The December Matinee Musicale meeting took place in Lampton Auditorium of the Mississippi School of The Arts on December 4, 2024. The school’s vocal department presented Carols of Christmas Winter Choral Concert under the direction of Ms. Sarah Hamman accompanied by Ms. Cindy Hunter. The concert began with the choir surrounding the audience singing Veni, Emmanuel! Following two more carols by the full choir, the men’s chorale sang a modern arrangement of “Still, Still, Still.”

The director introduced senior solos by Robert McCall, Parker Burns, and Samuel Crump. These students are preparing for college scholarship auditions.

The mood was then lightened with excerpts from you’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The full production will be presented later this month; tickets are available on the School’s website. The Chorale Select presented two carols, including the director’s favorite, Charols of Christmas. The full choir concluded with a rousing version of Hodie. The choir received an extended standing ovation in recognition of their hard work and great achievement.

A beautifully arranged selection of holiday treats was presented by the hostesses, Mrs. Jimmy Perkins, Mrs. Frank Moak, Mrs. John Burns and Mrs. Will Phillips.

In January, Matinee Musicale presented a solo piano concert by local virtuoso Steve Russell. Russell is a native of Brookhaven with bachelor and master’s degrees in music performance from Mississippi College. More importantly, Steve is a real crowd favorite with is incomparable performances and educational talks about each composer presented.

Steve performed Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, Schumann’s Phantasiestuke, Chopin’s Scherzo Number 1, Albeniz’s Suite Espanola and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody Number 7. The club responded with an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Refreshments were served by Mrs. Gene Bennett, Mrs. Mark Mathis, Mrs. Chris Nelson, Mrs. Suzanne Nobel and Mrs. George Gulley who graciously hosted the meeting in her home.