Macon Magazine

ABOVE A large contingent of Mercerians and community members traveled from Macon to New York. "We all took last chair," McDuffie said. "It was important for us to show that this night was about them. Our students played the principal roles. They led the way. We trusted them to represent everything the McDuffie Center stands for – artistic excellence, mentorship, and the power of rising to the occasion." McDuffie described the performance as a moment that crystallized the Center's mission: "It wasn't just a concert. It was a handoff. It was showing them they're ready, and watching them fly." Perfecting their song Among those students was Ben Linton, a freshman violinist whose dream to play at Carnegie Hall had been alive since childhood. "I've heard about it since I was very, very young," he said. "It's always been my dream to play there and experience the magic of Carnegie Hall." He recalled chamber coach Annie Fullard describing the hall as "just glowing," and said he could feel the weight of history when he walked in. Linton also shared how the experience broadened his horizons beyond the concert hall. "It was my first time ever visiting New York," he said. "Just the idea of being in the city, like seeing Central Park or catching the New York Philharmonic, it all felt so inspiring. It gave me a new kind of motivation, like there's so much more out there I want to explore as a musician." Graduate pianist McKinley Starks agreed. He performed in Hans Bridger Heruth's "Joy," a four- hand piano piece, and described the experience as "collaborative and kind of electric." Singing Wilberg's music at Carnegie brought things full circle for Starks. "I was raised on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir," said with a chuckle. "I've done that before. Writing is a lot of hard work, and if you want to maintain a high standard of performance, you've got to do the nitty- gritty." Though Wilberg almost hesitated due to the stringent holiday concert obligations, the quality of Mercer's musicians made him accept the challenge. "I knew that the ensembles here were very, very good," he said Despite the time crunch, Wilberg composed with specific performers in mind. "I am always envisioning – number one – who the ensemble is," he said. "I knew the choir, and I'd heard great things about the McDuffie Center strings program. Knowing that there was this great string orchestra, you don't want to just write quarter notes and whole notes and half notes… I knew that I wanted to write something that would give, hopefully, the players a little more to do." That vision paid off. During early rehearsals, students were moved when the choral and string parts were finally brought together, with one mentioning that she didn't understand how emotional the piece was until she heard it with the orchestra. Although Wilberg wasn't able to travel to New York for the Carnegie Hall performance, he attended the preview concert in Macon and spoke with students and faculty during his visit. "I've been very impressed," he said. "This piece has become a way to connect students with their own musical heritage – and maybe help preserve something that's at risk of being forgotten." Blending voices in a community effort Gary Gerber, dean of Mercer's Townsend School of Music, enjoyed the result. "Singing in Carnegie Hall is very special in and of itself, but to perform a premiere by someone as well known as Mack Wilberg? That's the icing on top of the cake." He added, "It was a very positive experience all around, from the performance itself to just being in New York. Feeling the weight of that historic space is something these students will carry with them for the rest of their lives." Before the concert, students were encouraged to take it all in – literally. "The organizers told us, 'When you walk out on stage for rehearsal, take your phones out. You're going to want to take a picture,'" Gerber recalled. "So for five minutes, everyone was taking selfies and pictures of the hall. It was a cool way to soak in the moment." Globally renowned violinist and McDuffie Center founder Robert McDuffie called the night "a proud moment," both musically and symbolically. Seven McDuffie faculty members joined the stage, with notable musicians like Amy Schwartz Moretti, Annie Fullard, Lawrence Dutton, Jeff Turner, Daniel Tosky, and David Kim involved in the show. But all of these stars in their own right chose supporting seats in the action, while it was the students who took the lead. "This piece has become a way to connect students with their own musical heritage – and maybe help preserve something that's at risk of being forgotten." June/July 2025 | maconmagazine.com 79

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