food, beverages and craft items that are sold within the festival.
Francis Marion University Concert Choir and Voice Collective
Dr. Fran Coleman, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
TBA
Open to all university students, the University Concert Choir has an average enrollment of between 35 and 45 students. This group has sung in numerous area churches and has also performed with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. They have performed such major choral works as the “Polovetzian Dance and Chorus” of Alexander Borodin, the “Schicksalslied” of Johannes Brahms, and the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Recently their concerts have included selections accompanied by the newly formed Francis Marion string ensemble.
Francis Marion’s Voice Collective is a small, audition-only vocal group. This group performs throughout the region for schools and service organizations. They have also performed in Orlando, Florida, in Baltimore, Maryland, in Washington, D.C., in Vienna, Austria, and on a performance cruise to the Bahamas.
RESERVATIONS: This performance is free and open to the public. No reservations, general admission.
