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.
Brian Jones Jazz Trio
FMU Artist Series/Burns Memorial Recital
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Brian Jones is a drummer/percussionist based in Richmond, Virginia. He has performed and recorded extensively as a member of the band Agents of Good Roots. As a session player, Jones has recorded with a wide variety of artists, including Jason Mraz, Fight the Big Bull, Mandy Moore, Rex Richardson, Liz Phair, and Doug Richard’s Great American Music Ensemble. As a freelance performer, Jones has played live with John Abercrombie, Jandek, Steven Bernstein, Mark Turner, Randy Brecker, Terrell Stafford, and many others. Jones is currently a PhD candidate in the American Studies Program at the College of William and Mary. Jones’ doctoral dissertation will focus on the life and work of jazz drummer/composer Paul Motian. He is on the music faculties of the University of Richmond, the College of William and Mary, and Old Dominion University.
Adam Larrabee, is a seasoned jazz guitarist, banjoist and composer who has appeared as a sideman on Bruce Hornsby’s recording “Spirit Trail” and who taught at New England Conservatory while performing in the Boston area for nearly 10 years. He was a founding member of the pioneering “newgrass” group Joy Kills Sorrow but is perhaps best known around the country as a banjoist with the bluegrass 80’s band Love Canon. His most recent project is composing 24 preludes in all major and minor keys for solo banjo for the classical banjoist John Bullard. Adam currently teaches classical and jazz guitar at James Madison University.
Randall Pharr is an acoustic and electric bassist residing in Richmond, Virginia. Specializing in many genres of American and Latin music, and comfortable in various settings from solo to large ensembles, Randall enjoys a wide variety musical opportunities such as performing with jazz orchestras, symphony pops, recording sessions and international travel. He is a member of the jazz faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University teaching jazz and electric bass, small jazz ensemble, and jazz improvisation. He also teaches electric bass at the University of Richmond.
THE DAVID MARSHALL AND CATHERINE KOGER BURNS MEMORIAL RECITAL SERIES
David Marshall Burns, Jr., and Catherine Koger Burns, natives of Charleston, South Carolina, were married and moved to Florence in 1933 where they became actively involved in civic activities and the arts. The Bums Recital Series was established in 1989 by Catherine Burns in memory of her husband and, upon her death in 1995, the Series was renamed the David Marshall and Catherine Koger Burns Memorial Recital Series.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
The Face Shows the Color of the Heart: Dante Alighieri – a one-man performance by actor and playwright Cedric Liqueur
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, October 4, 2018
The Face Shows the Color of the Heart: Dante Alighieri, is an English translation of selected prose and verse from Vita Nuova. You don’t even need to know anything about Dante to find this a fascinating production. For the medieval student and first time Dante audience, it is a luminous expression of one man’s dedication to his greatest love, Beatrice. This is a live, intimate, dramatic, 60 minute stage production. It includes a slide presentation of art work by William Blake, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and some of today’s preeminent Dantesque artists. Translations by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, A.S. Kline, and Barbara Reynolds.
Cedric Liqueur is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. Since 1997 Liqueur has presented historical biographies as one-man solo performances throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Euripides’ The Bacchae
Dr. L. Dawn Larsen, director
FMU University Theatre
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, October 18-20, 2018
The Francis Marion University Theatre will open its 2018-2019 season with Euripides’ The Bacchae.
THE STORY: The Bacchae is a late tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, and it is considered one of his best works and one of the greatest of all Greek tragedies. It was probably written as early as around 410 BCE, but it only premiered posthumously at the City Dionysia festival of 405 BCE, where it won first prize. The story is based on the myth of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agave, who are punished by the god Dionysus (also known as Bacchus) for refusing to worship him. (Ancient Literature website)
AUDITIONS: Tuesday Aug 28, 4-5pm; Wednesday Aug 29, 4-5 pm in the University Theatre.
Scripts are available. There are parts for at least 3 men, many women at least 1 speaking role, but probably more. We also need dancers! If you are interested in dancing, come to auditions.
We are excited as we are bringing in a professional choreographer, a professional puppetmaker, and a professional mask maker. There will be masterclasses.
For more specific info: llarsen@fmarion.edu
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Concert Band
Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, October 30, 2018
The Francis Marion University Concert Band will be performing its fall concert of the 2018-19 season 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
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Elena Martín and José Melitón, piano duo
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Spanish born duo pianists Elena Martín and José Melitón have been hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of the most compelling talents of their generation. Their touring has taken them around the world, performing at festivals, concert series, master classes, or workshops, original compositions as well as unique two-piano transcriptions by Elena Martín. Their recordings appear regularly on American Record Guide, which says “The duo’s ensemble is impeccable…dead-on perfect…their music turns my home into a little corner of Spain every time I play it…these are true sound pictures…Albéniz and Falla are among the greatest composers born in Spain, as is Elena Martín…Martín’s compositions display far more than excellent craft; she has creativity and originality…Their recordings capture every nuance of this great duo’s performances…Martín, the composer, could never hope for better performances of her work.”…”Two fine professionals, enjoying themselves, play with strong rhythm and unusual clarity…outlines are clear, passages work precise…they produce a nice, resonant sound…Martín and Melitón know exactly what they are doing.”
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU String Ensemble
Terry Roberts, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, November 1, 2018
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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
One-Act Plays directed by FMU Directing II Students
FMU Experimental Theatre
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Wednesday-Thursday, November 14-15, 2018
The Francis Marion University Experimental Theatre will host two nights of one-act plays directed by students enrolled in Theatre 401: Directing II class. The ultimate hands-on assignment, each student must select a play, audition student actors, work with lighting, sound, set and costume design, block stage action, rehearse the cast, and present a finished production for both academic adjudication and public evaluation.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble
Fran Coleman, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Chapman Auditorium, McNair Science Building
7:30 pm Thursday, November 15, 2018
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. M. Fran Coleman mcoleman@fmarion.edu or Dr. Brandon Goff bgoff@fmarion.edu for additional information about participating in the M.I. Ensemble.
RESERVATIONS: Free admission, no advance reservations.
Norma Raquel Boldorini, piano
FMU Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Monday, November 19, 2018
One of the outstanding South American pianists, Raquel Boldorini has played recitals and has been soloist with orchestras in all major cities of Latin America, USA, France, Spain, Italy, England, Germany, Greece, Taiwan and Russia.
She was awarded top prizes at the Vercelli, Recife, Viña del Mar and Lalewicz International Piano Competitions.
She taught at the National Conservatory in Montevideo and has given Master Classes in Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Greece and in various universities of the United States.
Ms. Boldorini studied in her native city of Montevideo at the National Conservatory of Music of Uruguay and later in France and the United States with Eliane Richepin, Marguerite Long, Leon Fleisher, Sergio Lorenzo and Maria Tipo.
After receiving a scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival she won the Concerto Competition and played a Mozart Concerto.
The New York Times said her playing was “bejeweled and could hardly be more expert or sympathetically in tune with the material”. Hailed as “an aristocrat of the piano” by The Washington Post, she has been praised for her “pianistic experience and superb sensitivity” by The Post and Courier and for her “bewitching musical personality” by La Razón of Buenos Aires.
RESERVATIONS: General admission, no advance reservations.
FMU Chamber Jazz Ensemble
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, November 27, 2018
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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Studio Voice Recital of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Thursday, November 29, 2018
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.
Francis Marion University Concert Choir and Vocal Collective
Dr. Fran Coleman, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Monday, December 3, 2018
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 Vocal 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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
David Gaines, 7 (x1) Samurai
FMU Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Akira Kurosawa has nothing on David Gaines, who performs his 7 (x1) Samurai all by himself in less than 60 minutes when it took the Japanese auteur 3½ hours and a cast of maybe a million. Gaines, a French-trained, northern Virginia-based actor and director, turns his take on Seven Samurai into an captivating combination of movement and sound – absolutely refined and graceful movement, absolutely precise and hilarious sound. Gaines tells the famous story, about a village that defends itself against a band of brigands by engaging a septet of samurai, by taking on all the roles but using a kind of cartoon gibberish: It sounds like Japanese but turns out to be inspired sound effects. When a brigand rides a horse, the sound comes out, “Be-bobbity-bobbity-bob”; when a horse runs him over, it’s “poof, pang,” and a brigand being eviscerated sounds like “spling, splat.” All in fake Japanese, but there’s nothing patronizing about it, and Gaines’ movements are so considered that you don’t want to miss a gesture. He can mime a hapless samurai who keeps stabbing himself or the muscles on a brigand’s arm, and each movement is both gorgeous and comical. Japanese epics may not be your thing, but Gaines brings a new kind of nobility to this one. It’s bravura storytelling, nothing less. – Elizabeth Maupin, The Orlando Sentinal
RESERVATIONS: General admission, no advance reservations.
Mike Keneally
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, January 17, 2019
Legends often have humble beginnings. Mike Keneally’s legend started with a simple phone call. But this is where the ‘humble’ ends. Practically on a whim, that phone call was placed to none other than Frank Zappa with Keneally offering his services to the master who essentially hired him on the spot.
Who does that? What essentially unknown musician simply calls up a rock icon and tells him, “I’m familiar with all your music”? Who does that? Only someone who has the goods to back it up, that’s who!
Keneally’s depth of musical understanding scores near universal praise among his peers. He is renowned as a multi-instrumentalist composer equally adept at guitar, keyboards, and vocals – often performing on all three at the same time!
Some people are just wired differently.
Since those days, Mike has produced over 25 solo albums with Scambot 2 released in 2016. He has recorded on solo piano, with a full rock band, and with orchestras. He has toured with Steve Vai, and regularly tours with Joe Satriani. He’s also a guitarist for the live version of the cartoon band Dethklok from Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse.
Mike Keneally embodies musical versatility.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Michelle Huang, piano
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
FMU Artist Series
Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Thursday, January 31, 2019
A native of Taiwan, pianist Michelle Huang has performed and taught extensively throughout the U.S. as well as abroad in the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Taiwan. She has appeared as soloist and guest artist in numerous recitals and has given lectures, workshops, and master classes. As a chamber musician, Michelle Huang has collaborated frequently with vocalists and instrumentalists as well as various chamber groups, such as the Mary L’Engle Ensemble, the chamber group-in-residence at Friday Musicale in Jacksonville, Florida, the Jacksonville Symphony and Richmond Symphony musicians.
Michelle Huang holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Tennessee and Doctor of Music in Piano Performance from Florida State University. Her principle teachers include Barbara Rowan, David Northington, and Read Gainsford. As an educator, Huang has held teaching positions at both Walter States Community College and Lincoln Memorial University. She has most recently served as Assistant Professor of Piano at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2012, she launched a Concert Series at Edward Waters College in which high caliber performing artists performed concerts as well as conducting master classes, workshops, and lectures for the continuing enrichment and exposure of classical music to both the school and the community. She is currently a piano faculty member at the Virginia Commonwealth University.
RESERVATIONS: General admission, no advance reservations.
Paula Vogel’s The Oldest Profession
Glen Gourley, director
FMU University Theatre
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Wednesday-Friday, 2:00 pm Saturday, February 13-16, 2019
The Francis Marion University Theatre’s winter production will be Paula Vogel’s The Oldest Profession.
THE STORY:
“Captures Ms. Vogel’s most essential gift as a playwright: an ability to find transfixing warmth and vitality in subjects often employed to titillate or repel…this venturesome dramatist provides a transforming theatrical wit, compassion and tolerance that keeps…theatregoers hooked.” —NY Times.
CAST:
Vera – Dr. Dorie Weaver
Edna – Dr. Lindsey Banister
Lillian – Dr. Lorna Cintron-Gonzalez
Ursulla – Dr. Skye Lewis
Mae – Dr. Ruth Witmann-Price
NOTE: MATURE CONTENT, NO ONE UNDER 18 ADMITTED
$5 – tickets can only be purchased at the PAC box office. Admissions support the Fine Arts Performing Arts Scholarships. Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
South Carolina Chamber Music Festival
Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, artistic director
FMU Department of Fine Arts, Artist and Lecture Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
February 25 – March 1, 2019
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.
Masterworks for Violin and Piano – Monday, February 25, 7:30 pm
World premiere and recording of “Soneto final” by Brandon Goff – Tuesday, February 26, 7:00 pm
Pasión – voice and piano recital – Wednesday, February 27, 7:30 pm
Mark Snyder: The Invalid’s Sonnet – Thursday, February 28, 7:30 pm
Woman to Woman – Friday, March 1, 7:30 pm
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU String Ensemble
Terry Roberts, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
4:00 pm Sunday, March 3, 2019
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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Concert Band
Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, March 5, 2019
The Francis Marion University Concert Band will be performing its spring concert of the 2018-19 season at the FMU Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence. Music will range from George F. Handel to Ralph Vaughan Williams.
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
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Joe Bergamini, drums
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, March 7, 2019
Joe Bergamini maintains a diverse career as a drummer, educator, author and publisher. Most well-known for his original progressive rock playing, Joe is the drummer in the bands 4Front and Happy the Man. He also works extensively on Broadway, on shows such as Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Rock of Ages, In the Heights, and Million Dollar Quartet.
Joe is the author of six popular drum books, Senior Drum Editor for Hudson Music, co-owner (with Dom Famularo) of Wizdom Media LLC, and an internationally recognized drum clinician and educator. He proudly endorses Tama drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans drumheads, and Latin Percussion.
Joe has generously made this trip to Francis Marion University to work with our Music Industry students and provides this program for the rest of us!
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Cool-Con: A Celebration of Cool Art
FMU, Department of Fine Arts, Campus Activities Board
Smith University Center and Thomason Auditorium
10:00 am – 8:00 pm Thursday, March 21, 2019
Cool-Con will feature numerous visiting artists, giving talks and demonstrations throughout the day, including Marvel and DC cartoonists, fantasy and children’s book illustrators, a science fiction and graphic novel writer, a caricaturist, a toy designer, filmmaker and special effects artist, cosplayers, ScienceSouth, Legend Comics, Galactic Comics, and more. Artists will be available throughout the day to discuss their work.
Also at 6 p.m., the 2018 blockbuster film Black Panther will be shown at the Thomason Auditorium in the Lee Nursing Building.
Willy Pete Band
FMU Artist Series
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, March 28, 2019
Willy Pete is a network of musicians, artists, teachers and songwriters committed to sharing their talent and skills to encourage, equip and entertain the American military community. Willy Pete members lay down their egos and self-promotion in order to honor the selfless lifestyle of the American warrior.
Musicians residing in nine major U.S. cities provide live performances, music lessons and recording opportunities for troops and veterans in an effort to serve this important community and recognize their sacrifice for our freedoms. Their music includes rock, pop, country … really, just about anything that will help someone deployed far away feel a little closer to home. Band members also write songs for and about the troops, drawing from the lifestyle and stories of military personnel they encounter on the road.
Dr. Brandon Goff, associate professor of music technology at Francis Marion Unviersity, is a regular member of Willy Pete and devotes much of his vacation time to traveling with the band and exposing FMU students to the behind-the-scenes business of musicians touring through foreign countries. Students lucky enough to participate inevitably return to the United States with a new appreciation of foreign lands, our troops, and the power of music.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Faculty Recital
Shane Reeves, Percussion
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Shane Reeves, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, completed his DMA in Percussion Performance at the University of South Carolina with a minor in music theory. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Florida and a Bachelors of Science in Music Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His primary teachers include Eric Hollenbeck, Gene Fambrough, Ken Broadway, Scott Herring, and Jim Hall. In addition, Shane has studied drum set and hand percussion with Rick Dior, West African percussion with master drummer Amara Camara and Brazilian percussion with Larry Crooke.
Shane has performed at many conferences and conventions including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the College Music Society National Conference, the South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, the Society of Composers National Conference, the International Conference on Thinking, the North Charleston Arts Festival, the Savannah College of Art and Design International Festival, the McCormick Marimba Festival, the Florence Arts International Festival, and the Southern Baptist Convention. He has also performed with a variety of musical ensembles including the Central Florida Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, Gainesville Chamber Orchestra, Palmetto Opera, South Carolina Philharmonic, Wilmington Symphony, J’Ouvert Steel Band, Pantasia Steel Band, Sunshine Steelers, Jacare Brazil, and the Woyate West African Drum and Dance Ensemble. As a member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Shane has shared the stage with Art Garfunkel, The Indigo Girls, Point of Grace, and Cirque Musica. He was also featured as a soloist with the Florence Symphony in a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto. As a member of the USC wind ensemble, Shane participated in a recording of the music of Leonard Bernstein for the Naxos label and was the principal percussionist during the ensemble’s concert tour of China. Shane has also given recitals and clinics at universities throughout the United States.
As an educator, Shane has taught percussion at various middle and high schools in Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina. During his time as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida, he taught percussion methods classes and the beginner steel band. Currently, Shane is on the faculty at Francis Marion University and is the principal percussionist for the Florence Symphony Orchestra, principal timpanist for the Masterworks Choir, and drummer for the experimental rock group Yellodrama. Shane endorses Black Swamp Percussion, Evans Drumheads, and Innovative Percussion and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, the College Music Society, and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Bert Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
Emily Bouchette, director
FMU University Theatre
Fine Arts Theatre, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, April 11-13, 2019
The Francis Marion University Theatre will close its 2018-2019 season with Bert Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.
RESERVATIONS: 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.
Arts International Festival
FMU Campus
April 13, 2019
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 13.
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
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Monday, April 15, 2019
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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Chamber Jazz Ensemble
Dr. Brandon Goff, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Tuesday, April 16, 2019
The FMU Chamber Jazz Ensemble 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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble
Brandon Goff, director
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Performing Arts Center/Downtown Florence
7:30 pm Thursday, April 18, 2019
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.
Box Office: 843-661-4444 between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.
Studio Voice Recital of Dr. Fran Coleman
FMU Department of Fine Arts
Adele Kassab Recital Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center
7:30 pm Monday, April 22, 2019
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.
