If you go
Sounds of the Southside
The Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert
7:30 p.m. Dec. 13
Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, 175 E. Lanier Ave., Fayetteville
Tickets: $10 adults; $5 students
Information: 404-981-7276; www.scsymphony.net
What started 22 years ago as a class for adults who wanted to study strings has blossomed into a full-fledged orchestra with the distinction of being the only one that calls Atlanta’s southside home.
The Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra grew out a class at Clayton State College led by Richard Bell, a professor of music theory and education.
“People wanted a chance to play,” said Bell, who lives in Stockbridge. “Our adult members are music educators, retired musicians and people who play avocationally. We are all volunteers ranging in age from 25 to 75, and we do it because we love it.”
Bell, who has conducted since its inception, oversees a repertoire of mainly classic works, occasionally varied to include a pops concert. He also added college students from the Clayton State Orchestra into the fold, so the group now boasts 55 members who rehearse at the university every Tuesday night and perform at locations around the southside, including the renowned Spivey Hall on the Clayton campus in Morrow.
“We’ve had some performances at Spivey, which is very nice, so it’s a great perk for our members to perform there,” said Bell. “The bulk of our musicians are nearby; they live in Fayette, Henry and Clayton counties, but we do have some members who come from DeKalb and Fulton as well.”
Sonia Squires of Fayetteville joined the Southern Crescent when she moved to Georgia in 1998. A year later, she became concertmaster, a position she has held ever since. She teaches orchestra at Whitewater Middle School in Fayetteville but finds that playing with an adult group sharpens her skills.
“Having been part of an orchestra through high school and college, I wanted to continue that,” said Squires, who was a music education major and violin minor in college. “It’s an outlet for me at a professional level. But it’s not only the playing we enjoy. Many members are also orchestra teachers, too, so it’s like meeting with colleagues every week. There’s a lot of camaraderie.”
Each holiday season, the orchestra performs a Christmas concert that doubles as a benefit for a different organization. The event on Dec. 13 at the Fayetteville First United Methodist Church will raise money for breast cancer awareness.
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 770- 744-3042.
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