Concert Programs 2006-2007

CAROLINE JEFFERIES began her violin studies at the age of eight with Dr. Sherry Woods of Florence, S.C. She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the University of South Carolina, where she studied with violinist Frits de Jong. As a USC "Friends of the School of Music" full scholarship recipient, Jefferies participated in the USC Symphony Orchestra and USC Chamber Orchestra. She is presently pursuing a Masters Degree in violin performance at Northwestern University where she Studies with Gerardo Ribeiro.

Jefferies won the S.C. Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Strings Solo Competition in 2001 and 2004, and was featured on the soundtrack of the film Postcards produced by Duke University in 2003.

Between 2001-2004, Jefferies attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival where she earned the distinction of concertmaster of the Sewanee Symphony. She has also performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Meadowmount School of Music.

Jefferies maintains a very active free-lance career in the tri-state area. In August of 2004, she established a violin teaching studio at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. During this time, she was a member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Statesboro-Georgia Southern Symphony, Charlotte Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony Orchestra, and she has served as concertmaster of the Charleston Civic Orchestra.

BENJAMIN WOODS has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his d,but in 1985. He has performed as guest soloist with the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Florence SC, in concertos of Brahms, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dohnany and Gershwin, he has performed the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Florence Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra, and he has performed Beethoven concertos nos. 3, 4, and 5 with conductor John Paul and members of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Mississippi. A professor of music at Francis Marion College in Florence, he was Conductor/Music Director of the Florence Symphony from 1996 to 2002. He was recently selected as a FLU Board of Trustees Research Scholar. He continues his teaching and performing careers.

                       PROGRAM

Sonata No. 3 in Eb Major, op. 12. . Ludwig van Beethoven
    Allegro con spirito
    Adagio con molt'espressione
    Rondo-Allegro molto

Sonata No. 1 in G Minor . . . . . .Johann Sebastian Bach
    II. Fuga

Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 . . .Henryk Wieniawski
    Allegro moderato
    Romance
    Allegro con fuoco-Allegro moderato (a la Zingara)

FMU Artist Series Concert
Monday, 25 September 2006
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm
Free Admission / No Advance Reservations

Othello by William Shakespeare
performed by National Players

"O, beware, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” (III, iii)

Among the greatest of Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is a searing tragedy of love turned into hate by the murdering poisons of jealousy. Experience National Players' energized exploration of this classic text.

Director’s Notes – "Shakespeare’s tragedy of OTHELLO is essentially a tragedy of the Romantic notion of love. Everyone in the play loves “wisely, but not too well,” as Othello describes his own actions in his final speech. The idea that love, specifically love between man and woman, which is among the highest of idealized notions in Romanticism, could in fact be one’s undoing, was a recurring theme in much of literature from the period. It is love that makes us human, that makes us transcend our baser natures, that appeals to the higher faculties and makes us more fully and completely ourselves. It is an ironic and an unavoidable aspect of the human condition that this capacity in us, when taken to the extreme or when subverted by deception in ourselves or others, can rip us apart and reduce us to the responses of an endangered animal and ultimately make us do things that we could never see ourselves doing." – Clay Hopper

National Players, America's longest running classical touring company, has now reached its 58th consecutive season of touring. Currently the touring program of Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, National Players has earned a distinctive place in American theater. Committed to the formation of young theatrical talent and audiences, National Players seeks to celebrate the experience of theatergoing by presenting the world's greatest dramatic literature.

Players' productions adhere to strict traditions of touring theater: Company members double and triple, not only in roles, but technical assignments such as lighting, sound, costumes, set-up and strike. National Players makes literature live for its audiences by touching minds and hearts. Each year, whether performing in inner city schools or in rural America, tour members continue the tradition by traveling state-to-state, sparking the imagination of audiences across the country.

The October First Tuesday Chamber Music Recital will feature pianist Dr. Benjamin Woods in Kassab Recital Hall.

Benjamin Woods has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his d‚but in 1985. As pianist, he has presented many faculty recitals at Francis Marion University, chamber music and solo concerts at numerous other colleges and universities, and performances at community concert series and festivals. He has performed as guest soloist with the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Florence SC, in concertos of Brahms, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dohnanyi and Gershwin. He has performed the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Florence Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra. He has performed Beethoven concertos nos. 3, 4, and 5 with conductor John Paul and members of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Mississippi. With the South Carolina Philharmonic, he has performed the Mozart Piano Concerto no. 23. He was selected one of twelve national finalists in the U.S. Information Agency's Artistic Ambassador Competition, and one of ten finalists in the Beethoven International Piano Competition.

Besides performing in the Woods Family Ensemble with his wife Sherry Woods, violist, and their children Christopher Woods, violinist, and Adrienne Woods, cellist, he has collaborated in recital with the Firenze String Quartet, and with artists Sue Butler Mills, soprano, Roland LeRoy Skinner, bassoonist, and, William Mills, pianist. He has also given concerts with Kathleen Vandekieft, Metropolitan Opera soprano finalist, Harold Jones, concert flutist, and Steve Maxym, principal bassoonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Benjamin Woods has conducted concerts of the Francis Marion College Chorus, the Florence Choral Society, and the Florence Masterworks Choir and Orchestra. Having served as Music Director/Conductor of the Florence Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2002, he recently retired from this post to devote all his energies to piano performance. Besides great symphonic literature, he has conducted the Florence Symphony in concertos and vocal works with artists such as Robert Jesselson and Kenneth Law, cellists, David Kim, violinist, Kathleen Vandekieft and Sue Orr, sopranos, Michael Best, tenor, Walter Hautzig, Raymond Dudley, Dana Dixon, and Michael Kim, pianists, and the Eroica Trio.

Presently a professor of music at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC, Benjamin Woods has recently received the distinction of being named one of Francis Marion University's Board of Trustees' Research Scholars. This designation recognizes his outstanding scholarly achievements in music performance, and the promise of continued scholarly activity in the future. He earned the BS degree in performance and education as a scholarship student from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. As a Graduate Fellowship recipient, he received the Master of Music degree in performance from Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, studying with Raymond Dudley, Artist-in-Residence. His other teachers and coaches include such outstanding musicians as Melissa Bayard, Verlie Mitchell, Martha Craft, Hubert Kaszynski, Ivy Boland, and concert pianists Eugene List, Beveridge Webster and Walter Hautzig.

Rhapsody in b minor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Johannes Brahms

Sonata in f minor, op 57, 'Appassionata'. . . . Ludwig van Beethoven
     Allegro assai
     Andante con moto
     Allegro ma non troppo

L'isle joyeuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claude A. Debussy

INTERMISSION

J'eau deux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maurice Ravel

Sonata in b flat minor. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sergei Rachmaninoff
     Allegro agitato
     Lento
     Allegro molto

FMU Guest Recital Series
Thursday, 26 October 2006
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

Lecture Recital: The Koto and Japanese Traditional Music: Changing tradition? by Mary Louise Nagata with Starr Ward

The koto is the traditional Japanese zither. This instrument is also played in China, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Thailand and has been a popular instrument in East Asia at least since the first emperor of China in 200 BCE. Ceramic figures and paintings from ancient China, Japan and Korea also attest to the age of this instrument. We know that the koto dates back at least to the 7th century in Japan since it appears in 7th century ceramic figures in graves.

Dr. Mary Louise Nagata is Assistant Professor in the History department at Francis Marion University since August 2005. Her specialization is Asian history, particularly Japanese history, and is performing this concert lecture in conjunction with her course on Modern Japan, 1600-present.

Dr. Nagata first went to Japan in 1975 where she studied violin and music pedagogy of the Suzuki method at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan with Shin'ichi Suzuki earning her teaching certificate in 1977. In 1983 she began the study of the koto in Kyoto, Japan with Mrs. Ineko Oka, a performing artist and student of the famous 20th century performer and composer Michio Miyagi. Since then Dr. Nagata has continued to practice the koto and performed in concerts and as guest artist in various recitals and other venue in Japan, Switzerland and the US. Here in Florence she played at the International Festival with the Suzuki Strings and solo at the Fine Arts Gala in 2005.
Starr Ward

Since 1984, Dr. Nagata also practices and performs in the Tokiwazu school of Kabuki narration related to the kabuki theater. She uses her background in both the Western and Japanese musical performance traditions as a basis for comparison. In the concert, she will give short talks about the Japanese music tradition and how it has changed over time 1600-present including the development of and opposition to notation systems for Japanese instrumental music.

Starr Ward, violinist, is concertmaster of the Florence Symphony Orchestra and performs with the Masterworks Choir and Firenze Quartet. She maintains a studio of 20 violin students and is co-founder of Florence-Darlington Strings and founder of Suzuki Strings of Florence.
For 18 years, she served on the faculty of the NC Suzuki Institute, and now she joins Dr Terry Roberts in the third year of the Florence Symphony String Camp at FMU. Starr holds a Bachelor of Music Education cum laude and Master of Music Education from UNC-Greensboro. She is married to Dr. Benjamin Ward, with two children and two grandsons.

                                PROGRAM

Rokudan no Shirabe (Melody in six steps) . . . . . . . . Yatsuhashi Kengyo
                         Mary Louise Nagata, koto

Midare (Turbulence). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yatsuhashi Kengyo?
                         Mary Louise Nagata, koto

                            Brief Intermission

Chidori no Kyoku (Song of Plovers) . . . . . . . . . . . .Yoshizawa Kengyo
                    Mary Louise Nagata, koto and voice

                            Brief Intermission

Haru no Umi (The Spring Sea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miyagi Michio
                            Starr Ward, violin
                         Mary Louise Nagata, koto

FMU Wind Symphony Concert
Tuesday, 31 October 2006
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm

University Wind Symphony
Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor

The Wind Symphony rehearses on Tuesday evenings and is open to adult participation. This is the fourth year we have performed in this format. As you can see from the personnel roster, the membership is evenly divided between FMU students and community participants. 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 http://web.fmarion.edu/~finearts/windband.htm or email Dr. Roberts at troberts@fmarion.edu.

PROGRAM

A Festival Prelude . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alfred Reed

The Earle of Oxford's March. . . . . . . .Gordon Jacobs

Chorale and Alleluia . . . . . . . . . . .Howard Hanson

Three Songs from Sussex. . . . . . . . . Hugh M. Stuart
    March for the Duke of Chichester                   
    Ayre for Mary Pribble                              
    Gatwick's Galumph

A Symphonic Prelude. . . . . . . . . . . . .Alfred Reed

Tritsch-Tratsch Polka. . . . . . . . . . Johann Strauss
                                       Arr. Alfred Reed

Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor

SHERRY WOODS has distinguished herself in the areas of concert and chamber viola performance, violin and viola teaching, and music composition. She was associated with the Florence Symphony for 32 years as principal violist, and is a member of the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Firenze Quartet, the Woods Family Quartet, and the Woods Duo. Many of Dr. Woods violin and viola students have won scholarships to festivals and universities preparing for musical careers.

Sherry Woods is a magna cum laude graduate of Southern Methodist University. She was the first person to be awarded a Masters degree on a string instrument from the University of South Carolina, subsequently attaining a Doctorate in Performance and another Doctorate in Composition. She was named a South Carolina Arts Commission Touring Artist for 2003-2005, and several times earlier.

In the area of composition, Dr. Woods has produced a number of significant commissioned works that have been performed in recitals and in concerts from New York City to Taiwan. Some of these works were commissioned by the Florence Symphony, the Firenze Quartet, the Florence Public School District No 1, the Lowcounty Historical Society, and the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra. Her Wisdom Fanfare was recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia) in February 2005 for Volume Six of Masterworks of a New Era, a ten CD series produced by ERM Media.

Dr. Woods has won numerous prizes for her compositions including the University of South Carolina Saxophone Composition Contest with her work, Lament for Lost Infants for saxophone quartet; the work was awarded a performance by the Vienna Saxophone Quartet. Her choral work, Sapphic Songs for women's chorus, won fourth prize in the Denver Women's Chorus National Competition. In the International Alliance of Women Composition Contest, she won the Marion Gideon First Prize for her song cycle, Of Rivers and Trees. Woods spent June 2005 as artist-in-residence at the Julia and David White Artist Colony in Costa Rica and was artist-in-residence in August at Wildacres in North Carolina.

BENJAMIN WOODS has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his debut in 1985. As pianist, he has presented many faculty recitals at Francis Marion University, chamber music and solo concerts at numerous other colleges and universities, and performances at community concert series and festivals. He was selected one of twelve national finalists in the U.S. Information Agency's Artistic Ambassador Competition, and one of ten finalists in the Beethoven International Piano Competition.

Benjamin Woods has conducted concerts of the Francis Marion College Chorus, the Florence Choral Society, and the Florence Masterworks Choir and Orchestra. Having served as Music Director/ Conductor of the Florence Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2002, he recently retired from this post to devote all his energies to solo and chamber piano performance. Presently a professor of music at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC, Benjamin Woods has recently received the distinction of being named one of Francis Marion University's Board of Trustees' Research Scholars as a result of his musical performance achievements.

THE WOODS DUO provides an evening of outstanding musical entertainment with viola/piano and solo piano literature. Programs range from traditional music of the great masters to music of our time. The Duo has performed on educational radio and television, in addition to solo and chamber music concerts across the country.

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Thursday, 16 November 2006
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm

University Jazz Express
Craig Alberty, conductor

This semester, the University Jazz Express provides FMU students with an opportunity to explore the jazz repertoire in a small, improvisational ensemble. Contact Dr. Terry Roberts 843.661.1681 for additional information about participating in the Jazz Express.

                              PROGRAM

On The Street Where You Live . . . . Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

When I Fall In Love. . . . . . . . . . . .Edward Heyman and Victor Young

Straight, No Chaser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thelonius Monk
                                              Arranged by Frank Mantooth

Chameleon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Herbie Hancock
                                              Arranged by Frank Mantooth

Hello Dolly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jerry Herman
                                               Arranged by Paul Severson

Let It Be. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Say A Little Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . .Burt Bacharach and Hal David

The Preacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Horace Silver

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

University String Ensemble
Terry Roberts, director

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Tuesday, 28 November 2006
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

Cut Time Show Choir
Sue Butler Orr, director

Francis Marion’s show choir, CUT TIME is an audition-only group which combines singing and choreography. This group performs throughout the region for schools and service organizations. In the fall of 1996 they traveled to Lake City and Charleston, singing in 5 high schools. In October of 1997 they sang at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando. In 1998 they traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, in Washington, D.C. and in Vienna, Austria. In April of 2002, they returned to Disney World and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. Spring of 2003 included a performance cruise to the Bahamas.

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Sunday, 3 December 2006, 3:00 pm
St. Luke Lutheran Church
1201 Cherokee Road, Florence

Francis Marion University Concert Choir
Sue Butler Orr, director

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.

At right the Francis Marion University Concert Choir performs at Central United Methodist Church in Spring 2005.

FMU First Tuesday Chamber Music Series
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

The Firenze Quartet presents
Quartets Through the Years

The Firenze String Quartet was formed in 1978 in response to requests from the community for a string quartet to play weddings, receptions, and church music. The musicians were all members of the Florence Symphony and happened to all have a connection to Francis Marion College since they were all wives of faculty members, and in the case of one of the musicians a faculty member herself.

In addition to the community service the Firenze String Quartet has performed a recital of chamber music just about every year since 1978, usually at Francis Marion University, but also in Wilmington and Morganton, North Carolina. They have played in many locations in the Pee Dee and at Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, and Charleston. Frequently, other musicians are asked to join them so that they can play quintets or sextets in addition to the standard quartet literature.

The original members of the quartet were Thelma Hawkins, violin, Doris West, violin, Sherry Woods, viola, and Julia Krebs, cello. Doris West, founding member of the quartet, has retired to Mt. Pleasant. Starr Ward now plays with the group as first or second violin.

Thelma Hawkins, violin, is a long time member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra. She is retired from the public schools where she was the orchestra teacher at Williams and Wilson. She now teaches privately and is associated with the Florence Darlington String Association. She received her early training in Los Angeles, California and is a graduate of UCLA. She also hold a Master’s in Education from Francis Marion. Her interest in quartet playing was sparked by Converse Chamber Music Workshops through the years.

Starr Ward, violin, is currently the concertmaster of the Florence Symphony Orchestra. She has been a soloist with the symphony, most recently playing one of the Bach Brandenburg concertos in their last concert. She graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Music Education. She has a studio of private students in Florence.

Sherry Woods, viola, is former Principal Viola of the Florence Symphony and a member of the South Carolina Philharmonic. She has both a DMA in musical composition and a DMA in viola from the University of South Carolina. Several of her compositions have been premiered by the Firenze String Quartet, the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Masterworks Choir, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Ciompi Quartet of Duke University. She maintains a studio of private students in Florence.

Julia Krebs, cello, has played in the Florence Symphony for 30 years, 20 of those years as principal cellist. Dr. Krebs is well-known to Francis Marion University students as a professor in the biology department and as one of the University's Distinguished Professors.


            Quartets Through the Years


Quartet in E Major . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Luigi Boccherini
    Minuetto


Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3. . . . . . . . .Joseph Haydn
    Allegro con brio


Quartet in D Major, Op. 44, No. 2. . . . . . Felix Mendelssohn
    Andante
Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 ("American"). . . . . .Anton Dvořák
    Finale


Quartet, Op. 49, No. l . . . . . . . . . . Dmitri Shostakovich
    Moderato


The Beatles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lennon/McCartney
    Eleanor Rigby (1966)                    Arr. Matt Naughtin
    Yesterday (1965)
    Day Tripper (1964)

FMU Wind Symphony Concert
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm

University Wind Symphony
Dr. Terry Roberts, conductor

William Byrd Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gordon Jacobs
    Jhon come kisse me now
    The Mayden's Song
    Wolsey's Wilde
    The Bells

Pictures at an Exhibition, Finale. . . . . . . . . . . .Modest Mussorgsky
                                                         arr. Alfred Reed

Shenandoah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Ticheli

Scenes from "The Louvre" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Norman Dello Joio
    The Portals
    Children's Gallery
    The Kings of France
    Finale

Trumpets, Ole! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Cofield

FMU Artist Series Concert
Thursday, 1 March 2007
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm

Cosi fan tutte K.588 by W. A. Mozart
performed by Capital City Opera Company

Synopsis: Ferrando and Guglielmo think that their fiancées, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will always remain loyal. Don Alfonso, an old bachelor, bets the two young men that their fiancées are not more faithful than other women are. As part of the bet, the two men pretend to be sent off to battle but instead dress up as two Albanian suitors. After a series of hilarious attempts, the two Albanians, with the aid of the ladies’ chambermaid, Despina, manage to gain the love of Fiordiligi and Dorabella. After losing the bet and being enraged at their fiancées’ lack of will, the two men decide that they are all a bit wiser. The men still love their fiancées, despite their infidelities, and want to get married…after all, all women are like that.

The Capitol City Opera Company will perform in a free chamber production of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte ("women are like that") on the FMU campus in McNair Science Building Auditorium.

A small cast, accompanied by piano, will tell the story of Ferrando and Guglielmo and their fiancees, Fiordiligi and Dorabella. Don Alfonso, an old bachelor, makes a bet with the two young men about the fidelity of their fiancees. Hilarity and romance ensue when the two young men attempt an elaborate deception to prove to Don Alfonso that when it comes to love, not all women are unfaithful.

Firmly believing that opera is for everyone, Capital City Opera Company will perform this two-act production in English. It is not a remote art form that only the initiated appreciate – it reflects human conflicts and passions. It has inspired a level of devotion in some people best compared to that of a die-hard sports fan. Just as you do not need to know every statistic to enjoy watching a football game, you do not need to be a music or opera expert to enjoy our performances.

The Capitol City Opera Company formed in 1983 to provide classically trained singers in the Atlanta area the opportunity to learn and perform opera. Says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "For more than 20 years, on a tiny budget, Capitol City has achieved the impossible: small-scale, but well-constructed productions of chamber operas."

Così fan tutte

Capital City Opera

(All Women Are Like That)

FMU First Tuesday Chamber Music Series
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

Chamber Recital: Florence Symphony Winds

    Peter Fichte (clarinet) is Professor of Chemistry at Coker College. Dr. Fichte is currently principal clarinetist in the Florence Symphony. Prior to his coming to South Carolina, he played in orchestras and various chamber music groups in Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut. He has been a soloist with the FSO in concertos by Mozart and Weber, and has participated in other chamber music groups in the Pee Dee region of the state.
    Christine Fisher (clarinet) received her undergraduate degree from UNC - Pembroke and later earned her masters from the University of South Carolina in music education. Mrs. Fisher has been a member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra for the past 25 years. She taught music at Southside Middle School, in Florence South Carolina for 18 years. She was selected as the 1998 South Carolina Teacher of the Year; representing 47,000 public school teachers in South Carolina. She is the only arts teacher to be selected in the 46-year history of the Teacher of the Year program in South Carolina. Christine became Director of the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project, housed at Winthrop University in July 2001 and works with schools and districts all over the state to maintain and expand arts opportunities for students. She is truly blessed to be married to Tim Fisher.
    Roy Skinner (bassoon) had a colorful career as a jazz saxophonist, and was drafted by Dr. Gordon Bobbett to play bassoon in the Florence Symphony while serving at McLeod Hospital as a young medical intern in 1955. Dr. Skinner has been principal bassoonist with the FSO ever since, frequently performing solo concertos with the orchestra. He was recently honored by the Florence Symphony with a solo performance at their February concert celebrating his 50th anniversary year as principal bassoonist with the orchestra. He founded and performs with various groupings of the Florence Symphony Winds. He also has performed with other chamber music groups. An avid opera lover, he has written and performed a number of opera transcriptions on the bassoon. He co-founded the Jeter-Skinner Family Practice in 1958, and practiced medicine full time with the group until his retirement several years ago. He was one of the original organizers and performers of the First Tuesday Chamber Recital Series, and has performed in the series nearly every year since its inception.
    Benjamin Woods has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his d,but in 1985. He has performed as guest soloist with the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Florence SC, in concertos of Brahms, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dohnanyi and Gershwin, he has performed the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Florence Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra, and he has performed Beethoven concertos nos. 3, 4, and 5 with conductor John Paul and members of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Mississippi. A professor of music at Francis Marion College in Florence, he was Conductor/Music Director of the Florence Symphony from 1996 to 2002. He was recently selected as a FMU Board of Trustees Research Scholar. He continues his teaching and performing careers.

Six Studies in English Folk-Song. . . . . .Ralph Vaughn Williams
     I. Adagio
    II. Andante sostenuto
   III. Larghetto
    IV. Lento
     V. Andante tranquillo
    VI. Allegro vivace

Romance for Bassoon, Op. 62 . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Elgar

Divertimento No. 3 in Bb Major, K 229,. .Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
for two clarinets and bassoon
        Allegro
        Menuetto I
        Adagio
        Menuetto II
        Rondo: Allegro assai

Grand Duo for Hautbois et Basson, Op. 43, . . . . . . Henri Brod
avec accompagnement de piano
        Allegretto
        Andante sostenuto
        Allegro
        Allegro agitato
        Allegro moderato

OUR HONOREE

    Adele Kassab has supported FMU since its inception in 1970. She attended Converse and Coker colleges, where she pursued her love of music. She has spent her life involved in musical study, instruction and performance. She has served as piano teacher, choir member, choir director and pianist, and has been integrally involved in various area arts groups and on community-minded and special interest boards and church organizations.
    On April 24, 1982, in honor of her love of music and for the university, the Adele Kassab Recital Hall in the Hyman Fine Arts Center was named for her. She has been a major supporter of the university's music program. The Adele Kassab Music Scholarship has been awarded annually since 1971 to FMU students studying music.
    She was a charter member of the Friends of Francis Marion, an organization of Pee Dee residents dedicated to helping the university by raising funds for student scholarships. Having served in many capacities at FMU, she is a past member of the FMU Foundation Board and continues to serve on the committee which plans the annual Art's Alive Festival.
    Through her life-long dedication to education and to the arts, Adele Kassab has enriched the lives of thousands and has fostered the cultural development of Florence, the Pee Dee, and the State of South Carolina.
    The Steinway concert grand piano she donated to FMU and in use this evening has just undergone extensive renovation. There can be no more fitting rededication of this beautiful instrument than with a recital by her friends in honor of Adele.
    Bravo!

PROGRAM


Concerto for Horn, Op. 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Franz Strauss
     Allegro Moderato

Romance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Scriabine
                           Terry Roberts, Horn
                         Benjamin Woods, pianist

Summertime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Gershwin
                          Jane Gower, soprano
                        Benjamin Woods, pianist

"Eighteenth Variation" on a Theme by Paganini. . . . . Sergei Rachmaninoff
                                                   Arranged by F. Kreisler
                          The Firenze Quartet
               Thelma Hawkins, violin; Starr Ward, violin;
                 Sherry Woods, viola; Julia Krebs; cello

Danny Boy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traditional Irish Air
                           Fred Kunz, tenor
                      Rebecca Culbertson, pianist

Sonata VIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arcangelo Corelli
     Prelude                          Transcribed by R. Bernard Fitzgerald
     Gigue
                Craig Alberty - Wind controlled synthesizer
                       Kathy Henderson - Keyboard

Time After Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
                                                 Arranged by Craig Alberty
                        Craig Alberty - Saxophone
                         Kathy Henderson - Piano

I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. W. Balfe
                             Sue Orr, soprano
                          Benjamin Woods, Pianist

Sonata in Cþminor, Op. 27, no. 2, C# Minor, "Moonlight". . . . . Beethoven
     Adagio

Polonaise in Aþ Major, op 53, "Heroic" . . . . . . . . . .Frederick Chopin
                          Benjamin Woods, pianist

Craig Alberty has served on the music faculty at FMU for eleven years; he is Music Coordinator and Director of Instrumental Activities. He is the composer of over forty published works and operates an audio production studio. He performs regularly on saxophones, clarinet, and wind-controlled synthesizer in both jazz and classical settings.

Rebecca M. (Becky) Culbertson has served churches in South Carolina as organist, music assistant, or music director for over thirty years and presently serves Macedonia United Methodist Church in Mullins as organist. She came to Francis Marion in 1988 and has been FMU's Coordinator of Benefits for almost 18 years. She studied with Bobbie S. Reddick, Samuel Driggers, Joyce Farrow and, most recently, with Dr. Benjamin Woods.

Jane Gower is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at FMU. She has performed as soprano with the Florence Masterworks Choir and the Florence Baptist Church/Holden Chapel. She has performed with the Florence Little Theater in the musicals Showboat and My Fair Lady, and as Lady Thiang in The King and I. She has also performed as vocalist with the Florence Big Band.

Thelma Hawkins, violin, is a long time member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra. She is retired from the public schools where she was the orchestra teacher at Williams and Wilson. She now teaches privately and is associated with the Florence Darlington String Association. She received her early training in Los Angeles, California and is a graduate of UCLA. She also hold a Master's in Education from Francis Marion. Her interest in quartet playing was sparked by Converse Chamber Music Workshops through the years.

Kathy Henderson is the owner of a piano instruction studio and is the keyboardist and worship band leader at Greenwood Baptist Church in Florence.

Julia Krebs, cello, has played in the Florence Symphony for 30 years, 20 of those years as principal cellist. Dr. Krebs is well-known to Francis Marion University students as a professor in the biology department and as one of the University's Distinguished Professors.

Fred Kunz, a Florence native, has been singing from an early age. From his high school chorus experiences at McClenaghen High School, he graduated to the Clemson University Chorus. After receiving his degree from Clemson, he returned to Florence where he is now employed by Francis Marion University as Grounds Superintendent. He continues to sing in many community projects, and has been a member of the Masterworks Choir for 20 years.

Sue Butler Orr, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, graduated from Samford University with a Bachelor of Music Degree in vocal performance. She then attended Florida State University, receiving a Master of Music Degree also in vocal performance. Since coming to Florence, SC in 1969, Mrs.Orr has sung in many churches, appeared as soloist with the Masterworks Choir, Florence Symphony Orchestra, Longbay Symphony and has conducted choral workshops. Mrs. Orr is Associate Professor of Music and director of the choral program at Francis Marion University.

Terry Roberts has performed all over Europe and the United States. Upon returning to live in America he was a prize winner in the American Horn Competition. Currently Dr. Roberts is the Music Director of the Florence Symphony Orchestra and Principal Horn of the Asheville Symphony. He teaches part time at Francis Marion University.

Starr Ward, violin, is currently the concertmaster of the Florence Symphony Orchestra. She has been a soloist with the symphony, most recently playing one of the Bach Brandenburg concertos in their last concert. She graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Music Education. She has a studio of private students in Florence.

Benjamin Woods has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his debut in 1985. He has performed as guest soloist with the Florence Symphony Orchestra, with the Florence Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra, and with John Paul and members of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. A professor of music at Francis Marion College in Florence, he was Conductor/Music Director of the Florence Symphony from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Woods was recently selected an FMU Board of Trustees Research Scholar and recognized as one of the University's distinguished professors.

Sherry Woods, viola, is former Principal Viola of the Florence Symphony and a member of the South Carolina Philharmonic. She has both a DMA in musical composition and a DMA in viola from the University of South Carolina. Several of her compositions have been premiered by the Firenze String Quartet, the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Masterworks Choir, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Ciompi Quartet of Duke University. Dr. Woods maintains a studio of private students in Florence and was recently chosen Outstanding Studio Teacher of the Year by the S.C. chapter of the American String Teachers Association.

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Thursday, 5 April 2007
McNair Science Building Auditorium, 8:00 pm

University Jazz Express
Craig Alberty, conductor

The University Jazz Express provides FMU students with an opportunity to explore the jazz repertoire in both big band and improvisational ensembles. Contact Dr. Terry Roberts 843.661.1681 for additional information about participating in the Jazz Express.

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Thursday, 5 April 2007, 8:00 pm
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center

Senior Piano Recital: John Robert Smith
student of Dr. Benjamin Woods

John Robert Smith, Jr. has studied piano for fourteen years and has been a student of Dr. Benjamin Woods for four years. During his study, he has focused on classical era composers, including Fritz Spindler, Friedrich Kuhlau, Muzio Clementi, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In addition to the piano, Mr. Smith also plays trombone in the Francis Marion Wind Symphony which has performed with the Forence Symphony Orchestra. Also, he was honored by being selected to perform in the 2007 South Carolina Collegiate Honor Band. Mr Smith served as the Pit Percussion Instructor for the 2006 State Champion Cheraw High School Marching Band in Cheraw, SC. He will graduate from Francis Marion University in May, 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computational physics and a minor in music. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a Master of Science degree in meteorology.

PROGRAM

Spinning Song, op. 14                 Albert Elmenreich
Toccatina, op. 27, no. 7              Dmitri Kabalevsky
Sonatina in C Major, op. 55, no. 1     Friedrich Kuhlau
	Allegro
	Vivace
Prelude in A Major, op. 28, no. 7       Frédéric Chopin
Prelude in C Minor, op. 28, no. 20      Frédéric Chopin
Sonatina in C Major, op. 36, no. 3       Muzio Clementi
	Spiritoso
	Un poco adagio
	Allegro
Solfeggietto                                C.P.E. Bach
Sailor’s Song, op. 68, no. 1               Edvard Grieg
Sonata in G Major, K283              Wolfgang A. Mozart
	Allegro
	Presto

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Sunday, 15 April 2007, 3:00 pm
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center

Francis Marion University Concert Choir
Sue Butler Orr, director

FMU Department of Fine Arts
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 7:30 pm

University String Ensemble
Terry Roberts, director

Fine Arts Chamber Music Series
Monday, 23 April 2007
Kassab Hall, Hyman Fine Arts Center, 8:00 pm

Recital by The Woods Family

The Woods Family -- Benjamin, Sherry, Christopher, and Adrienne -- will present a recital in Kassab Recital Hall of Hyman Fine Arts Center at Francis Marion University on Monday, April 23 at 8:00 pm. The concert will feature Faure, Khatchaturian, Debussy, and music written by each member of the ensemble. The recital is free to the public.

    Christopher Woods has played the violin since age four. He began studying with Thelma Hawkins and continued with Sherry Woods and Won-Mo Kim. Born to a musical family, he first appeared in public on the First Tuesday Series at Francis Marion University at the age of eight, performing the Bach Double Concerto for Two Violins with his mother, Sherry Woods. By the age of ten, he gave a solo recital at the Arts Alive Festival at FMU. At age twelve, he performed the Mozart Concerto In G Major with the Florence Symphony, as well as foreshadowing another career by landing the role as “The Artful Dodger” in the stage musical, Oliver
    He has won numerous state and national awards and scholarships, enabling him to study at such prestigious music camps as Brevard, Interlochen, Meadowmount, Killington, the Daniel Heifetz Festival and the Henry Mancini Institute and Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra held at UCLA in Los Angeles where he was one of the concertmasters and jazz soloists.
    He has studied at the North Carolina school of the Arts with Kevin Lawrence, in master classes with violinist-violist-conductor Pinkas Zuckerman, as a scholarship student of Sergiu Swartz at the Harrid Conservatory in Florida, with Frits deJonge at the University of South Carolina, and with Patinka Kopec at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in violin performance.
    He has performed concertos by Tchaikowsky, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Sarasate, and Sherry Woods with the Florence Symphony, the Spartanburg Philharmonic, the USC Orchestra, and the South Carolina Philharmonic.
    Based in Los Angeles California, he maintains a career in the music performance and entertainment industries, appearing in productions of Jessica Simpson, Jay Leno, and Stephen Spielberg.
    Benjamin Woods has given numerous solo piano concerts across the country, including Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City where he made his d‚but in 1985. He has performed as guest soloist with the Florence Symphony Orchestra, Florence SC, in concertos of Brahms, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dohnanyi and Gershwin, he has performed the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Florence Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra, and he has performed Beethoven concertos nos. 3, 4, and 5 with conductor John Paul and members of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Mississippi. A professor of music at Francis Marion University in Florence, he was Conductor/Music Director of the Florence Symphony from 1996 to 2002. He was recently selected as a FMU Board of Trustees Research Scholar, and as J Lorin Mason Distinguished Professor of 2005-2006. He continues his teaching and performing careers.
    Adrienne Woods has won numerous awards for her playing, including public school and ensemble competitions, college and university performances, and professional solo and symphonic engagements.
    Beginning her cello Study with Sherry Woods at age four, she continued her instruction with Jula Krebs in Florence, SC. She studied with Robert Jesselson, artist-professor at the University of South Carolina, where she was awarded a full scholarship.
    As a promising student, she received awards distinguishing her as the “Outstanding Student in Music” in her graduating class at both Moore Middle School and West Florence High School. She was a member of the Junior and Senior All-State Orchestras for six year, serving as principal cellist for two years. She was selected to participate in the SC Governor’s School of the Arts Summer Orchestra Program where she was principal cellist and selected to be recital soloist. Also selected as principal cellist, she received a scholarship to attend the Brevard Music Camp in North Ccarolina.
    As a member of the Woods Family Quartet, she has performed concerts with them across the Southeast, and is featured in concert and as soloist on their latest CD.
    While at the University of South Carolina, she collaborated on many chamber recitals, including performances with Christopher Woods and Jack Kohl. She also collaborated in ensembles on numerous faculty recitals at USC, and has performed with the USC Symphony Orchestra. Graduating from USC, she received a bachelors defree in Music Performance.
    As a professional orchestral musician and soloist, she has been a regular performer with the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florence Symphony Orchestra, and the Augusta Symphony. She has performed with the Masterworks Choir Orchestra of Florence, SC, and the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra of Myrtle Beach, SC. Having made her cello orchestral-soloist début with the Florence Symphony, she was invited to return to perform the Dvořák Concerto for Cello and Orchestra with them.
    Relocating to Los Angeles, California, she became a member of the Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra of the Henry Mancini Institute at UCLA, and was a member of the Début Orchestra of Beverly Hills. Besides this she is doing some teaching, recording studio work and music video backgrounds, and other interests and pursuits.

    Sherry Martin Woods, former principal violist with the Florence Symphony, member of the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Firenze Quartet, and the Woods Piano Quartet, is well known as a performer, composer and educator. She and Benjamin Woods have been chosen several times as performing artists for the South Carolina Arts Commission's Community Tour Program. Sherry Woods earned the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in viola performance at USC in 1991 and the DMA in Composition in December of 1997. She has taught at both Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina.     Sherry Woods' works have been performed by artists such as Christopher Woods violinist, Elizabeth Johnson, flutist, Sue Orr, Marcy Betzer, and Sharyn Mapes, sopranos, the Vienna Saxophone Quartet, and William Mills, Nicholas Smith and Benjamin Woods, conductors. Larger groups performing her works have included the Florence Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Masterworks Choir and Orchestra. In recitals and in concerts from New York City to Taiwan her works have included the song cycle Leaves of the
Fall, Persephone Dances for cello and orchestra, The Sunflower Concerto for violin and orchestra, Dance of the Dolphin and the Whale for youth orchestra, Sapphic Songs for women's chorus, Lament for Lost Infants for saxophone quartet, a dance suite, Kaleidoscope, choreographed and performed by the South Carolina Dance Company, The Florentine Overture, commissioned by the Florence Symphony for the opening of its 50th season, The Wisdom Fanfare, commissioned by the South Carolina Philharmonic and a choral work, The Holy Band - Mystical Songs on the Poetry of Hafiz, commissioned by the Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra.
    Sherry Woods song cycle, Of Rivers and Trees, for tenor, piano, violin, viola, cello and flute, was premiered at the College of Charleston in November of 2001; it was described as "beautiful and riveting" by the Charleston Post. Collaborating with visual Artist Dagmar Nickerson for a joint presentation of art and music for the March 2003 First Tuesday Music Series at FMU, Dr. Woods presented From the Center, a recital of recent and new works.
    Sherry Woods continues to compose, teach violin and viola, and perform solo literature, with orchestras, and with chamber music groups. Woods was the recipient of the South Carolina chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association “Private Studio of the Year” for 2007. Benjamin and Sherry will be going to Bangkok, Thailand in July to perform her “Ruins” for viola and piano for the 2007 International College Music Society conference.

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