Ambassador Series

Festival of Choirs | Oct. 3 | 7 p.m.

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church 
720 East Beach Blvd, Long Beach, MS 
Free and open to the public

Experience a showcase of some of the region’s exceptional high school and community college choirs in a celebration of multi-generational music making. Dr. Jonathan Kilgore of USM's School of Music will conduct the festival’s mass chorus, as well as USM’s Concert Choir. The Festival, which generally features between 300 and 400 singers, culminates in a mass choir performance of inspirational and exciting music.

Conductor: Dr. Jonathan Kilgore

Participating choirs this year are from:

• Biloxi High School
• Copiah-Lincoln Community College
• East Central High School
• Gautier High School
• Hancock High School
• Long Beach High School
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Harrison County Campus)
• USM Oratorio Chorus
• Pascagoula High School
• Pass Christian High School
• St. Martin High School
• The USM Southern Chorale
• The Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale

Flutissimo 4 X 4 X 4 | Oct. 4 |  7 p.m.

Fleming Education Center
203 Bear Point Drive, Long Beach, MS 
Free and open to the public

The recital features 4 professional musicians playing music from 4 countries, written over 4 centuries, or 4 X 4 X 4. This special event celebrates the centennial of the great 20th century flute virtuoso Jean-Pierre Rampal.

Featuring enchanting works by Gioachino Rossini, Albert Roussel, and Francis Poulenc, this multimedia recital illuminates Rampal’s legacy and the music performed. Mississippi-based artists Danilo Mezzadri (flute), Susan Ruggiero (voice), and Brian Murphy (piano), share the stage with the internationally acclaimed Italian flutist Fabio Angelo Colajanni.

This collaboration brings to Long Beach, Mississippi the U.S. leg of a recital tour that began in Rome, Italy. Jean-Pierre Rampal was an internationally renowned flutist, with a superb sense of musicality, delightful tone, dazzling technique, and a charming personality. Rampal performed concerts around the globe for over fifty years and recorded over four hundred albums. He became the first flutist to achieve household name recognition.

Bass by the Sea | Oct. 22 | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Bass by the Sea will provide two opportunities to experience performances by some of the area’s finest double bassists. The Michael Cameron Double Bass Competition will kick off in Hardy Hall on the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus. The competition’s participants are Mississippi residents, and their performances will be adjudicated by two guest clinicians. In the afternoon, the first and second place winners of the competition will perform a concert along with bass ensembles. Both of these events are free and open to the public. Between the two public events, bassists from ages 18-35 will receive intensive instruction and learn from internationally acclaimed professionals in a day-long camp.

What is the Competition?

The Michael Cameron Double Bass Competition honors the legacy and celebrates the life of a world-renowned musician and educator, who served as the principal bassist for both the Sinfonia da Camera and the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra. As professor of double bass at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he positively impacted the lives of his students, including Dr. Marcos Machado, founder and organizer of Bass by the Sea.

Dr. Machado serves as professor of double bass at USM and maintains an active international schedule as a performer, educator, and administrator.

The inaugural competition and camp has garnered immediate support from some of the world’s leading double bass brands. Kolstein Music, Lemur Music, and BassScores Editions have each contributed to the event. Regional support comes from the Hattiesburg Concert Association, and the event is a part of our USM Ambassador Series.

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Taste of Long Beach | Oct. 27 | 5:30 p.m.

Long Beach Senior Center
20257 Daughtery Road, Long Beach, MS  39560
Price: Early Bird Special: $30 | Day of Event at door: $40 

Join the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce for the 13th Annual Taste of Long Beach event. This event will feature great food and beverages, live music, a silent auction and more! Music provided by Nick’s Icemen

Details

**Must be 21 of age or older to attend.

Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale

November 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Fleming Auditorium 
November 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Biloxi’s Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral

As a staple in the region’s arts and culture, the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale is in its 28th season of compelling performances and educational opportunities. The ensemble’s conductor, Dr. Jonathan Kilgore of the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Music, has been an integral member of the Coast’s choral community for more than a decade. When speaking of the Civic Chorale’s musicians, Kilgore says, “It’s really an honor to make music with talented people who volunteer their time and energy to this ensemble.” Members of the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale represent several communities and come from diverse musical backgrounds.  

Join us in joyfully welcoming the holiday season at the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale’s free concerts!

Magnificat | March 5 | 2:30 p.m.

Featuring Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale
St. Michael Catholic Church 
177 1st St., Biloxi, MS