For release: August 30, 2011
For press information, contact the School of Music, 901-678-1651.

The U of M will offer students, faculty, and staff discounted ticket prices for the Sept. 30 Centennial Kickoff Concert at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. Each ticket will cost $12 plus a service charge. A very limited number will be available weekdays Sept. 6-16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Harris Box Office on campus. 

For more information, call 678-1651.

The evening of entertainment will feature performances by students and faculty of the University’s Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, along with special guest Grammy Award-winning soul and R&B singer/musician Aaron Neville.

The concert will mark the debut of two original compositions, “Centennial Fanfare” and “Presidential Portraits,” written by longtime U of M music professor James Richens. Performers will include the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble, Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra, Sound Fuzion, the University Singers, and the U of M Opera.

Neville has had a successful career as a solo artist and as a member of the Neville Brothers.  His hits include “Don’t Know Much,” “Everybody Plays the Fool,” and “Tell It Like It Is.”