Released September 21, 2005

Hattiesburg– The College of Arts and Letters at The University of Southern Mississippi announced cancellations and rescheduling of several arts events in September and October.

“Because Hurricane Katrina forced a delay in classes at Southern Miss, several arts events have been cancelled and/or rescheduled,” said Angela Kilcrease, public relations officer for the college. “Some of these events will be rescheduled at a later time.”

Kilcrease urged arts patrons to go online to view the most up-to-date calendar of events.

“We are updating the university’s master calendar as information is received from faculty and ensemble directors,” she said.

The college’s “Arts Attractions” calendar publication was to be mailed Aug. 29, the day of the storm. Since returning to the normal academic schedule, Kilcrease said much of the unreleased publication is incorrect.

“We won’t be distributing our calendar this semester, as much of it is incorrect, but we encourage our patrons to use our online calendar if they have access to the Internet,” she said.

Several major events have changed since Aug. 29. The Department of Theatre and Dance has cancelled its revival production of “The Last Night at Ballyhoo,” scheduled to run in September.

Theater’s first main stage production, “Scapin,” will now open on Oct. 13, one week later than advertised, and play through Oct. 23. Other fall theater and dance productions will perform as originally scheduled.

The Symphony Orchestra also has made several adjustments to its season, including the postponement of its season opener Oct. 4 with violinist Joshua Bell.

Although Bell will be rescheduled for later in the season, the Symphony has quickly filled the void with a free concert called “The Spirit of Mississippi: A Concert of Hope.” Inviting several guest performers with Hattiesburg ties and the university’s Southern Chorale, organizers of the Oct. 4 concert at Main Street Baptist Church have planned an hour-long program, featuring an eclectic mix of uplifting, soul-inspiring music.

“The concert has been planned to give our community an evening of diversion from the hectic lives we have been living since Hurricane Katrina,” explained Jay Dean, musical director for the orchestra. “The concert will feature patriotic music, uplifting music and music to inspire hope in desperate times.”

The Museum of Art was forced to cancel its Sept. 13-Oct. 9 exhibition of Mitchell Gaudet’s “Studio Inferno Glass.” Its next exhibition, featuring Southern Miss art faculty works, will open Oct. 18 as planned.

Several faculty and ensemble recitals and concerts have been cancelled, including the Sept. 23 guest concert featuring VoxOne and the Oct. 13 Wind Ensemble/Symphonic Winds concert.

The arts calendar may be accessed at www.usm.edu/arts. For more information, call the college at (601) 266-4513 or e-mail arts@usm.edu. For ticket information, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office at (601) 266-5418 or 800-844-8425.

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