Mercer University’s Spencer B. King Jr. Center for Southern Studies will award the 2021 Thomas Robinson Prize for Southern Literature to novelist, essayist and poet Barbara Kingsolver. The prize will be presented April 17 at 1 p.m. in a livestreamed ceremony at kingcenter.mercer.edu. Kingsolver was born in 1955 and grew up in rural Kentucky. She earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona. She has lived in England, France and the Canary Islands and has worked…

The Last Sorcerer  is an operetta from 1867 composed by opera star and composer Pauline Viardot, recently rediscovered and made available for performance. Deep in the forest, fairies play tricks on the old sorcerer in his decaying palace in an effort to dislodge him from their woodland home. The opera incorporates magic, love, and comedy in a story with elements that hark back to Shakespeare’s comedies and familiar fairy tales.   The music is brilliant and lovely, the characters and plot are…

The Last Sorcerer  is an operetta from 1867 composed by opera star and composer Pauline Viardot, recently rediscovered and made available for performance. Deep in the forest, fairies play tricks on the old sorcerer in his decaying palace in an effort to dislodge him from their woodland home. The opera incorporates magic, love, and comedy in a story with elements that hark back to Shakespeare’s comedies and familiar fairy tales.   The music is brilliant and lovely, the characters and plot are…

The Trial of Susan B. Anthony is a new opera with tremendous impact on many levels.  The famous suffragette was arrested in 1872 for attempting to vote, and the text of this opera was taken directly from her trial. Set as a tour de force for one singer, Steven Mark Kohn’s rich, gorgeous music of our time brings her story in her own words powerfully to life as reminders of the human search for equal justice.  The piece is especially resonant now,…

A multimedia, creative outdoor spectacular that includes giant puppets, pyrotechnics, and more on Cruz Plaza. The Phoenix Project is inspired by the societal upheaval of 2020 to ask what innovations and creativity will rise from the ashes, much like the mythical bird of its title. This is an original work generated collaboratively by Mercer Theatre students, faculty, and staff that will take place live in a parade-like environment alongside community performers. Get ready to be wowed!

The Trial of Susan B. Anthony is a new opera with tremendous impact on many levels.  The famous suffragette was arrested in 1872 for attempting to vote, and the text of this opera was taken directly from her trial. Set as a tour de force for one singer, Steven Mark Kohn’s rich, gorgeous music of our time brings her story in her own words powerfully to life as reminders of the human search for equal justice.  The piece is especially resonant now,…

Program: Higdon ‘String’ Concerto comp winner To Be Determined Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht

Join the Mercer Flute Choir Chamber Ensemble in a jubilant musical celebration of spring! Open to Mercer Music Faculty, Music Students, and parents of the performers only. Performance can be viewed on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/musicatmercer/.

An evening of music specifically written for instruments that are within the percussion family. Performance can be viewed on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/musicatmercer/

The Townsend concert season opens with a showcase of performances by the distinguished faculty artists in a festival gala concert event. Afterward please join us for a pre-packaged reception on the patio honoring the performers and the start of the concert year.