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.
Thanks to significant improvement in CoViD-19 spread, FMU has returned to unrestricted live performance for both indoor and outdoor events! We may adjust our live audience capacities should a change in conditions warrant.
Ron Brendle Jazz Quartet
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 16, 2021
Ron Brendle, a freelance bassist in the Charlotte area, has performed and recorded with many notable jazz artists of international stature, including John Abercrombie, Chris Potter, Clark Terry, Hank Crawford, Andrew Hill, Charlie Byrd, Lee Konitz, Charlie Rouse, Mose Allison, Dom Flemons, Russell Malone, TS Monk, Joe Locke, and Frank Kimbrough.
Ron is also the recipient of two North Carolina Arts Council Jazz Composer Fellowship Grants. He graduated from Appalachian State University.
In this performance Ron will be joined by guitarists Scott Sawyer and Troy Conn, with John Spurrier on drums.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
Andrea Cheeseman, clarinet
FMU Artist Series/Burns Memorial Recital
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Andrea Cheeseman is a clarinetist and teacher living in Columbia, South Carolina. Throughout her career, she has been committed to playing good music and collaborating with inspiring people who challenge her.
A versatile performer, Cheeseman frequently performs as a soloist and chamber musician. Although she regularly performs traditional repertoire, she is an advocate of new music and is a sought-after performer of electroacoustic music written for clarinet and bass clarinet. Wishing to promote electroacoustic music, she has toured extensively, giving recitals and masterclasses throughout the country. Additionally, Cheeseman has been a featured performer at festivals such as the Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival and the Electroacoustic Barn Dance and has appeared at SEAMUS (Society of Electroacoustic Music in the United States) conferences. She has been described as “a skilled performer with an ability to connect to the audience. And comfortable in her own skin, she has the uncanny ability to slide into the soundscape as if she were physically part of it.” Cheeseman has premiered pieces by today’s leading composers and released her debut album Somewhere in September 2019 (Ravello).
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
My Left Breast by Susan Miller
FMU Artist Series
Chapman Auditorium, McNair Science Building
Hope to reschedule when safer to hold public performance
Susan Miller, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting, is perhaps best known as the author/performer of the critically acclaimed one woman play, My Left Breast and as Executive Producer and writer for the award-winning web series Anyone But Me. For her work on the web series she (and creative partner Tina Cesa Ward) won the first Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media.
“I am a one-breasted, menopausal, Jewish, bisexual lesbian Mom, and I’m coming soon to a theatre near you!” A woman’s humorous and moving encounters with relationships, parenthood, cancer, and her ever-changing self are charted in this searingly honest solo piece.
In addition to performing, she will be meeting with FMU Playwriting and Gender Studies classes.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown
Francis Marion University Theatre
Directed by Glen Gourley
Musical Direction by Dr. Fran Coleman
Conducted by Dr. Terry Roberts
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm, October 21-23, 2021
The show lies between musical and song cycle, but it is neither; it is an abstract musical, a series of songs all connected by a theme: “the moment of decision.” The show has four performers who do not literally play the same characters throughout the show but who do have consistently developing character arcs nonetheless. Composer Brown has said “It’s about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.
Reservations may be made by calling 843-661-1365 between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. Thanks to Department of Fine Arts sponsorship, admission is free.
Kat Reinhert, vocalist/songwriter
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Monday, October 25, 2021
Inspired by a rich background of jazz, folk and popular music styles, while seamlessly weaving story and sound with depth, imagination and creativity, singer and songwriter Kat Reinhert is an artist whose music defies categorization
Reinhert writes songs that blend the complexity of jazz harmonies to the lyrical prosody of a singer-songwriter in an easily accessible aural palette. She has a clear and expressive voice that can move effortlessly from a secret whisper of longing to a laughter filled explosion as she moves through each story with authenticity and expression. As a lyricist, she draws from both real-life experiences, as well as those made from whole-cloth or sparked by watching the world with through the lens of an observer. Ever the optimist, Reinhert has a keen ability to dig deep into difficult subjects while never alienating her listeners.
As much educator as artist and songwriter, Kat will be working with FMU Music Industry students as well as providing this public performance.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 26, 2021
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 $10, 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
Performing Arts Center Amphitheater/Downtown Florence
5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 11, 2021
The M.I. Ensemble will have a special outdoor performance as a part of Francis Marion University’s “Doug’s Day” honoring the founders of the University. This concert is general admission, no tickets required.
Games, food and other entertainment will be on site, including a free performance by Yacht Rock Schooner at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Concert Hall (advance tickets available).
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.
FMU Jazz Combo
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, November 16, 2021
The FMU Jazz Combo 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 $10, 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 Choir, Voice Collective and String Ensemble
Dr. Fran Coleman and Dr. Terry Roberts, directors
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Monday, November 22, 2021
The Francis Marion University Concert Choir and Voice Collective will open the program, then be joined by the FMU String Ensemble and the Sumter Civic Chorale to perform Part 1 from Handel’s Messiah.
The combined performance will be held in the PAC’s Mainstage Theater. 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 and masks may be required while in the venue.
Voice Recital by Ni’ya Whitfield, Ashlei Jones and Tasia Phillips, Junior/Senior Students of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Monday, November 29, 2021
Come celebrate the accomplishments of Ni’ya Whitfield, Ashlei Jones and Tasia Phillips, Junior and Senior voice students in Dr. Coleman’s studio.
RESERVATIONS: This performance is free and open to the public. No reservations, general admission.
Studio Voice Recital – Students of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Monday, December 6, 2021
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.
Christopher Guzman, piano
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Pianist Christopher Guzman regularly performs for audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia, as soloist and chamber musician. He is a multiple prizewinner in many international competitions and recently received the grand prize and several special prizes at the 10th Concours International de Piano d’Orléans in France.
Guzman has performed at venues including Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, and the Wigmore Hall in London, and performs regularly with some of the world’s most exciting soloists including Ilya Gringolts, Antoine Tamestit, David Fray, and Jeremy Denk, among others.
He continually performs with members of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
He appears regularly on the New York Philharmonic’s chamber music series Philharmonic Ensembles, and his performances showcase a broad range of styles, from Baroque to the avant-garde. He has given world premieres of works by Donald Martino, Nico Muhly, and Paul Schoenfield.
Christopher Guzman is currently Professor of Piano at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania.
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. $10 admission supports the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships.
Memorial for Steven F. Gately, Askins Professor of Art
Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence
5:30 p.m. Monday, January 24, 2022
Gately was a part of FMU from its early years, beginning his work with the University in 1973. He was an associate professor of Visual Arts and the coordinator of FMU’s Visual Arts programs.
Born in West Palm Beach, FL, Gately earned his Associate of Arts degree from Palm Beach Junior College in Lake Worth, FL in 1966 . He also earned Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from Florida Atlantic University and the University of South Florida. Gately then earned his Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University in 1971.
In 2006, Gately was named the C.B. and Marlene Askins Professor of Art, an endowed chair created in 1995 for further development of the artistic and cultural life at FMU and across the Pee Dee region.
Gately was known for his abstract artwork, which earned him numerous prizes in national, regional and local art competitions. His works have been displayed in over a dozen states and purchased by museums across the Southeastern US. This includes the Museum of Art in Mobile, AL, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the State Art Collection of South Carolina.
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, piano
Faculty Recital
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. Monday, February 7, 2022
Italian pianist Paolo André Gualdi has played recitals in Italy, France, Brazil and the United States for music organizations such as A.Gi.Mus., Accademia Ori, and Accademia Amadeus (Italy); Universidade Federal do Rio Grande so Sul and Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (Brazil); Musée Würth (France); International Piano Series of Charleston, American Liszt Society, Cincinnati Conservatory, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival (U.S.A.). He has also appeared with many orchestras including the Georgia Philharmonic, Wilmington Symphony, Atlanta Philharmonic, Florence Symphony, DeKalb Symphony, and the Universidade de Caxias do Sul Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded for Mark Records and IFO Classics, and his performances have been broadcasted by radios such as NPR and Radio Vaticana.
Having previously served on the faculties of Elon University, Emmanuel College and Oxford College of Emory University, he is currently Associate Professor of Music at Francis Marion University and founder and artistic director of the South Carolina Chamber Music Festival.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
DNA Surprise by D. Keith Best
Francis Marion University Theatre
Written and Performed by D. Keith Best
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Wednesday-Friday, February 23-25, 2022
ROCKY HORROR has been postponed until October. Instead, FMU theatre professor Keith Best will be presenting his new one-man show, DNA SURPRISE: one man’s journey of discovery after surprise results on a DNA test.
Keith says, “This will be a workshop presentation, as I’ll still be working on the show! Hopefully a fuller scale version will appear later. No tickets required, just show up those nights and take a seat!”
General admission, no advance reservations. Thanks to Department of Fine Arts sponsorship, admission is free.
The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien
Francis Marion University Theatre
Directed by D. Keith Best
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
October, 2022 — Rescheduling due to Covid
As an out-of-work actor in London in the early 1970s, Richard O’Brien wrote The Rocky Horror Show to keep himself busy on winter evenings. Since his youth, he had developed a passion for science fiction and B horror movies; he wanted to combine elements of the unintentional humour of B horror movies, portentous dialogue of schlock-horror, Steve Reeves muscle films, and fifties rock and roll into The Rocky Horror Show. A major theme running throughout the musical is transvestism, which according to O’Brien was not originally meant to be as prominent as it ended up being. He conceived and wrote the play set against the backdrop of the glam era that had manifested itself throughout British popular culture in the early 1970s; he has stated “glam rock allowed me to be myself more”, allowing his concept to come into being.
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. $10 admission supports the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships.
Duo ViMaDeAn (violin and marimba)
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, February 21, 2022
Founded in 2010 at the Yale School of Music, ViMaDeAn Duo has premiered music throughout the globe, conducted workshops on four continents, and worked with a variety of composers and artists to bring new compositions to diverse audiences around the world. Recent appearances include performances at music festivals in Brazil, Russia, and France.
Striving to expand the repertoire for violin and percussion, ViMaDeAn Duo dedicates artistic brilliance to the creation of new chamber music works, education of audiences of all ages, and uplifting people through music-making. They work closely with living composers to expand the original repertoire for a unique instrumental combination.
Following the receipt of the Community Engagement Award from the Yale School of Music, ViMaDeAn Duo started extensive outreach program cycles in hospices and schools. Feeling a current need to be more than just concert performers, ViMaDeAn Duo performs in charity concerts with various foundations throughout the world, including American Best Buddies Foundation and Miloserdie Foundation.
Currently ViMaDeAn Duo is collaborating with several composers and multi-media artists on a program to raise awareness of the natural disasters humanity is now facing, and to make a positive impact on the future of our planet.
The South Carolina Chamber Music Festival will host a series of chamber recitals to showcase the artists participating in workshops and masterclasses taking place throughout the week.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi, 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. Thursday, February 24, 2022
Born in Croatia, Danijela Žeželj-Gualdi began studying violin at an early age. She holds a bachelor degree in Violin Performance from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia, a masters degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and a doctoral degree in Violin Performance from the University of Georgia.
As an active performer of both the violin and viola, Dr. Zezelj-Gualdi has been featured extensively in solo recitals and chamber ensembles throughout the United States and Europe, including performances at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center.
She has performed as concerto soloist with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Tennessee and the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Prior to her position as Violin and Viola Professor at the UNCW, she has served on the faculty of Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Žeželj-Gualdi is the founder and Artistic Director of the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition. She currently lives in Wilmington with husband and pianist Paolo André Gualdi and their daughter Julia. She is playing on a Pellacani violin generously lent to her by Ronald Sachs Violins.
The South Carolina Chamber Music Festival will host a series of chamber recitals to showcase the artists participating in workshops and masterclasses taking place throughout the week.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
Eurasia Piano Trio
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. Saturday, February 26, 2022
Hailing from China, Qiao Chen Solomon began playing violin at the age of 8 and later pursued the studies of viola, voice, piano, and conducting. She performs as soloist, conductor, chamber musician, and orchestra player throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. She has won prizes in many competitions, including the National Music Talent Competition in Guangzhou, the 5th Liaoning Violin Competition (China), the West Waterford Music and Drama Festival (Ireland), and the MTNA Competition (United States). She has been invited to perform and teach masterclasses at many music festivals and universities, such as the South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, the Grumo Music Festival in Italy, VCU Global Summer Music Institute, the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, University of Indiana in Pennsylvania, and West Virginia University. She has performed at Carnegie Hall with the ARCO chamber orchestra, and with the same group she has performed and recorded Vivaldis violin concertos on the Art Classics label as a featured soloist.
Martin Gueorguiev has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player throughout Europe and the United States. As a founding member of the Balkan Quartet, Martin has appeared with the quartet at Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage Series in Washington, DC, the Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, SC, and the Arts Club in Washington, DC. The quartet’s performances have been broadcast on NPR, and their concert at Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage was streamed live online.
Italian pianist Paolo André Gualdi has performed in the US and abroad for music organizations such as Accademia Amadeus (Italy); Cadogan Hall (UK); Musée Wűrth (France); Xinghai Hall and University of Shanghai (China); Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil); Fundaci¢n Pablo Atchugarry and SODRE (Uruguay); International Piano Series of Charleston, American Liszt Society and Piatigorsky Foundation (U.S.A.). He has also appeared with many orchestras including the Georgia Philharmonic, Atlanta Philharmonic, and the Universidade de Caxias do Sul Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded for Mark Records and IFO Classics, and his performances have been broadcasted by radios such as BBC, NPR, Clásica 650 and Radio Vaticana.
The South Carolina Chamber Music Festival will host a series of chamber recitals to showcase the artists participating in workshops and masterclasses taking place throughout the week.
Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022
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 $10, 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.
Ashlee Mack, piano
James Romig, composer
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Pianist Ashlee Mack has given recitals in Germany, Italy, and across the United States. Specializing in contemporary music, she has commissioned many new works and given numerous world-premiere performances. In 2012, Mack and Katherine Palumbo founded the Khasma Piano Duo, an ensemble dedicated to performing and recording music by living composers. Her recordings can be heard on Capstone, Innova, Navona Records, Parallax Music Press, Perspectives of New Music/Open Space, and New World Records. An avid hiker and nature lover, she has been artist-in-residence at Wupatki National Monument, Everglades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, and Centrum in Fort Worden State Park. Mack’s recording of James Romig’s Still, finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music, was recognized in The New Yorker (“compelling and sure-handed”) and San Francisco Chronicle (“Mack gives the music an eloquent, gently electric charge”). She has presented Still more than 30 times, including performances at the Clyfford Still Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic Cedar Rock Estate, and The Stone in New York City. Mack is Director of Piano Studies at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
James Romig, finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music, responds to an increasingly fragmented and accelerated world by creating highly isomorphic works that evolve slowly and reveal themselves gradually. Endeavoring to reflect the fragile intricacy of the natural world, his compositional designs exert influence on both small-scale iteration and large-scale structure, obscuring boundaries between form and content. Critics have described his music as “rapturous, slow-moving beauty” (San Francisco Chronicle), “developing with the naturalness of breathing” (The New Yorker), and “profoundly meditative… haunting” (The Wire). Dr. Romig has been on faculty at Western Illinois University since 2002.
In addition to this performance for solo piano, Dr. Romig and Ashlee Mack will be working with FMU Music Industry students studying musical composition.
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. $10 admission supports the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships.
FMU String Ensemble
Dr. Terry Roberts, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2022
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 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 and masks may be required while in the venue.
Seeds, Cycles, and Sacred Vessels: Theatre and Gallery event and reception with Natalie Daise, Miya Fowler and Sara Makeba
Francis Marion University Theatre
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2022
In conjunction with her show in the Kassab Art Gallery, Natalie Daise has drawn upon the talents of her daughter and storyteller Sara Daise and dancer Miya Fowler to present a performance in the Fine Arts Theatre. They will join her in exploring through original dance, song, and storytelling the cycles of seed to seed and the sacred magic to be found in the everyday.
Following the program, guests will be received in the Kassab Art Gallery.
Natalie Daise’s show is made possible in part by grants from the SC Arts Commission.
General admission, no advance reservations. Thanks to Art Gallery Series and Department of Fine Arts sponsorship, admission is free.
Whole Musician Faculty Recital
FMU Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2022
Whole Musician faculty will hold a public performance to begin a residency at Francis Marion University.
Whole Musician faculty will be offering varied workshops at Francis Marion University on Friday, April 1.
These workshops are open to all students, faculty and staff. Their mission is to work with all – regardless of discipline – through exploration of art, body, and mind.
– 10:00am – 11:15: Positive Collaboration
– 11:30 – 12:30pm: Cultivating Mindful Artist
– 2:30 – 3:45: Deconstructing Stage Fright
– 4:00 – 5:15: The Body as the Instrument
– 5:30 – will be an open mic!
“Open to all students and others within the performing arts, our residencies incorporate impactful interdisciplinary topics resulting in a holistic approach that fosters the highest possible level of performance. Participants are surrounded by a supportive, empowering, like-minded musical community that fosters musical passion and proficiency. Workshops may cover all aspects pertaining to life as a performer: creativity and expression, physicality and wellness, psychology of performing, and career and business foundations.”
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations. For more information, contact Dr. Fran Coleman.
Marina Lomazov, piano
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Praised by critics as “a diva of the piano” (The Salt Lake City Tribune), “a mesmerizing risk-taker” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland), and “simply spectacular” (Chicago International Music Foundation) Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Lomazov has established herself as one of the most passionate and charismatic performers on the concert scene today. Following prizes in the Cleveland International Piano Competition, William Kapell International Piano Competition, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Ms. Lomazov has given performances throughout North America, South America, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Japan and in nearly all of the fifty states in the U.S.
Ms. Lomazov is a Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music. She has served as jury member for the Cleveland International Piano Competition (Young Artists), Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Eastman International Piano Competition, Minnesota International Piano e-Competition, National Federation Biennial Young Artist Auditions and is currently serving as a chair for National Classical Music Panel for YoungArts, the only organization in the US that nominates U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. For 17 years, she served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Music, where she held the chair of Ira McKissick Koger Professor of Fine Arts Music and is currently holds a Guest Artist Residency. Together with her husband and piano duo partner Joseph Rackers, she co-founded and serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival in Columbia, SC.
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. $10 admission supports the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships.
Arts International Festival
FMU Campus
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, April 9, 2022
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.
FMU Jazz Combo
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The FMU Jazz Combo 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 $10, 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.
An Evening with Reed Hanna, bassoon
and Hyun Jung Im, piano
FMU Guest Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2022
As an orchestral musician, Reed Hanna plays principal bassoon in the Augusta (GA) Symphony. He also plays with the Savannah Philharmonic, Greenville (SC) Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Greenville (SC) Symphony, Rock Hill (SC) Symphony and many other orchestras in the southeastern United States.
Reed currently teaches at Coker University in SC, and has been on the faculties of Georgia Southern University, and Newberry College. His principal teachers include Michael Harley (Univ. of South Carolina, Alarm Will Sound), Daryl Durran (Penn State University), Jason Worzbyt (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), and Mahlon Grass (Lock Haven University).
HyunJung Im is a versatile pianist who often appears in concert as a soloist or collaborative pianist. She has had an abundance of collaborative experiences, including with voice, opera, and other instruments. She is well-versed in modern compositions from both Korea and the U.S. Not only does she play piano, but she is also a skilled keyboardist who has played both the harpsichord and organ. She also has dedicated herself as a teacher, one of her teaching positions includes Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. She earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, and her Master of Music from Texas State University. She is currently pursuing her DMA Piano Performance at the University of South Carolina, where she will graduate in 2022
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble Reunion Gig
Dr. Brandon Goff, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2022
20 Alumni will be joining the band for this reunion concert! 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: Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
Love Letters by A. R. Gurney
Francis Marion University Theatre
Directed by Senior Theatre Major Alex Simmons
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm, April 14-16, 2022
Covid has forced yet another sudden change upon the University Theatre season, so Yasmina Reza’s Art is being replaced with A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters. To complete the shuffling of the deck, FMU Theatre major Alex Simmons will be directing theatre faculty members Dr. L. Dawn Larsen and Keith Best.
THE STORY: A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters is a tender, tragi-comic, and nuanced examination of the shared nostalgia, missed opportunities, and deep closeness of two lifelong, complicated friends. While spanning five decades and numerous locations, it is staged simply, with two actors behind desks or sitting in cozy chairs, letting their words describe a world of emotion.
General admission, no advance reservations. Thanks to Department of Fine Arts sponsorship, admission is free.
Eric Ard, piano
FMU Guest Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16, 2022
Erid Ard graduated from Francis Marion University with his BA degree in English-Professional Writing and went on to earn his MA degree in Philosophy at the University of South Carolina. At the University of South Carolina he studied piano with Dr. Joseph Rackers for a year. Later in years, he earned his Associate’s Degree in Network Systems Management from Florence-Darlington Tech. He currently works at McLeod Hospital in the Inpatient Pharmacy as an Automation Administrator Assistant. He aspires to continue learning classical piano music throughout his life. Some of his future goals for piano are to learn all of the pieces from opus 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff and all 12 of the Spanish Dances, op. 5 by Enrique Granados. Selections from each opus appear on tonight’s program.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
Francis Marion University Concert Choir and Voice Collective
Dr. Fran Coleman, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2022
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: Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, 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.
Senior Voice Recital – Taniya Aldridge & Ni’ya Whitfield – Students of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Thursday, April 21, 2022
Come celebrate the accomplishments of Senior voice students in Dr. Coleman’s studio.
RESERVATIONS: This performance is free and open to the public. No reservations, general admission.
Studio Voice Recital – Students of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Monday, April 25, 2022
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.
