All Amadeus at this year’s candlelight concert

Published 10:55 am Thursday, January 30, 2014

In a setting befitting the Classical era, the Four Seasons of the Arts will hold their annual candlelight concert Friday night at The Church of the Holy Trinity.
Beginning at 7 p.m., hundreds of flickering candles will illuminate the church’s nave and its Tiffany stained glass windows as the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra performs a program of Music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“The program will include Mozart’s masterful Serenade in B-Flat for 13 Winds made famous by the movie Amadeus,” said Dorothy Brasfield, the artistic director for the Four Seasons of the Arts.
Other musical selections will include the Masonic Funeral Music and Symphony No. 29.
Brasfield said that the symphony will be directed by maestro Crafton Beck, and Marta Szlubowska will serve as the concert mistress.
“We have such a strong orchestra, and we are the only place that the MSO travels to multiple times,” said Brasfield.
On Monday, the symphony performed for more than 2,000 kindergarten through third-grade students at the Vicksburg Convention Center as part of a $21,420 grant from the National Park Service’s Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative, sponsors for Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign and Four Seasons of the Arts.
The symphony will return for a “pops” concert to be held on the grounds of the park May 24.
Brasfield said the candlelight concert has been offered in Vicksburg for more than 10 years.
“The concerts are gorgeous and moving,” said Marian Richardson, a past audience member of the candlelight series.
“It’s hard to believe something this wonderful is happening in our town,” she said.
Brasfield said that some of the candelabras used during the performances are obsolete, and that the church has become stewards of the vintage candle holders after a local florist closed its doors.
“We take care of them in return for using them.”
Brasfield said it takes two people at least 30 minutes to light all the candles, some of which are hand-made by Carol Bonelli.
“She takes up the used candles from church services and past concerts and makes candles for us to use at this concert,” she said.
The candlelight concert is free, but donations are encouraged.
For more information, call 804-513-6903 or email david.rorick1@gmail.com.
The Four Seasons of the Arts organization gives seasonal musical offerings throughout the year.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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