As diverse as the cultures are that populate this world, most have something in common: They pour their experiences into music—to rejoice, to teach, to mourn, to praise.
A concert by the Millsaps Singers and Chamber Singers will celebrate music’s capacity to unite people across cultural lines while expressing their uniqueness. “The Welcome Table: A Locus for Understanding,” scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, in the Millsaps College Ford Academic Complex Recital Hall, draws from African European, Indian, Islamic and Jewish traditions to present a seasonal paean of thanksgiving, peace and joy.
The concerts will feature songs of Christmas, Diwali, Eidal-Adha, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. It will include a setting of “Hope for Resolution (A Song for South Africa’s Mandela and de Klerk),” arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory.
Underscoring the message of hope and hospitality, donations will be accepted at the door to benefit patients at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s University Rehabilitation Center (URC). The center is an acute, inpatient adult rehabilitation unit that focuses on the interdisciplinary care of patients needing rehabilitation from neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and stroke, and orthopedic conditions such as amputation, joint replacements and poly-trauma.
“Our patients come from all backgrounds and walks of life, and some have limited resources,” said Dr. Philip Blount, a URC rehabilitation specialist and assistant professor of orthopedics. “They may need assistance in procuring that wheelchair or prosthetic or service that will enable them to function at the highest physical and psychological levels possible.
“The funds raised by the concerts at Millsaps will help meet such needs. Dr. Timothy Coker, chair of the Department of Performing Arts at Millsaps College, and his students are exceptionally generous in using their musical gifts to help others. They—and everyone who attends—will make a real difference toward empowering our patients.”
For more information about the performance or the Millsaps Singers and Chamber Singers, contact Linda Nix at 601-974-1422 or nixls@millsaps.edu. For more information about the University Rehabilitation Center, call Dr. Philip Blount at 601-984-5135 or Kim McGaugh at 601-815-3050.
