Symphony Bonds: Reception Introduces Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s New Director to Vicksburg and Celebrates Town Bonds – The Vicksburg Post
- The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra has a new president and executive director, Jenny Mann. A tea was offered in his honor at the Church of the Holy Trinity on April 20. Pictured, left to right, are Mann, MSO Principal Trumpeter Darcy Bishop, MSO Board Member Dorothy Brasfield, MSO Maestro Crafton Beack and MSO Board Member Debbie Felt. (Photo by Terri Cowart Frazier | The Vicksburg Post)
Vicksburg is a community with many avenues to celebrate the arts.
There are live theatrical and choral performances, artists and art galleries, dancers, artisans and musicians. The River City also has a relationship with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, through three local women who serve on the MSO’s board of directors.
On April 20, these women, Dorothy Brasfield, Carol McMillin and Debbie Felt, hosted an afternoon tea at Holy Trinity Church in an effort to continue Vicksburg’s relationship with the symphony orchestra and to present the inhabitants the new president and executive director of the OSM. , Jenny Mann.
Mann, who most recently served as executive director of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, where she had been principal bassoonist since 2006, took on the role following the retirement of former OSM executive director Michael beatie.
“We wanted to promote the symphony in every way we could and introduce (Mann) it to the citizens of Vicksburg,” McMillin said.
The OSM performs in Vicksburg “at least twice a year,” McMillin said, including a candlelight concert, as part of the Four Seasons of the Arts lineup, held at Holy Trinity in January, and a outdoor concert at Vicksburg National Military Park to celebrate Memorial Day.
“The concert in the military park is very popular,” McMillin said.
Also in the past, McMillin said, Vicksburg has hosted “A Night at the Symphony,” which involves a reception with locals loading onto a bus and traveling to Thalia Mara Hall to catch a performance in Jackson.
Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. is helping with this event, McMillin said.
An additional link between Vicksburg and the OSM is its main trumpeter, Darcy Bishop.
Bishop is the conductor of the Vicksburg Orchestral Society.
“There are all kinds of connections between this community and the Mississippi Symphony,” McMillin said, and hopes are to continue and expand the relationship.
About Terri Cowart Frazier
Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Soon after, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter for the Vicksburg Post and editor of Vicksburg Living Magazine, which was awarded first place by the Mississippi Press Association. She was also the recipient of a first place award in the editorial division of the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest for “Best Feature Article”.
Terri is a graduate of Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a major in public relations.
Before coming to work at the Post just over 10 years ago, she freelanced at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay-at-home mom.
Terri is a member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a life member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and was a member of the Sampler Antique Club and the Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.
“Whether it’s staying informed about local government issues or hearing the stories of local residents, a local newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at the Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I can continue to grow and hone my skills while helping to share the stories in Vicksburg. When people ask me what I love most about my job, my answer is always “the people”.
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