Lifestyle Profiles
Southern Exposure series is a hot ticket
The Southern Exposure New Music Series hasn’t exactly been a well-kept secret since its 2001 launch, playing to mostly standing-room only crowds in recent seasons.
But now the University of South Carolina’s School of Music has been honored nationally for its innovative classical music with the 2007 Chamber Music America/American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Award for Adventurous Programming.
“The word is out now that, ‘Oh, there’s some really hip stuff going on with music in Columbia,’ ” says music professor John Fitz Rogers, who directs the series. “Maybe you’re not going to love everything at the concerts, but you’re going to find it really engaging. And some of it you’re just going to be blown away by.”
Diverse artists, energetic performances
The concerts feature a diverse mix of guest artists from around the globe, as well as the talents
of students and faculty at the University. Sometimes the two mix, as in the case of a joint performance
with touring group So Percussion.
“The performance had an energy that was unlike most concerts that have happened on the University campus in recent memory,” says Scott Herring, professor of percussion. “The students fed off of that energy and focused it right back into the performance, resulting in one of the highest-level performances my students have been involved with.”
The collaboration was a good experience for the “So” group as well.
“Putting together a masterpiece like drumming with students that are so committed to the process was as inspiring to us as I hope it was to them,” says Jason Treuting, a member of So Percussion.
‘This is what we’ve been building’
The Southern Exposure’s Adventurous Programming award puts it in elite company—other
winners were from Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and San Francisco. Rogers traveled to New York
in January to accept the award.
“The first question the moderator on the panel asked was, ‘What the heck is going on in Columbia, South Carolina?’ ” says Fitz Rogers, “And I explained, ‘Well, this is what we’ve been building.’ ”
— By Molly Bracknell
Dance and music are high priorities at the University.
Photo: University Marketing and CommunicationsRelated Links
Southern Exposure New Music Series
Innovative and award-winning series from the University of South Carolina’s School of Music
