SU Department of Music Glimpses the 'Past, Present and Future' March 12
SALISBURY, MD---Featuring successful Salisbury University vocalists from the past, talented faculty and students from the present and award-winning prospective students who could be part of SU’s future, the Department of Music presents it’s inaugural scholarship fundraising concert, Past, Present and Future.
Hosted by tenor and music faculty John Wesley Wright, the concert is 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall. Based on the theme I’ll Make the Difference, its goal is to raise funds to establish scholarships for students interested in SU’s music programs. “We want to put Salisbury on the map by being able to attract and retain the nation’s most promising youth,” Wright said.
The concert features bass Kevin Thompson, who sings with Wright as part of the internationally acclaimed American Spiritual Ensemble. Winner of the Paul Robeson Vocal Competition, Thompson has garnered prizes in the International Don Giovanni Competition in Verona, Italy, and in the National Symphony Competition.
Performing on behalf of SU alumni is soprano Beth Holder Hallworth (’02), a former member of the Chamber Choir and University Chorale. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in music with a concentration in vocal studies and a Bachelor of Science in exercise science at SU. “I am very proud to be a part of such an incredibly important endeavor to raise funds to support the future of those who share a passion for music and music education,” said Hallworth, of Bowie. She teaches preschool music.
Representing the talented musicians presently thriving at SU are Wright, along with vocal performance students senior Danielle Lynch and junior William Willis. “To really impact the campus and local area, a thriving arts environment must exist…a community with a strong appreciation for the arts emits a very different energy than one without,” Wright said. “The potential to produce that high level of excellence, pride and healing energy exists within our music program, but it takes a number of exceptional students. And to get more talented students to look at SU takes money.”
Representing the type of student who could be in SU’s future is Andrew Lipian, a 19-year-old countertenor and accomplished tap dancer who took second place in New York’s Classical Singer High School Competition. Wright said tenor Joshua Wheeker, a talented 17-year-old with a “one in a million voice,” will also perform.
The concert includes pieces such as “Old Man River” and Benjamin Britten’s “Abraham and Isaac,” as well as classical Spanish songs and spirituals. It will conclude with a collaborative performance of Moses Hogan’s “I’ll Make the Difference.”
Sponsored by SU’s Department of Music, donations are requested for admission. The public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.