This year’s Egg Bowl football showdown between Ole Miss and Mississippi State will bring a little added excitement for Greenwood’s Paul Brown.
Brown will be among a small group of Ole Miss alumni singing “The Star Spangled Banner” on the field before kickoff in Oxford on Nov. 29.
The current choirmaster and organist at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Brown said he was asked by Julia Aubrey, an associate professor of music at Ole Miss and the director of the university’s opera theater program, to join the alumni group in singing the national anthem.
Brown, who graduated with a degree in vocal music from Ole Miss, had studied under Aubrey. He said she’d asked him several years ago to join a similar one-off group for a performance, but other commitments kept him from joining in.
“I was really excited to get another chance to do it,” Brown said.
As an undergraduate, Brown had the opportunity to perform the national anthem at football games with several different, larger vocal groups. This time around, though, he expects the group will be about 10 members or fewer.
“I've never gotten to do anything quite this small,” he said.
As for preparation, Brown said the arrangement of “The Star Spangled Banner” will likely be a familiar one — but there won’t be a lot of time to rehearse.
“It’s pretty quick,” Brown said. “We’re supposed to meet on campus at about 1:15 on Saturday. We’ll pass out the music, sing through a few times, get familiar with it and then walk over to the stadium at around 2” to perform in front of a sold-out crowd.
After the performance, Brown said he’s not sure if they’ll be allowed to linger around the stadium and take in the game in person. Either way, though, he said he should have plenty of opportunities to catch the game later and take in the atmosphere in the Grove and on the Square.
“I’m really excited,” Brown said.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
