FIRST TUESDAY PERFORMANCE SERIES CONCERT NOVEMBER 4 AT ABAC

The next event in the First Tuesday Performance Series will take place Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at Abraham Baldwin College. Featured performers will include Airman First Class Thomas H. Salyers, trumpet; Airman First Class Michael L. Pekarek, F-horn; and Susan Jackson, soprano. The Mannheim Trio, which includes Sheri Wyles Grabowski, flute; Lesli Bellflower Holton, flute; and Betsy Sone Jones, cello; will also perform. Gina Lawhon will accompany the musicians.

As part of the Arts and Entertainment Series, sponsored by the Abraham Baldwin Arts Connection, regional professional artists will be featured on the first Tuesday of every month in the Chapel of All Faiths on the ABAC campus. The concerts, which last one hour, are designed to be light, entertaining, and informative.

The Nov. 4 concert will be free to the public. For more information about the First Tuesday Performance Series, contact Dr. Susan Roe, First Tuesday Program Coordinator, at (229) 386-3097.

Salyers plays trumpet for the Ceremonial Band, Brass Quintet, and the Concert Band. He also serves as an Operations Representative for the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Robins Air Force Base. Salyers has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Pops, the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass Quintet, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.

Pekarek performs on horn in the Concert Band, Brass Quintet, and the Ceremonial Band. He also serves as a librarian for the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. In addition to university ensembles, Pekarek has performed with various groups, including Denver Young Artists’ Orchestra, the American Wind Symphony, and the Houston Symphony. He has performed for the 2001 Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade, the 2002 CBS Special “Rockin’ the USA--A Salute to the U.S. Military,” as well as several tours with the band.

Jackson has been singing since she was five-years-old and began her formal training when she was 16. She has been active as a soloist in many churches throughout Georgia and has also performed with community groups, including the Savannah Symphony Chorus, Tifton Choral Society, Albany Choral Society, and Paidea Women’s Chorus.

Grabowski, who is known throughout Georgia as a band and flute clinician, is a member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. She also manages and performs with her own professional chamber group, The Mannheim Trio. Grabowski is in her 18th year of teaching band and general music and is employed by the Tift County School System. She is also an adjunct instructor of applied woodwinds at ABAC.

Holton is Director of Choral Music for Worth County Middle School in Sylvester. She also serves as Associate Conductor of the Tifton Choral Society and is the director of the Young Musicians Choir at First Baptist Church of Chula. Holton performs regularly as a member of The Mannheim Trio.

Jones’ playing credits include the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Baylor University Symphony Orchestra, the Baylor University Cello Choir, the San Angelo Symphony, the Marshall Symphony, the Shreveport Chamber Music Festival, and the Texas All-State Orchestra. She teaches elementary music at Annie Belle Clark Primary School in Tifton and also plays at Northside Baptist Church.

Lawhon is a local piano/organ instructor and elementary school music teacher for Irwin County. She has accompanied and played for a wide variety of musical events, both local and statewide, including a concert with the Brandenburg String Quartet and several recitals at Valdosta State University. Lawhon has also performed with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. She teaches general music for the Tift County Public School System.

This year, in conjunction with each First Tuesday Performance Series concert, there will be an art exhibit in the Music Building, adjacent to the Chapel of All Faiths. The exhibit will feature paintings, drawings, and two-dimensional designs by ABAC art students. This month, Donna Hatcher, assistant professor of art, will feature works by her students. The exhibit will be open for viewing before and after the concert.

The cost for season tickets for the Arts and Entertainment Series performances is $50 per person for adults and $15 for students 18 years old and under. This cost includes all six events in the Arts and Entertainment Series as well as the seven First Tuesday Performance Series events. For more information about the Arts and Entertainment Series, contact the Abraham Baldwin Arts Connection at (229) 386-3558.

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