Two hundred years after its establishment, Miami University continues its legacy with a bicentennial celebration unlike any other, intended to foster diversity and enhance student experience.
With 900 performers, Friday night's LegacyFest is a musical extravaganza presented by the Miami University Performing Arts Series and the department of music, with funding from the Ohio Arts Council. The concert will feature legendary tenor sax player Benny Golsen, Talawanda school bands and choirs, and members of the Miami University marching band, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble and combined choirs of the Men's Glee Club, Choraliers, chamber singers and Collegiate Chorale.
The concert will showcase musical compositions commissioned specifically for the bicentennial celebration including "The Trees of Miami," a piece for wind ensemble and combined choirs by Benny Golsen and James Lentini, dean of the School of Fine Arts; "Miami Memories," a fantasy on Miami's school songs by David Shaffer, marching band director emeritus; and "Quest Forth: A Bicentennial Fanfare" by 2009 Miami graduate Andrew Goldie.
The planning for this gathering of musical talent, an idea envisioned by President David Hodge and Performing Arts Series Director Patti Liberatore, actually began in late March. The proposal was met with interest and enthusiasm when it was brought before Miami's department of music and homecoming committee.
"All the various participants were very enthusiastic about getting involved," said senior Mark Grudzien, co-chair of the homecoming committee. "This concert will do a wonderful job of showing the diversity of the university by bringing musical groups together for one big performance. We hope to have higher attendance than ever before and believe it is a great kickoff to the bicentennial celebration."
Stephen Lytle, director of Miami's marching band, said he was excited about the opportunity to showcase Miami's musical talent and the intimate relationship between the university and the town of Oxford.
"We are very happy to be a part of this performance." Lytle said. "It will certainly be a visual and musical experience for the audience, and will reflect all that Miami stands for."
Junior Emily Moses, an opera singer and member of the chamber singers, said she was thrilled to be part of Friday's festivities.
"This is an awesome opportunity for students to experience a really great concert," Moses said. "Everyone should come."
The events begin at 6 p.m. Friday with a parade starting at Oxford's Uptown Park and leading to Millett Hall where a "BBQ Birthday Picnic" will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. These festivities precede the LegacyFest concert, which will begin at 8 p.m. in Millett Hall.
Tickets for the LegacyFest concert are $20 for adults, $19 for senior citizens and $10 for students and youth, available at the box office in Shriver Center, at http://www.tickets.muohio.edu or at (513) 529-3200.
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