The Classics at First concert series will return at 7 p.m. Thursday with “Belles With Bows — A String Quartet” at First Presbyterian Church.
The quartet consists of Temperance Babcock-Steiskal and Milena Rusanova on violin, Tammy Luke on viola and Nancy Bateman on cello. Admission is free to the public.
Ray Smithee, director of music and organist at First Presbyterian, who oversees the Classics at First program, said this is the first installment to feature a string quartet.
He said the goal of the series is to add another style of music to the mosaic that is featured in the Mississippi Delta.
“We started this a few years ago because there are all kinds of venues for other forms of music in the Delta — for blues, gospel, country music, what all,” he said. “Not really a place for classical music, so we felt like that was a niche we could help provide a source for.
“We have an acoustically good sanctuary,” he said, “so the place works really well for live performances.”
This will be the second concert of this fall. Smithee finds it “wonderful” that concerts can be held again after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a two-year pause.
“Like everything else, at some point in time you begin to wonder will you ever be back to live performance early on in the pandemic,” he said. “It’s great that we’ve reached that point where we’re able to do this again, and the performers certainly are thrilled that opportunities are opening back up for them to perform.”
It’s good for listeners, too, he said: “I think the public was very pleased that we were able to start these back up. We had a nice turnout for the first one, so I’m hopeful it will be the same for this one.”
He encouraged those enjoying the Holiday Open House to come by “for a nice concert to end the evening.”
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
