Pops on the Plaza/Starkville Programs for Children

This year, the Starkville/MSU Symphony Association is combining two traditions for the entertainment, education, and aesthetic pleasure of people in the Greater Starkville Area. The Pops on the Plaza program will be held on the plaza of Cadence Bank in downtown Starkville on Main Street on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:00 pm. The State Messengers under the direction of Dr. Michael R. Brown, Head of the Department of Music at Mississippi State University, will perform, and Main Street will be closed off so that energetic concert goers can enjoy dancing to the sounds of the group. The State Messengers is an eight person combo that plays a variety of swing, jazz, standard ballad, and other popular styles. The Pops program will feature the talents of Dr. Cliff Taylor, Associate Director of Bands at Mississippi State University and Principal Trombone of the Meridian Symphony performing the lovely ballad, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. Dr. Robert Damm, also on the faculty at Mississippi State, will perform the drum set feature, Cute, with the group. Dr. Alphonzo Sanders, the Director of the B.B. King Blues Museum and Educational Center and Head of the Music Department at Mississippi Valley State University, will demonstrate his prowess on the tenor saxophone playing Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues. In addition, other classic jazz and popular hits such as The Girl From Ipanema, Chameleon, St. Thomas, Take the A Train, and It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) will round out the repertoire of the group. Pops on the Plaza is jointly sponsored by Cadence Banking and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.

The State Messengers will also provide the music for this year’s Programs for Children. Programs for Children exposes children in grades K - 5 to wide varieties of music and music instruments. This year, the State Messengers will not only perform for the children but will also talk with them about the history of blues, rock, and jazz, noting how much of this music has roots in Mississippi. The Programs for Children is open to all children in Oktibbeha County including those in city schools, county schools, and private schools, and those who are home schooled as well. Programs for Children is supported by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and jointly sponsored by Cadence Banking and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. For more information about the Programs for Children contact Mr. Frank Chiles at 662-323-1551.