Mercer Harp Ensemble dances through ballet favorites in free performance

It’s a weekend of variety in music with the Mercer University Harp Ensemble performing Friday at Mercer at 7:30 p.m. and Skydog 78 set for Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. at Carolyn Crayton Park. 

First, Friday’s Harp Ensemble concert: it’s free at 7:30 p.m. and will be in Fickling Hall in the McCorkle Music Building, 1329 Adams St.   

Calista Anne Koch is harp professor at Mercer and leads the university’s ensemble and the Middle Georgia Harp Ensemble. Nationally recognized, Koch has performed and taught throughout the U.S. since the 1980s and in Middle Georgia since 2004. She teaches harp and piano in a variety of styles, from classical to Broadway and popular to religious and Celtic. As a local performer and teacher, she directs and appears with the ensembles as well as performs solo, with symphonies and at public and private functions.

The Mercer ensemble is in its seventh year of performing, featuring an ever-rotating slate of student musicians, some music majors, others playing the harp while pursuing other degrees. Three students make up the student ensemble with Koch joining them this year as a fourth to fill out the complement of players. Koch arranged all the pieces specifically for the group with its single music major, freshman Annalynn Waddy, who is Koch’s daughter, taking a lead role in most.

“Friday’s program is titled ‘At the Ballet’ and features music from some of the world’s most beloved ballets,” she said. “Of course, there’s music from ‘Swan Lake,’ ‘Nutcracker,’ ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Giselle,’ but we’re also including the ballets from Broadway’s ‘Anastasia’ and ‘Carousel.’ We’ll have four vocalists joining us for ‘Quartet at The Ballet’ from ‘Anastasia.’’’

The rich sounds of harps will fill the hall in both gentle refrains and crescendos and flurries of notes.

“I think one of the beautiful things about the harp is the variety of ways players can focus their attention,” Koch said. “Some prefer large or small ensembles, others orchestras, some prefer solo work and others chamber music or modern music. There’s such a variety of options, and it’s not limited to one sector.

“One of the beauties of Mercer’s harp program is it’s structured for each student depending on if they wish to focus on freelancing or other situations in any of the types or genres I mentioned. It’s a unique program within our state and even the Southeast.”

Performing on harp Friday are Waddy, Carlee Schmelzer, Nathan Walsh and Koch.

Vocalists are William Little, Jackson London, Anna Grace Martin and Alanna Wood.

Conducting will be Aaron Henderson, a senior music education major at Mercer.

Contact Koch for more on harp activity in Middle Georgia through her site at www.maconharpist.com. 

The Skydog Music Festival is always the Sunday before Thanksgiving and right around the late Duane Allman’s birthday, Nov. 20. This year, Allman, renowned guitarist and founder of The Allman Brothers Band, would have been 78, so you’ll likely be seeing Skydog 78 on T-shirts.

The festival started 18 years ago with Skydog 60. Allman died in a motorcycle crash in Macon in 1971. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

The afternoon-long festival celebrates the life and music of Allman, nicknamed Skydog, and it benefits Depaul USA’s Daybreak Day Resource Center which serves homeless men and women by providing food, laundry facilities, showers, a free health clinic, access to phones and computers, transportation assistance, enrichment classes and more.

Admission to the festival is 10 items designated by Daybreak as current and ongoing needs.

Then there’s the music. There will be hours of Allman Brothers music, lots of slide guitar, and this year, a few surprises.

“Our purpose is to find musicians, people who play guitar and who listen to and connect with The Allman Brothers Band from the original era when Duane and Dickey Betts were playing guitar together,” said Skydog’s Glenn Harrell. “Some people contact us who do a great job playing in the style of Eric Clapton or Jimmi Hendrix but not the Allmans. We want to keep on track with Duane’s music so we want people inspired by his music. That rules out a lot of good guitar players, but they’re just not who we’re after.”

And Harrell said that search eagerly embraces younger players, particularly those under 30.

“There are quite a few picking up on what Duane did and we want to encourage them,” Harrell said. The Allman Brothers’ heyday era with Duane was some 50 years ago. “We don’t have actual bands playing on stage but we do give names to the groupings of players we put together. 

“For a while now, in addition to the older players we’ve had a group we call the Young Brothers who I think are all under 24. New this year, we’ve got a group of younger players we’re calling the Time. Travel. Brothers. who we’ve asked to do something a little different. We asked them to come up with what Duane and Dickie and Berry Oakley and any of the Brothers would be playing if they showed up today. Like, this is different, this isn’t Allman Brothers music but it’s what we would be doing. It’s original, but it’s based on what they did. I wanted to have some fun with this for them and the listeners.”

Harrell said in addition to getting a chance to play, he hopes there’s a message younger players will hear and take away.

“As I imagine it, I believe Duane would tell all of these young players to stay away from drugs and alcohol,” he said. “If you don’t, there’s a heavy price to pay. Keep it about the music. Be healthy, live with honor and dignity.”

Harrell suggests dressing for the weather, whatever it might turn out to be, and bringing blankets and lawn chairs for the concert.

And bring the admission fee of 10 items as requested by Daybreak. This year they include:

— Paper towels

— Spray deodorant

— Double and triple-blade razors

— Liquid laundry detergent

— Pine-sol cleaner

— Vinegar

— Coffee

— Body wash

— Lawn trash bags, 33-gallon or larger

More on the festival is at the Skydog site, skydogmacon.com.

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Remember, most Macon galleries offer paintings, ceramics and other artful works that make perfect holiday gifts. Support local artists by buying unique gifts from them and keep an eye out for special gift shopping opportunities like artist markets. Several are already scheduled for this weekend and beyond
including:

— Fabric artist Wini McQueen and Friends Artist Gift Market on the upper level of Macon Mall featuring McQueen’s work plus pottery, T-shirts, scarves, books, jewelry, home décor and more. It begins Friday and is open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 29.

— McEachern Art Center’s Winter Artist Market is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 25 local vendors featuring paintings, jewelry, ceramics, home goods, vintage and artisanal items and more.

— The Nov. 30 Shop Small Saturday downtown with rotating bargain power hours at shops from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. It’s supported by NewTown Macon, see newtownmacon.com for details.

— Triangle Arts Holiday Market Dec. 14 from noon to 5 p.m. and Dec. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at 206 Lower Elm St.

And be sure to mark your calendar for Nov. 29 when the lights and music come on for the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza presented by Northway Church. Macon Pops again provides a live opening concert and then the recorded holiday music for more than 1 million synchronized lights. It runs into the New Year. More to come.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.