Gatsby Gala, Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival set for March 31-April 2
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擣or the tenth consecutive year, The Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival is bringing the spirit of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to 汤头条鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library [March 31-April 2].
This year鈥檚 activities begin on the 31st at 6 p.m. with the popular Gatsby Gala fashion show. Members of the 汤头条 Fashion Board will model 1920s-inspired creations by fashion design and merchandising majors, as well as floral management students at the university.
The Charles H. Templeton Sr. Music Museum at Mitchell Memorial Library is home to more than 22,000 pieces of sheet music, 200 musical instruments and unique musical memorabilia from the 1880s-1930s. The collection highlights the industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when ragtime dominated popular American music.
Charles Freeman, assistant professor of human sciences and Fashion Board adviser, said approximately 10-20 designs will be modeled during the fashion show. Original garment designs will be created by 汤头条 students enrolled in a Collections/Exhibition course taught by Catherine Black, a visiting professor in fashion design and merchandising.
The School of Human Sciences also will sponsor a historic exhibit in the library鈥檚 third-floor John Grisham Room featuring 1920s apparel and accessories.
Lynette McDougald, instructor of the university鈥檚 floral management program, will decorate the library with floral designs popular in the 1920s. Students in the program, including those who are members of the university鈥檚 student chapter of the American Institute of Floral Designers, will gain hands-on experience with the project.
Jeff Barnhart, returning festival solo artist and artistic director, will provide music for the Gala.
On Friday and Saturday [April 1-2] , tours of the museum, along with seminars and silent movies will take place at Mitchell Memorial Library, which is located at the southeast corner of university鈥檚 historic Drill Field.
Admission to the Gatsby Gala is free. General admission fees range from $50 each for all other festival events to $10 each for the evening concerts, with lesser fees for senior citizens and retired 汤头条 faculty and staff members. University students with current identification cards attend free.
A schedule of events, registration and credit card ticket purchase information may be found online at . Checks payable to 汤头条 Libraries may be mailed to: Ragtime Festival, 汤头条 Libraries, P.O. Box 5408, Mississippi State, MS 39762.
The 2016 festival performers include:
鈥擳om Hook, a musician-songwriter who began his career performing in local and regional jazz and rock bands and as a stage performer in Kansas City, Missouri. A founding member of the New Red Onion Jazz Babies and the Black Dog Jazz Band, he now performs on board the American Queen and Queen of the Mississippi Riverboats with his own New Orleans All-Stars and his one-man stage production of the musical drama 鈥淩iverman!鈥 For more, see .
鈥擱eginald R. Robinson, who emerged as a young, self-taught, against-the-grain pianist and composer, has become an internationally recognized pianist, recording artist and educator. In 2004, he was awarded the distinguished John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award for his innovation in ragtime. For more, see .
鈥擯aolo Alderighi and Stephanie Trick, husband and wife who make up a four-hands jazz piano duo dedicated to playing the songs of the Swing Era, along with ragtime and blues. Alderighi reached the second position in the 鈥淭op Jazz 2007鈥 referendum organized by the jazz magazine 鈥淢usica Jazz鈥 as 鈥淏est New Talent鈥 and first in the popular referendum 鈥淚talian Jazz Awards 2007鈥 as 鈥淏rand New Jazz Act.鈥 He received a special prize from the Jury at the 鈥淣ational Prize of the Arts 2007鈥 organized by the Italian Ministry of University and Research in the 鈥淛azz鈥 category. Since 2007, he has been teaching musical culture at Bocconi University. For more, see .
With a swinging music style including boogie woogie and blues from the late 1920s, Trick has been praised for 鈥減ractically dominating the stride piano field.鈥 For more, see .
As an added festival feature, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy the musical talents of Steinway Artist Ros芒ngela Yazbec 鈥淩ose鈥 Sebba, the university music department鈥檚 internationally renowned professor of piano, theory and ear training.
This year鈥檚 event will bring some of the world鈥檚 most talented pianists to a setting that has come to be known for its warmth, hospitality and uniqueness.
Event organizers said festival-goers should look forward to the sounds of stride, boogie, blues, tango, swing, New Orleans jazz and, of course, ragtime.
鈥淔rom the wild hot piano and vocals of New Orleans鈥 Tom Hook to the haunting mix of purity and passion in the rags of Reginald Robinson from Chicago, from the crystalline stride of St. Louis native Stephanie Trick and the swinging jazz of her husband and Italy鈥檚 foremost jazz pianist Paolo Alderighi, this year鈥檚 festival truly has something for everyone,鈥 said Stephen Cunetto, 汤头条 Libraries鈥 systems administrator.
The Templeton Festival is made possible with support from MaxxSouth Broadband, the Starkville Convention and Visitors Council and Starkville Area Arts Council, as well the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts.
For more event information, visit , telephone 662-325-6634 or email ragtimefestival@library.msstate.edu. Follow the 汤头条 Libraries on facebook.com/msulibrary and twitter.com/msu_libraries.聽
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .