From University Singers to university singers - Mississippi Southern Chorale to tour Jamaica

The University of Southern Mississippi's Southern Chorale and its men's a cappella ensemble, Spirit of Southern, will perform throughout Jamaica during a special concert tour from January 6-13, 2011.

Montego Bay, Kingston and Savanna-la-Mar are among the stops the ensembles will make during their first-ever visit to the country. The tour will consist of several evening and afternoon concerts in cathedrals and educational institutes, including The University Chapel, Herbert Morrison Technical High School and St John's Methodist Church.

The West Indies concert tour was precipitated by a formal invitation from the University Singers, a 40-member choral group based at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

"I think that people underestimate how important choral concert tours are for choirs," said Dr Gregory Fuller, choral activities director at the University of Southern Mississippi.

"It has an amazing effect on the students both socially and musically. I think one of the big things we try to do here is follow opportunity."

The West Indies concert tour provides a great recruitment opportunity for Southern Mississippi.

High-level programme

"Jamaica places a high value on education," said Joey Wolfe, a conducting doctoral student at Southern Mississippi.

"The Jamaican people know all about the Ivy League schools in the United States, but to expose them to a high-level choral programme like ours creates an invaluable awareness of our university, the School of Music and the many choral opportunities here at Southern Mississippi." said Wolfe.

The Southern Chorale is the premier touring vocal ensemble of the university. The 58-member chorale features a large percentage of junior, senior and graduate music majors as well as singers from other campus disciplines. The Chorale performs the complete spectrum of significant choral literature for a cappella and accompanied chorus.

The Spirit of Southern men's a cappella ensemble is composed of 16 young men ranging from freshmen to graduate students representing various academic disciplines. They regularly perform for campus activities and community functions.

The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university.

The school is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.