Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Orchestra returns to Lee Hall Nov. 18 with annual Criss Christmas Concert
![The Starkville-ݮƵ Symphony Orchestra’s 49th performance season continues Saturday [Nov. 18] at 7:30 p.m. with the annual Criss Christmas Concert in Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium. (Photo by Megan Bean)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/inline-images/SSO_Criss_Christmas_Concert_half.jpg "The Starkville-ݮƵ Symphony Orchestra in concert")
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Under the baton of ݮƵ Department of Music Head Barry E. Kopetz, the Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Orchestra will perform its annual Criss Christmas Concert Saturday [Nov. 18] on the Starkville campus.
Sponsored by the Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Association, the 7:30 p.m. program in historic Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium begins with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K 467.” Considered one of Mozart’s most demanding works, the concerto will feature ݮƵProfessor Rosângela Yazbec Sebba on piano. A Steinway Artist, Sebba is among the select ranks of some 1,600 highly esteemed musicians from around the world who have chosen to play exclusively on pianos produced by internationally renowned piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons.
The second piece on the program is Luigi Cherubini’s “Requiem in C Minor,” a work greatly admired by late musical legends Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Along with the Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Chorus, the “Requiem” will feature vocal accompaniment from the State Singers, MSU’s premier choral ensemble led by ݮƵChoral Activities Director and Associate Professor of Music Gary Packwood.
“As with all Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Orchestra performances, the Criss Christmas Concert is free and open to the public. We encourage individuals of all ages to come and be a part of this annual tradition,” said Ryan Landis, ݮƵvoice instructor and SSO operations manager.
Founded in 1969, the Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Association is a nonprofit volunteer organization whose members work to educate, enlighten and share classical music with communities in the Golden Triangle region.
In addition to ݮƵand the City of Starkville, major association contributors include the J.W. Criss Foundation, Mississippi Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Renasant Bank, Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Columbus-based Gildea Foundation. For more, visit .
To make a tax-deductible donation to the Starkville-ݮƵSymphony Association via the ݮƵFoundation, contact Lynn Durr at 662-325-8918 or ldurr@advservices.msstate.edu.
ݮƵis Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .