Upcoming Events

FMU String Ensemble

FMU String Ensemble

March 20, 2024    
7:30 pm
Open to all university students and faculty interested in learning and performing chamber music, the University String Ensemble members meet for weekly rehearsals during Fall and Spring academic semesters, giving public recitals and accompanying other campus ensembles. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
Snow White presented by the South Carolina Ballet/School of Dance Arts

Snow White presented by the South Carolina Ballet/School of Dance Arts

March 23, 2024    
7:30 pm
South Carolina Ballet, is thrilled to invite audiences of all ages to witness the enchanting tale of Snow White come to life on the FMU […]
Sean Kennard, Piano

Sean Kennard, Piano

April 2, 2024    
7:30 pm
Sean Kennard has won top prizes in the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium), the International Music Competition of Viña del Mar (Chile), the Vendome International Piano Competition (Portugal), the Sendai International Music Competition (Japan), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (USA), the National Chopin Competition, the Iowa Piano Competition, the American Pianists Association, and the International Chopin Competition of the Pacific. The Washington Post praised Kennard’s “powerful and involved music making,” describing him as “a strong luminous pianist.” His 2011 debut album received a rave review in American Record Guide, which pronounced it “a hidden gem,” attesting to its “perfect blend of lyricism and romantic passion,” “huge romantic sound, and bold melodic vision.” It proclaimed that he “plays the dickens out of the Stravinsky [Three Movements from Petrushka]” and “plays Chopin’s Preludes with more poise and vision than most pianists who have recorded them.” Fanfare affirmed the enthusiastic reception, naming the album “a very desirable disc” and citing “Kennard’s mastery of Chopin’s idiom,” its “impression of complete effortlessness” and “emotional responsiveness.” The review characterized his playing as “full of life and sparkle,” summing up: “while I wouldn’t necessarily say that Kennard outclasses Ashkenazy, Rubinstein, Moravec, Ohlsson…in this repertoire, he surely equals them.” THE DAVID MARSHALL AND CATHERINE KOGER BURNS MEMORIAL RECITAL SERIES: David Marshall Burns, Jr., and Catherine Koger Burns, natives of Charleston, South Carolina, were married and moved to Florence in 1933 where they became actively involved in civic activities and the arts. The Bums Recital Series was established in 1989 by Catherine Burns in memory of her husband and, upon her death in 1995, the Series was renamed the David Marshall and Catherine Koger Burns Memorial Recital Series. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Percussion Ensemble

FMU Percussion Ensemble

April 3, 2024    
7:30 pm
The Francis Marion University Percussion Ensemble is a contemporary chamber ensemble that explores the world of percussion from an improvisation-based approach. We model our performance methodology and musical ideology on the performance practice of drummer/composer Max Roach’s percussion ensemble M’Boom, especially in their focus on jazz and non-Western musical cultures as a touchstone for aesthetic inspiration. We employ improvisation as a key mode of praxis—both in terms of theory and practice—and special focus is given to compositions invented during collective improvisation exercises. Additionally, we explore “minimalism,” “game,” and “open score” notation/compositional systems, while also examining the ways in which poetry and literature can be interpreted in a musical setting. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Concert Choir and Voice Collective

FMU Concert Choir and Voice Collective

April 8, 2024    
7:30 pm
Open to all university students, the University Concert Choir has an average enrollment of between 35 and 45 students. This group has sung in numerous area churches and has also performed with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. They have performed such major choral works as the “Polovetzian Dance and Chorus” of Alexander Borodin, the “Schicksalslied” of Johannes Brahms, and the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Recently their concerts have included selections accompanied by the newly formed Francis Marion string ensemble. Francis Marion’s Voice Collective is a small, audition-only vocal group. This group performs throughout the region for schools and service organizations. They have also performed in Orlando, Florida, in Baltimore, Maryland, in Washington, D.C., in Vienna, Austria, and on a performance cruise to the Bahamas. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Jazz Combo

FMU Jazz Combo

April 9, 2024    
7:30 pm
The FMU Jazz Combo allows students in a small group setting to learn and hone improvisational skills within the the jazz idiom. Works have been selected from music by Corea, Glasper, Shorter, and more. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
FMU Music Industry Ensemble

FMU Music Industry Ensemble

April 11, 2024    
7:30 pm
The Music Industry Ensemble is a chamber ensemble devoted to the development of individual performance and improvisation skills through the staging of music for small groups representing a variety of classic and modern jazz, pop, rock and soul styles. The M.I.E. provides a workshop in which students also learn arranging, microphone technique and scheduling, sound reinforcement and lighting design. Please contact Dr. Brandon Goff bgoff@fmarion.edu for additional information about participating in the M.I. Ensemble. Tickets are available to FMU students, faculty, and staff at no charge upon showing an FMU ID. Tickets to the general public are $10, as space allows. The FMU PAC Ticket Office at 201 South Dargan Street is open Monday through Friday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, or by calling 843-661-4444.
The Barricade Boys

The Barricade Boys

April 26, 2024    
7:30 pm
Direct from the UK… Get ready to have your socks knocked off and your heart racing with The Barricade Boys! These four dazzling performers are taking the world by storm with their electrifying show that will have you tapping your feet, belting out your favorite tunes, and grinning from ear to ear. From the heart-wrenching emotion of Les Miserables to the harmonies of the Jersey Boys, The Barricade Boys will take you on a musical journey like no other. Throw in a mix of the greatest pop, rock, swing, and Motown hits of all time, and The Barricade Boys create the ultimate West End party musical mashup! But it’s not just about the music – these four superstar performers will also share hilarious and inspiring stories from their time on stage touring the world and also in some of the biggest shows in the West End, including Wicked, Billy Elliott, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and more. Get ready for a night you’ll never forget, filled with jaw-dropping vocals and sensational dance routines!
"Beethoven's 9th" with Select Soloist, Masterworks Choir, and the Florence Symphony Orchestra

"Beethoven's 9th" with Select Soloist, Masterworks Choir, and the Florence Symphony Orchestra

May 6, 2024    
7:30 pm
The Masterworks Choir and the Florence Symphony Orchestra join forces to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, first performed in Vienna, May 7, 1824. Beethoven’s use of the poem “Ode to Joy” by Friedrich Schiller, marks the first time a famous composer used voices in a symphony. Symphony No. 9, op. 125 Beethoven
An Evening with Roger McGuinn

An Evening with Roger McGuinn

May 23, 2024    
7:30 pm
Mr. Tambourine Man not only lived history, he made history with his fearless sense of experimentation. As the leader of the influential 60s group, The Byrds, he was on the leading edge, combining the rock beat of the Beatles with the folk sensibilities of Bob Dylan, to create the genre known as “folk-rock” His groundbreaking work on The Byrds “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” album, is widely credited with ushering in the genre of country rock. Roger’s solo career began in 1973 and has yielded 13 albums, a Grammy nomination, and extensive touring and performing for enthralled audiences ever since.

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