Marching Southerners Announce 2015 Production, "Celebration!"

02/16/2015


Southerners alumni, the late Dr. Hoyt LeCroy once wrote, “The music of the Southerners continues to reflect the emotions, hopes, and dreams which were inspired a half century ago on clear, crisp, Autumn days amidst the mountainous natural beauty of a college campus in the state of Alabama."

The 2015 Marching Southerners' production will be a celebration of that very campus…Jacksonville State University. Celebration is a soundtrack to JSU’s bright and exciting future: a new president and athletic director, along with a brand new look for the Marching Southerners, usher in a new era for the storied university. The production will also pay tribute to the rich heritage and iconic people that helped shape the lasting legacy that is Jacksonville State University.

The curtains will open and the new Southerners uniform will be unveiled to the timeless and bold fanfare of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. While the look may be new, there will be no doubt, as the powerful brass section washes the stands in waves of sound, that the trademark “Southerners Sound” will never change!

The Southerners and the JSU community are full of personality, character, and emotion. In this spirit, the Southerners present Overture, a new compilation of several popular themes including “Marriage of Figaro,” “William Tell,” and “The Barber of Seville.” In an arrangement both traditional and contemporary, the opener will show a comedic side of The Southerners rarely seen before.

JSU is built on rich traditions that continue to inspire future generations. In this spirit, the beautiful Marching Ballerinas will be featured to the Sinatra classic, "The Best Is Yet To Come." This arrangement will include some “swanky” new moods as well the traditional “big band” style of Ballerina tunes from the past. As always, the “kick section” will be a treat for all!

Next, the Southerners present Tribute, an original ballad by arranger Justin Williams. This emotional piece will take us on a trip down memory lane as the Southerners pay tribute to some of JSU’s biggest icons that laid the foundation for our university and built it into what it is today. Look for identifiable faces from the past and present to appear and disappear throughout this touching musical and visual presentation.

The show will close as the Southerners blaze a trail to JSU’s new era with Celebration, an arrangement including Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. This closer will be one for the books: lightning fast runs, fresh harmonies, an amazing drum line and a color guard like you have never seen before! It will truly embody the love and excitement we all have for JSU as we look to the future!

The Marching Southerners look forward to joining you on clear, crisp, autumn evenings as the sun sets majestically in the Jacksonville sky with their 2015 production, Celebration!

For more information on the Marching Southerners, please contact Ken Bodiford at kenbodiford@jsu.edu or (256)-782-5175.