Mercer’s Wind Ensemble to play at Society Garden

The Mercer University Wind Ensemble Chamber Players packed Society Garden’s open-air listening space in 2024 when they played there and will undoubtedly do the same when they’re there again Wednesday, March 19 at 6 p.m.

Just as last year, the Mercer students and a few adult faculty will again showcase musical groupings of brass, wind and other instruments, and a special harp trio performance.

This year’s concert is called “Chamber Winds at the Society Garden,” and the music will range from classical to modern popular, with selections ranging from the “Chorale from Jupiter” from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” to Lennon and McCartney’s “Yesterday.”

The performance is free, with Society Garden’s regular selection of food and drink available to make it a fine, near-spring evening to enjoy a meal along with the music. 

“It’s going to be a really good concert with a lot of great music,” said Brittan Braddock, assistant professor of music, coordinator of music education and director of bands at Mercer. “There will be some highbrow selections interspersed with modern, popular music, making it all very approachable. It’s becoming a fun tradition.”

Braddock told me 80% of those performing this year performed last year and have been selecting and working on music for the concert since then.

“Last year, I think most students were a little skeptical at the idea of playing out at a venue like the Society Garden because it was new to them; most had never done anything like it. Now, having played it once, they’ve seen what it’s like and they’re excited. Many have been working hard on their music for this year since last year wrapped up.”

Braddock said students select the music they want to perform then audition it to get final approval for the show. 

“Getting to play what they want to, what may be a favorite piece, makes it a lot more fun,” Braddock said. “The pressure is different. It’s a lot more relaxed and casual. And where we’re all used to performing in tuxedos or dressed all in black, here we get to dress colorfully and casually. In fact, we have to stress, ‘Don’t wear black.’ But the great thing is how they get to take what they learn in classes and studio lessons and apply it to music they chose in a different environment than what they’re used to.”

Gary Gerber is dean of Mercer’s Townsend School of Music and a professor of music. He has told me that having students play at Society Garden is beneficial to both the students and the community, allowing students to broaden their experience beyond an academic concert hall situation, giving a fun and different listening experience to those who see them.

“Chamber ensemble experience is essential to our music program,” he said. “The concert at the Society Gardens will showcase the great work our students are achieving.”

Society Garden co-owner Brad Evans has told me it was an easy “yes” when he was first approached about the students playing. He said, “It’s something different, but we do ‘different’ pretty well here at the Society Garden. It was an easy yes for us to say.”

Evans said the performances are something his patrons enjoy, though it’s not the norm, and that he’s happy about the ongoing partnership and being able to provide the perfect place to sit outside and listen to good music.

Braddock has been at Mercer for three years now and brought the idea with her from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She saw the value there and felt it would be a hit in Macon, plus a real benefit to students and the community.

“As musicians, most of our gigs are in beautiful, acoustically perfect halls,” she said. “Being there, you’re able to focus on the music in a particular way. Being able to perform at your top-level outside, where there’s a breeze to blow your music around, insects and other distractions, calls for a different level of focus. Performing in a setting where people are talking and enjoying a beverage or there’s a noisy child calls for a different level of focus. But it’s all applicable to being a professional performing musician. You deal with what’s going on around you and give your best to your music and to that particular audience.”

Of course, Braddock said playing at Society Garden is a treat and offers students the chance to play for family and friends who may be local and others who may just happen to come to Society Garden that night not knowing what they might hear.

“It’s great we get to introduce the Society Garden to many who may not have been there before and in turn, the Society Garden gets to introduce their patrons to us and music and instruments they may not be used to hearing,” she said.

Braddock told me that, all in all, while the Society Garden concert may be “outside the box,” for many, it all boils down to musicians playing the music they love for people who love music. She said the modern, popular music they also love helps bridge a gap.

“We want the classical music we love to be entertaining and accessible to a wider audience and we want to present it in an entertaining and accessible way, just like we do the newer stuff,” she said.

Society Garden is located 2389 Ingleside Ave. For more, go to thesocietygarden.com. For the Townsend School of Music, go to music.mercer.edu.

There’s a Facebook event page for the concert; search “Chamber Winds at the Society Garden.”

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at [email protected]. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.