Concerts and Live Music

Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

 

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

 

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

Visit LEAF Global Arts every Saturday for an in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Experience the Ivory Coast with our Culture Keeper from the House of Djembe.

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of Matilda: The Musical, a delightfully imaginative adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book. This Tony Award-winning musical weaves the story of Matilda, a young girl with a sharp wit, unbounded imagination, and psychokinetic powers. Despite the indifference of her shallow parents and the tyranny of the oppressive headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Matilda discovers the strength within herself to change her story. Infused with dark humor, whimsical storytelling, and dazzling performances, Matilda: The Musical is a testament to the power of imagination, resilience, and the transformative magic of learning. A must-see for audiences of all ages who love heartwarming tales of triumph against all odds.

A talkback with the cast & crew of Matilda: The Musical will be held following the performances on April 14th and 21st.

Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone . From the
nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse
stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral
videos and digital streams, Del is the living link . On primetime and late-night television talk
shows, there is Del. From headlining sold-out concerts to music festivals of all genres, including
one carrying his namesake, there is Del. Where audiences number in the tens of thousands,
and admirers as diverse as country-rock icon Steve Earle and jamband royalty Phish count as
two among hundreds, there is Del.

Emerging from humble beginnings in York County, PA nearly eighty years ago, Del was
not the likeliest of candidates for legendary status. As a teen, he was captivated by the banjo
playing of one of its masters, Earl Scruggs, and decided he’d be a banjo picker, too. The
Baltimore/Washington, D.C. bar scene of the early 1960s was lively and rough. Del caught a
break. More than a break, really. It was an opportunity of a lifetime; joining Bill Monroe’s Blue
Grass Boys in early 1963. Considered the Father of Bluegrass, Monroe transformed McCoury,
moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead singer, and providing him with a
priceless trove of bluegrass tutelage direct from the source.

Countless hours of recording sessions and miles of tireless touring dotted the decades.
Del carried on, and carried with him the hallowed traditions of the form and its dedicated
following. The passing years became certificates of authenticity . So, in the sea of grunge and
R&B that dominated the music scene of the mid-1990s, it was special, perhaps even startling, to
see: There was Del.

Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble did and
continues to represent in a larger, growing musical community a peerless torchbearer for the
entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history . Those many years, not to mention a good-natured
willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities around him, earned McCoury a
whole new generation of fans, including some in unlikely places.

“I’m just doing what’s natural,” says Del. “When young musicians ask me what they
should do I always tell them, ‘You do whatever’s inside of you. Do what you do best.’”
No surprise that contemporary, bluegrass-bred stars sang his praises; marquee names
like Vince Gill and Alison Krauss (who first met Del at a bluegrass festival when she subbed for
his missing fiddler). Yet, here too was rocker Earle recording and touring with the group. Here
was Phish jamming onstage with the boys. Here was the band on TV, or headlining rock clubs
and college campuses; the can’t-miss appearances at country and jazz festivals. There was
Del.

“We don’t have a setlist,” says Del. “We try and work in the new songs, but a lot of times
it’s just requests from the audience. It’s more interesting for the band, for me, and for the
audience because nobody knows what’s coming next.”

Almost unimaginable, McCoury’s sixth decade in a half-century of bluegrass bliss brings new
triumphs, new collaborations, and new music. With but a single change in membership in twenty
seven years The Del McCoury Band shows unprecedented stability as well as garnering the
respect and admiration of the industry for its unmistakable work: nine IBMA Entertainer of the
Year trophies; in 2003, Del’s awarded membership in the cast of the legendary Grand Ole Opry;
the band’s first Best Bluegrass Album Grammy award, in ’05, followed by a second Grammy win
in 2014, (not to mention double-digit nominations).

“I know (having the same band) helped with my success. It keeps your sound constant,”
says Del. “We really enjoy what we’re doing.”

The group traveled with the groundbreaking post- O Brother “Down From The Mountain”
tour, and performed with Gill, recording on his Grammy-winning These Days , as well as country
sensation Dierks Bentley. In addition to becoming something of a regular at the wildly popular
Bonnaroo Music Festival, they’ve also curated and expanded Del’s annual namesake festival.
One of the premier string-band events in the country, the multi-day, multi-stage DelFest
showcases the new lions of the genre such as Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous
Stringdusters, and Old Crow Medicine Show, and legends like Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, and
Bobby Osborne, plus a diversity of artists like Phish frontman Trey Anastasio and blues-rock
veterans Gov’t Mule to Americana darlings The Wood Brothers and Rhiannon Giddens.
“DelFest is a great accomplishment,” says Del. “I never thought it would be as successful
as it is. And, when Sony Music came calling, post-Hurricane Katrina, proposing a collaboration
with New Orleans’ revered Preservation Hall Jazz Band, there was Del. If there was ever a
collection of recordings confirming McCoury’s wide-ranging impact and spirit of musical
comradery, it would be American Legacies . A wonderfully fulfilling cross-section of traditional
bluegrass and the Dixieland pomp of New Orleans, the album typified the Del McCoury Band’s
evolution from bluegrass vanguard to an American treasure.

“All music is related. Bill Monroe went to New Orleans and listened to jazz players. Earl
Scruggs- some of the tunes he recorded were from New Orleans,” says Del. “It all fits together if
you’re willing to be open-minded.”

And like any genuine treasure, the gifts keep coming. On their latest release, Del
McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass – a title that echoes his 1968 debut on Arhoolie Records, Del
McCoury Sings Bluegrass – Del and the boys bring home another stellar collection of traditional
bluegrass music. With 14 songs brimming with hot licks, classic songcraft, even some
boundary-stretching electric guitar, and once again, Del’s matchless vocal delivery, the Del
McCoury Band moves up the gold bar standard of bluegrass yet another notch. “What I like in a
record is variety of moods, of tempos,” Del says. “I consider myself traditional at heart, but I

don’t have any boundaries. I’m just a guy that likes to sing and play music. Whatever strikes me
to do I’ll do it. Without wrecking things.”
One listen and it’s clear as crystal. There is Del.

Experience the magic of a galaxy far, far away at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday, May 4th, 2024. The Greenville Symphony Orchestra presents “Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert.” Enjoy the iconic film with a live performance by GSO of John Williams’ Oscar®-winning score. Feel the force as the orchestra delivers an unforgettable family-friendly event.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 16 at 10:00 am and can be purchased online at BSWArena.com. Don’t miss this chance to be part of Star Wars like never before. May the force be with you!

Link: https://www.bonsecoursarena.com/events/detail/starwars-greenvilesymphonyorchestra-greenville

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra will present Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert featuring a screening of the complete film with composer John Williams’ iconic Oscar®-winning score performed live to the film. The concert will be led by conductor Thiago Tiberio on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m. ET, and start at $29.50, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at BSWArena.com or ticketmaster.com.

Since the release of this first Star Wars movie over 45 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects and iconic musical scores composed by Williams. Fans will experience the scope and grandeur of this beloved film in a live symphonic concert experience.

Legendary composer Williams is well known for scoring all nine of the Star Wars saga films, beginning with 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope for which he earned an Academy Award® for Best Original Score. His scores for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were each nominated for Best Original Score.

The presentation is licensed by Disney Concerts.

About Disney Concerts:

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras, choruses and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts, and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts that range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choirs. Featuring concerts from the largest movie franchises in the world – from Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar and 20th Century Studios – current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series, Toy Story, Aladdin, Disney Princess – The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

About the Greenville Symphony: THE GREENVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA is recognized as one of the finest professional orchestras in the southeastern U.S., and through a diverse mix of concert performances, educational programming, and community engagements reaches more than 50,000 individuals throughout the Upstate each year.

The Symphony has announced its ground-breaking 76th season in 2023-2024. Beginning with the season opener, September 9 & 10, the GSO will be led by 6 different finalists vying for the title of Music Director of the Greenville Symphony. Each MD candidate has curated a special program combining traditional and modern repertoire with blockbuster soloists. The orchestra’s unique offerings also include four signature programs conducted by Greenville musical giants, and Holiday at Peace, a 30+ year tradition featuring local and national celebrities.

For over two decades The Walker Family Band has delighted audiences throughout the Southeast with a distinctive take on traditional styles, performing Irish dance music and American old time music with a forward reaching attitude. We especially enjoy sharing original tunes, which grow naturally from these basic roots and from our thorough training and experience in classical music and jazz. Now living in the Asheville area, we are looking forward to performing for our new, and old friends here in these beautiful mountains! The Walker Family Band creates a confluence of sound with an end game plan; a fresh connection with each audience. True to Irish and American tradition, we share our experience and knowledge by conducting multi-instrumental workshops and by hosting an annual summer camp. The Walker Family Band Music Camp is attended by families and students from coast to coast.

Visit here to learn more: https://thewalkerfamilyband.com/

Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime. Seating is general admission. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to showtime. There may still be tickets available in the office after online sales have ended. Call the office for more information – 828.669.0930.

A mother. A daughter. 3 possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.

For nearly 25 years, people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story, and the music that make MAMMA MIA! the ultimate feel-good show.

Official Website

Les Hicken, conductor
Erik Franklin, clarinet
Richard Strauss: Serenade for 13 wind instruments
Robert Kurka: The Good Soldier Schweik
Erik Franklin: Solo Clarinet (Premiere)
Igo Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Kurt Weill: Little Three-Penny-Opera for Symphonic Winds

Richard Strauss was the son of an extraordinary horn player. Even the notoriously cranky composer Richard Wagner was quoted as saying “when he plays his horn, one cannot stay cross with him.” Did Richard’s dad influence his Serenade in E-flat? Probably. Either way, you can’t miss this chance to hear clarinet soloist Erik Franklin and the outstanding winds of the Greenville Symphony in a program that features just them. It’s a rare and wonderful opportunity to focus on the instruments of the orchestra powered by breath alone.

Erik Franklin, a Furman graduate and prominent American clarinetist is a former student of Les Hicken, and has written a new work which will be premiered on this program. South Carolina history is happening here.

Leslie Hicken, Conductor

Leslie W. Hicken, Professor Emeritus and the Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music, taught on the faculty of Furman University from the fall of 1993 until his retirement in 2019. Within the music department, his responsibilities included the directorship of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; professor of music education and instrumental conducting; and Assistant Director with the Marching Band. He was also the Director of the Furman Music by the Lake Concert Series and the Lakeside Concert Band. Currently, Dr. Hicken is the Artistic Director of the Carolina Youth Symphony and Co-Director of the Poinsett Wind Symphony. During the 2021-2022 academic year, he was the Visiting Professor at Clemson University as conductor of their Symphony Orchestra. This year, he is the interim Director of the Wind Ensemble at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Prior to his appointment at Furman, Hicken was Director of Bands at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. In addition to his duties at Youngstown State, he was the director of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra and a clarinetist in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in his career, Hicken was employed for five years as an instrumental music teacher in the Durham (NC) County School system. He began his musical career as a clarinetist in the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY.

In the fall of 2000, Hicken completed a residency with the public schools of Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil preparing a concert with their String Orchestra. Hicken received the Outstanding Bandmaster of the Year Award in 2000 and the Outstanding Contributor Award in 2002 from the South Carolina Chapter of Phi Beta Mu. In 2002, he was elected into the American Bandmasters Association. In the spring of 2010, he was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame. In 2015, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities organization. He is Past President of the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division and the South Carolina Band Directors Association.

Dr. Hicken received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Music Education from Indiana University. He studied clarinet with D. Stanley Hasty, Leon Russianoff, and Bernard Portnoy; and conducting with J. Marion Magill, Robert Klotman, and Ray Cramer.

Guest Artist: Erik Franklin, Clarinet

Award-winning composer and clarinetist Erik Franklin balances a vibrant, varied career on and off the stage. He has given concerts in nearly all fifty states and throughout Europe, performing for audiences large and small in venues from veterans’ homes to Carnegie Hall. A former member of the United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.), Franklin now performs as a soloist and chamber musician across the country as a member of the Ann Street Trio and the Heartwood Duo.

As a composer, Franklin is equally at home in the worlds of vocal and instrumental music. His art songs delight performers and audiences alike, with his penchant for writing lyrical, expressive melodies. His works have earned prizes from the National Association of Teachers of Singing and at the 2023 songSLAM festival in New York City. His debut opera, a collaboration with Facing West Shadows in San Francisco, is slated to premiere in the Fall of 2024. As an instrumental composer, Franklin has been commissioned by the Interlochen Arts Academy Band and the United States Air Force Academy Band.

Franklin is a passionate and experienced educator. He is a current faculty member at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and formerly served on the faculty at Towson University and the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. In the summer, he directs the Indiana Clarinet Experience—a music camp he co-founded in 2014.

Franklin holds a B.M. in Clarinet Performance from Furman University and an D.M. in Clarinet Performance from the renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is a South Carolina native and currently lives in Baltimore, MD. He is happily involved in his local arts community, where he enjoys hosting concerts in his home, drinking coffee, reading books, and nursing his ice cream addiction.

While White Horse Black Mountain is under construction, we will present several shows at other locations in our community. This event will take place at Kittredge Theatre on the campus of Warren Wilson College.

Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland, and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the Tannahill Weavers have made an international name for their special brand of Celtic music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. As one of the world’s premier traditional Celtic bands, their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, original ballads and lullabies, and humorous tales of life in Scotland.

“The music may be pure old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to straight ahead rock and roll.”

– Winnipeg Free Press

“An especially eloquent mixture of the old and the new.”

– New York Times

tannahillweavers.com

Jack’s Bluegrass Brunch kicks off every Sunday at 12 noon — with lively bluegrass tunes courtesy of The Jack of the Wood Bluegrass Brunch Boys from 1-3pm. Sip a Bloody Mary or Mimosa or a warm Irish coffee. Tasty brunch specials alongside our regular menu and 18 taps of rotating craft brews! Sláinte, y’all!

Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of Matilda: The Musical, a delightfully imaginative adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book. This Tony Award-winning musical weaves the story of Matilda, a young girl with a sharp wit, unbounded imagination, and psychokinetic powers. Despite the indifference of her shallow parents and the tyranny of the oppressive headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Matilda discovers the strength within herself to change her story. Infused with dark humor, whimsical storytelling, and dazzling performances, Matilda: The Musical is a testament to the power of imagination, resilience, and the transformative magic of learning. A must-see for audiences of all ages who love heartwarming tales of triumph against all odds.

A talkback with the cast & crew of Matilda: The Musical will be held following the performances on April 14th and 21st.

The 4SCO is pleased to present a program featuring music blending world cultures entitled “The Global Symphony,” featuring works by Borrodin, Nielson, and Asheville based world-music duo Free Planet Radio. The concert features Chris Rosser and River Guerguerian, who will bring their “shared vision of multi-instrumentalists exploring the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures through the universal language of sound” to the 4SCO stage through their Global Symphony Project, a world-Jazz tour de force. Also on the program are two masterpieces of the symphonic repertoire bridging cultures: In The Steppes of Central Asia, by Alexander Borodin, and Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite.
As the Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra continues with the mission of connecting music with important causes in our community, donations will be accepted at this concert for the 4SCO Student Lesson Scholarship Program.

Leslie Hicken, conductor
Erik Franklin, clarinet

Program:
Richard Strauss: Serenade for 13 wind instruments
Robert Kurka: The Good Soldier Schweik
Erik Franklin: Solo Clarinet (Premiere)
Igo Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Kurt Weill: Little Three-Penny-Opera for Symphonic Winds

To learn more about the conductor and guest artist, please visit www.greenvillesymphony.org.

PAN HARMONIA finishes its 24th season with Romance, an afternoon of music beauty for flute, cello and piano. Pianist Dewitt Tipton will be joined by flutist Kate Steinbeck and cellist Katherine Haig.

This Romance brings music beauty from an intimate Cello Suite by JS Bach to Ernst Bacon’s birdsongs Dusk over the March, and John Rutter’s lyrical Suite Antique climaxing with Carl Maria von Weber’s sensual Trio for Piano, Flute & Cello.

Donation-based, Pay-as-You-Can Community Concerts

All are welcome!

PAN HARMONIA shares its world-class music widely. We love playing for diverse audiences of all ages throughout the community – in galleries, churches, prisons, shelters and porches. We believe social justice and arts access go hand-in-hand.

CONTACT

PAN HARMONIA
Kate Steinbeck ,Creative Director
PO BOX 18342
Asheville, NC 28814

828-254-7123
[email protected]

Home

PAN HARMONIA finishes its 24th season with Romance, an afternoon of music beauty for flute, cello and piano. Pianist Dewitt Tipton will be joined by flutist Kate Steinbeck and cellist Katherine Haig.

This Romance brings music beauty from an intimate Cello Suite by JS Bach to Ernst Bacon’s birdsongs Dusk over the March, and John Rutter’s lyrical Suite Antique climaxing with Carl Maria von Weber’s sensual Trio for Piano, Flute & Cello.

Donation-based, Pay-as-You-Can Community Concerts

All are welcome!

PAN HARMONIA shares its world-class music widely. We love playing for diverse audiences of all ages throughout the community – in galleries, churches, prisons, shelters and porches. We believe social justice and arts access go hand-in-hand.

CONTACT

PAN HARMONIA
Kate Steinbeck ,Creative Director
PO BOX 18342
Asheville, NC 28814

828-254-7123
[email protected]

Home

Les Hicken, conductor
Erik Franklin, clarinet
Richard Strauss: Serenade for 13 wind instruments
Robert Kurka: The Good Soldier Schweik
Erik Franklin: Solo Clarinet (Premiere)
Igo Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Kurt Weill: Little Three-Penny-Opera for Symphonic Winds

Richard Strauss was the son of an extraordinary horn player. Even the notoriously cranky composer Richard Wagner was quoted as saying “when he plays his horn, one cannot stay cross with him.” Did Richard’s dad influence his Serenade in E-flat? Probably. Either way, you can’t miss this chance to hear clarinet soloist Erik Franklin and the outstanding winds of the Greenville Symphony in a program that features just them. It’s a rare and wonderful opportunity to focus on the instruments of the orchestra powered by breath alone.

Erik Franklin, a Furman graduate and prominent American clarinetist is a former student of Les Hicken, and has written a new work which will be premiered on this program. South Carolina history is happening here.

Leslie Hicken, Conductor

Leslie W. Hicken, Professor Emeritus and the Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music, taught on the faculty of Furman University from the fall of 1993 until his retirement in 2019. Within the music department, his responsibilities included the directorship of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; professor of music education and instrumental conducting; and Assistant Director with the Marching Band. He was also the Director of the Furman Music by the Lake Concert Series and the Lakeside Concert Band. Currently, Dr. Hicken is the Artistic Director of the Carolina Youth Symphony and Co-Director of the Poinsett Wind Symphony. During the 2021-2022 academic year, he was the Visiting Professor at Clemson University as conductor of their Symphony Orchestra. This year, he is the interim Director of the Wind Ensemble at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Prior to his appointment at Furman, Hicken was Director of Bands at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. In addition to his duties at Youngstown State, he was the director of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra and a clarinetist in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in his career, Hicken was employed for five years as an instrumental music teacher in the Durham (NC) County School system. He began his musical career as a clarinetist in the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY.

In the fall of 2000, Hicken completed a residency with the public schools of Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil preparing a concert with their String Orchestra. Hicken received the Outstanding Bandmaster of the Year Award in 2000 and the Outstanding Contributor Award in 2002 from the South Carolina Chapter of Phi Beta Mu. In 2002, he was elected into the American Bandmasters Association. In the spring of 2010, he was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame. In 2015, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities organization. He is Past President of the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division and the South Carolina Band Directors Association.

Dr. Hicken received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Music Education from Indiana University. He studied clarinet with D. Stanley Hasty, Leon Russianoff, and Bernard Portnoy; and conducting with J. Marion Magill, Robert Klotman, and Ray Cramer.

Guest Artist: Erik Franklin, Clarinet

Award-winning composer and clarinetist Erik Franklin balances a vibrant, varied career on and off the stage. He has given concerts in nearly all fifty states and throughout Europe, performing for audiences large and small in venues from veterans’ homes to Carnegie Hall. A former member of the United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.), Franklin now performs as a soloist and chamber musician across the country as a member of the Ann Street Trio and the Heartwood Duo.

As a composer, Franklin is equally at home in the worlds of vocal and instrumental music. His art songs delight performers and audiences alike, with his penchant for writing lyrical, expressive melodies. His works have earned prizes from the National Association of Teachers of Singing and at the 2023 songSLAM festival in New York City. His debut opera, a collaboration with Facing West Shadows in San Francisco, is slated to premiere in the Fall of 2024. As an instrumental composer, Franklin has been commissioned by the Interlochen Arts Academy Band and the United States Air Force Academy Band.

Franklin is a passionate and experienced educator. He is a current faculty member at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and formerly served on the faculty at Towson University and the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. In the summer, he directs the Indiana Clarinet Experience—a music camp he co-founded in 2014.

Franklin holds a B.M. in Clarinet Performance from Furman University and an D.M. in Clarinet Performance from the renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is a South Carolina native and currently lives in Baltimore, MD. He is happily involved in his local arts community, where he enjoys hosting concerts in his home, drinking coffee, reading books, and nursing his ice cream addiction.

Jack’s long-running Traditional Irish Music Session is the perfect way to enjoy the Celtic-influenced sounds of talented pluckers from all over WNC & further afield! Stop in to enjoy a pint or afternoon Irish coffee with the music! Sláinte!

Community handbell choir concert

ZACH BRYAN ANNOUNCES THE QUITTIN TIME 2024 TOUR

Zach Bryan announces his 2024 North American run, The Quittin Time Tour. The news comes just days after the singer-songwriter-producer released his fourth full-length studio album, Zach Bryan, available HERE via Warner Records. Fans can register for first access to tickets HERE, with presale beginning on September 6. General on-sale begins September 8. Bryan’s 2024 tour will take place in stadiums and major arenas across North America, kicking off in Chicago with two shows at the United Center on March 6 and 7, before heading out coast to coast. The shows will be supported by The Middle East, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Sheryl Crow, Sierra Ferrell, Matt Maeson, and Levi Turner.

The 27-year-old has built a hard-won reputation as an in-concert force of nature, second to none,as evidenced by anyone who attended shows from his Burn, Burn, Burn Tour which wraps in Kansas City atthe end of the month. All shows sold out instantly several months in advance,and he set new attendance records at several venues along the way.The new 16-track body of work explores the Grammy-nominated singer’s southern states roots thatcombine a litany of varied musical and literary influences that might be best described as “Zach Bryan music.” Written and produced entirely by Bryan himself, the self-titled album features raw and unfiltered stories that speak from the heart directly to his ever-growing global fanbase. Zach Bryan boasts collaborations with Kacey Musgraves,The Lumineers, Sierra Ferrell, and The War and Treaty. 

Hailing from Oologah, Oklahoma, Zach Bryan has quietly gone from serving in the U.S. Navy to rising to the forefront of country as a captivating storyteller, tried-and-true performer, and once-in-a-generation voice without comparison. After grinding it out independently and building a devout audience one fan at a time, he arrived as country music’s brightest and boldest star in 2022, tallying over 6.8 billion global streams. He notably earned a pair of platinum singles,“Heading South” and the now 5x-platinum “Something in the Orange.”

The latter also garnered a 2023 GRAMMY® Award nod in thecategory of “Best Country Solo Performance.” Meanwhile, his debut album, American Heartbreak, bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200, enshrining it as one of the most successful country album debuts in the genre’s history. Bryan also topped the Billboard Country Songwriters Chart at #1. Simultaneously, American Heartbreak emerged as the “#1 Country Album on Spotify” for 2022. The record closed out a banner year at #1 on The New York Times “Best Albums of 2022” and Billboard’s “Best Country Albums of 2022,” and attaining Platinum sales status in the US. The single “Something In The Orange” graced year-end lists by NPR, Associated Press,The Los Angeles Times, RollingStone, Consequence, SLANT,  RIAA, and more. The song has become a global chart hit in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Bryan’s American Heartbreak Tour sold out everyshow which included headlining theaters and amphitheaters coast-to-coast and performing at prestigious music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and Stagecoach. He chronicled his Red Rocks Amphitheater stop with his first-ever live album, ALL MY HOMIES HATE TICKETMASTER (LIVE FROM RED ROCKS), released on Christmas Day 2022 as a heartfelt “Thank You” to his fans. As 2022 drew to a close, Bryan and band performed “Motorcycle Drive-By,” and “Summertime Blues,” on the hit TV series Yellowstone season 5, episode 7, (Dec 18) which also featured the song “Quittin Time.” “The Good I’ll Do” has been featured in a previous episode and reacting in a big way on Shazam.

Throughout 2023, Bryan has traveled the globe for his fully sold out Burn, Burn, Burn headline tour, breaking arena attendance records along the way. On August 25, he released his new, self-titled full-length album to immediate critical acclaim.

Sign up for first access to tickets to Zach Bryan in Greenville, SC HERE

A mother. A daughter. 3 possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.

For nearly 25 years, people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story, and the music that make MAMMA MIA! the ultimate feel-good show.

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