The Delta Music Institute of Delta State University, in conjunction with the Delta State Music Department and the Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC), will present "A Mississippi Delta Holiday," featuring the exceptional talents of Mississippi performers in a celebration of holiday music on Friday, December 2, at 7:30 pm in the Delta & Pine Land theatre of the BPAC.
The featured performers for the festive holiday show will be Tupelo native Guy Hovis of the Lawrence Welk Show, award-winning singer/songwriter Steve Azar of Greenville, The Buford Family from Glendora, and Jackson favorites Bill Ellison and Temperance Babcock, who will be hosting the show. Also appearing on the show will be DMI director and singer/songwriter Tricia Walker, the Delta State Chamber Singers, the Delta State African Drumming Experience, the Delta State Steel Drum Band, and the Delta State Jazz Band.
Mississippian Guy Hovis has been on national television for more than forty years beginning with the Art Linkletter’s House Party Show on CBS in 1967. He has recorded fifteen albums, has been nominated as artist and producer of the year by the Gospel Music Association, and is a member of the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Throughout his career Guy has appeared on many celebrity game shows, in numerous commercials and on national telethons for various charities. Hovis is best known, however, for the forty plus years he has been a regular member of the Lawrence Welk Television Show which is still aired on 280 public television stations with a weekly viewing audience of over 3 million.
Hosting the Mississippi Delta Holiday show will be Bill Ellison and his musical partner Temperance Babcock. Ellison has been a mainstay in Mississippi’s bluegrass and acoustic music scene both as a performer and as host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Grassroots," which was awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Babcock, a classically trained violinist and member of the Mississippi Symphony, has recorded and performed with a diverse lineup of artists, including Kentucky Thunder, Mac McAnally, Paul Overstreet and Cassandra Wilson. Bill & Temperance recently welcomed veteran bassist and vocalist Jeff Perkins.
Roots music artist and Delta State alum Steve Azar has recently returned to his Delta hometown to continue his music career while serving as Artist-In-Residence at Delta State, mentoring music industry and entrepreneurship students. His hit single "I Don’t Have to Be Me (‘Til Monday)” is still a power recurrent at radio and has received almost 3 million spins since its release. "Waitin’ on Joe” became a Top 10 radio hit and reached #1 on the CMT video charts. Steve’s new CD, "Delta Soul, Volume 1," was released this November.
After a successful 26-year music career in Nashville, Southern singer/songwriter Tricia Walker returned to her alma mater in 2006 to take the helm of the Delta Music Institute, a music industry studies program at Delta State University. Her songs have been recorded by Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, and Allison Krauss, whose recording of Tricia’s song, "Looking In The Eyes Of Love," earned a Grammy award. She was the originator of the Bluebird Cafe’s legendary songwriter group, Women in the Round, and she has performed on stages across the United States and abroad.
The Delta State Music Department, under the leadership of interim chair Dr. Mark Butler, will contribute the talents of multiple ensembles for this holiday offering. The Chambers Singers, under the direction of Nicholaus Cummins; the Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr. Bret Pimentel; the Steel Drum Band, under the direction of Josh Armstrong, the African Drumming Experience, under the direction of Dr. Karen Fosheim; the Flute Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Shelley Collins; and the Low Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Douglas Mark, will all showcase the exceptional talents of Delta State’s music students.
“This holiday show, which was envisioned as a gift from the Delta State community to the region, will hopefully become an annual event,” says music industry studies instructor Charly Abraham, who is serving as producer and arranger of the event.
The Delta Music Institute is an independent center of excellence offering a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies degree under the College of Arts & Sciences at DSU. The mission is of the DMI to provide students with a broad and thorough education in the technological, creative, and business areas of the music and entertainment industries.
Built in 1994, the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University has earned recognition as one of the premier houses for entertainment and arts in Mississippi and the Southeast. This outstanding venue offers a rich tapestry of cultural and educational programs to serve the entire Mississippi Delta.
Tickets for A Mississippi Delta Holiday may be purchased by calling the BPAC box office at 662-846-4626 or by ordering online at www.bolognapac.com.
Come and join the Delta State University family at the BPAC for A Mississippi Delta Holiday on Friday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. A reception of cookies and cider with the artists will be held in the Capwell lobby immediately following the performance.
