The music of Mozart will be at the center of Samford University’s 100 years of the arts celebration this month. The School of the Arts and the Legacy League, an Auxiliary of Samford University, are hosting a Centennial Celebration Benefit Concert and School of the Arts Birthday Party on November 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie S.Wright Fine Arts Center. The Samford Combined Choirs and the University Orchestra will perform Mozart’s Requiem.
One of the most discussed pieces in music history, Mozart’s Requiem was unfinished at the time of the composer’s death on December 5, 1791. The work was finished by Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayr, as well as a number of others later on. Due to its history, the piece is surrounded by myth and mystery, and its significance as one of Mozart’s most well-known works is recognized by those at Samford’s School of Arts.“It is appropriate that in our centennial year we would celebrate with one of the most important works in the history of music,” said Dean Joseph Hopkins. “The School of the Arts has a tremendous legacy of quality and impact. This concert will give us the opportunity to reflect on our past while enjoying the promise of our next century through student performances.”
In addition to the Requiem, the performers will also present portions of Mozart’s Symphony No. 25,which the composer wrote when he was only seventeen. But the celebration doesn’t end with the concert. Following the performance, the Legacy League invites attendees to share in the festivities with birthday refreshments. Proceeds from the concert will go toward the endowment of a new scholarship that will assist deserving students pursuing a degree in the arts who have significant financial aid.
Tickets to the concert are $25 for adults and $6 for students and can be purchased at tickets.samford.edu or through the Harrison Theatre Box Office at 205-726-2853. Purchased tickets are tax-deductible, and the event is free for Samford students.
— Bethany Adams
