World-renowned violinist Robert McDuffie will speak with the Macon-Bibb County Council of Clergy on Tuesday, February 2 to invite them and their congregations to “What Color is Your Brother? An Exploration of Race Through Words and Music,” a performance and discussion at The Grand Opera House on February 27. The luncheon on February 2 will begin at 11:30 a.m. in Room A on the Lower Level at the Macon City Auditorium.
The performance on February 26 is being presented by The Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, a special institute within Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music. Featuring McDuffie, the Mercer University Orchestra, and Theatre Macon’s Youth Actors Company, it will combine classical music with a documentary play written specifically for the event.
In an attempt to address local racial issues with a powerful pairing of words and music, the evening will close with a panel and audience discussion. The audience will have the opportunity to submit questions for the panel at the end of the performance.
In February 2015, the groundbreaking pairing of actress/activist Anna Deavere Smith and McDuffie at Beulahland Bible Church explored the issue of race in Macon to a crowd of over 3,000 people. McDuffie seeks to continue that conversation with February’s performance.
“It’s important to continue the conversation on race in Macon. Beulahland was special, but it was not a one-and-done event. I believe artists have a particular responsibility to address major issues in ways politicians and civic and religious leaders cannot. Words matter. Music heals,” said McDuffie.
Young actors from Theatre Macon’s Youth Actors Company will portray five local personalities in the documentary play, directed by Jim Crisp.
“These words, thoughts and ideas being expressed through young voices will make the audience really listen to what these local politicians and activists have to say,” said Crisp.
Respected journalist and music critic Mark Mobley was asked by McDuffie to write “What Color is Your Brother” late last year.
“I’ve known Mark for 25 years,” said McDuffie. “He’s one of the most respected minds in the music world and longtime producer of NPR’s ‘Performance Today.’ He’s a son of the South and knows my voice. He was the perfect person for this project.”
After poring over hundreds of hours of film and transcripts, Mobley settled on five voices to represent Macon: Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert, Commissioner Elaine Lucas, Coroner Leon Jones, local pastor and academic coordinator of Mercer’s Upward Bound program Dominique Johnson and executive director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Central Georgia Susanna Patterson.
“Racial problems aren’t unique to Macon, but Macon is uniquely positioned to do something about it – the strength of its churches, the goodwill of most Maconites, and yes, a thriving arts community,” said McDuffie. “Add Mercer University with its strong sense of purpose for the community, and you have a powerful formula for good.”
“What Color is Your Brother? An Evening of Music and Spoken Word” is a free, ticketed event. Tickets can be picked up at The Grand Opera House box office, located at 651 Mulberry Street in downtown Macon. For more information, contact the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at (478) 301-2886.
About the Macon-Bibb County Council of Clergy
Begun shortly after the consolidation of Macon-Bibb County, the Council of Clergy meets every month over lunch to hear about work in the new government, identify ways in which the faith-based community can work together and with the government, and express concerns from their communities directly to the Commission. Through the Council, neighborhood cleanups have been coordinated, church leaders and congregations have visited others, prayer vigils have been held together, and more.
“It will take more than the consolidated government to unify and strengthen our community; we need to our faith-based community to be engaged and actively working together to improve and move forward all neighborhoods,” says Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert. “Meeting monthly, we can learn more about how our government’s decisions and actions are effecting people.”
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities.
The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America’s most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season’s concerts please visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,600 students in 12 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, health professions, and Penfield College of Mercer University – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and three regional academic centers in the Atlanta metro area. The Mercer Health Sciences Center includes the University’s medical, nursing, health professions and pharmacy schools. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah; Medical Center, Navicent Health, in Macon; and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has an educational partnership with Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Warner Robins. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu