USM Gulf Park Announces 2023-2024 Ambassador Series on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 10:25am | By: Jay Dean
The Ambassador Series, a cultural outreach project of The University of Southern Mississippi’s
(USM) Gulf Park campus, will present musical performances along the Mississippi Gulf
Coast throughout the 2023-24. The eclectic series, with concerts ranging from jazz
and blues to classical soloists and choral ensembles, includes something for everyone.
The events span the Mississippi Gulf Coast and includes performances in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, and Long Beach. The Gulf Coast will have the opportunity to enjoy some of Mississippi’s finest musicians in a variety of coastal venues.
The Ambassador Series kicks off with a free concert on Tuesday, October 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 720 East Beach Blvd. in Long Beach, Miss. The Gulf Coast Civic Chorale’s Festival of Choirs, presents a showcase of some of the region’s exceptional high school and community college choirs in a celebration of multi-generational music making. Dr. Jonathan Kilgore of Southern Miss School of Music will conduct the festival’s mass chorus, that is joined by the Southern Miss Concert Choir. The concert is free and open to the public.
On Thursday, October 19 at 12:15 p.m. in the Fleming Education Center (FEC) Auditorium
on the USM Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, a program on Mississippi’s music roots
will be presented by multi-Grammy-nominated, international performer, composer, producer,
recording artist, and actor, Vasti Jackson. He will take the audience on a journey
from the foundation of American music to the musical genres that grew from it. Including
blues, gospel, country, and soul, to rock & roll, jazz, funk, and hip hop, this music
is loved the world over. From Robert Johnson (the father of the blues) to Jimmie Rodgers
(the father of country music) Mississippi encompasses the musical bookends of global
popular music as well as everything in between. Mississippi’s cultural ambassador,
Vasti Jackson brings it all back home to the coast. This 12:15 p.m., lunch-time program
is free and open to the public.
Ring in the holiday season with “A Civic Chorale Holiday” presented by the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale and the Gulf Coast Chorale. There will be two performances of this concert on Friday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fleming Education Center Auditorium at the Gulf Park Campus and Sunday, November 19, at 2:30 p.m. at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Biloxi. Both performances are free and open to the public
Whether you are a seasoned supporter of the arts or looking to explore something new, the Ambassador Series provides unique experiences to enrich the lives of the community enhancing the coast’s already arts and culture.
More information on the Spring Ambassador Series season, which runs through April 2024, will be announced in the New Year. See the complete schedule.