Concert raises funds

The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Music hosts the second annual Prism Concert at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg on Thursday, December 3 at 7p.m.

This event is the biggest fundraiser for The Pride and the Dixie Darlings, and it will help send them to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 2010.

“The first year we did not charge admission, but the interest was so great that we felt this was a wonderful opportunity to raise funds,” said James Standland, director of Prism Concert 2009 and assistant band director.

The concert features performances by USM’s marching band, Wind and Percussion ensembles, and studio groups.  The Dixie Darlings will perform with the Pride of Mississippi as part the grand finale. 

The bands play a variety of music, from popular jams to Southern Miss spirit songs to classic holiday tunes as part of the concert.

“It’s a great concert because it shows off the band as a whole with the Pride as well as the different sections and studios that make up the music department,” said Ryan Rome, a saxophonist in The Pride and freshman music performance major from Mandeville, La.

This mixture of ensembles is partly how the concert earned the tag, “Prism.”  The unique style of the performance plays perhaps an even bigger role.

“When the concert begins the lights come up on a different stage for each performance,” said Standland. “When one act finishes, the lights come up on another stage in a totally different part of the auditorium.  The idea is to ‘throw’ the light around as a prism does and to vary the source from which the sound comes.”

The Prism Concert celebrates the end of the calendar year for the School of Music and serves as a prelude to the holiday season.

“Although I am just a freshman and have never attended this event, it seems like it’s going to be a very fun night for the School of Music,” said Olivia Weeks, a member of the Pride’s color guard and freshman interior design major from Madison.

Check out the Prism Concert 2009 website at www.usm.edu/prism to learn more about the event. Tickets are $10 at the Southern Miss ticket office.