Symphony group seeks financial support

The Starkville/Mississippi State Symphony Association is poised to launch a major fund-raising drive.

Dr. Billy Ward (left) and Gary L. Myers

A first for the 29-year-old organization, the effort will seek to raise as much as $25,000.

"We are the smallest town in America with our own symphony," said association president Gary L. Myers. "The funds will enhance our ability to provide high-quality programming that appeals to all ages."

A Sept. 21 social at the Caragen House will inaugurate the drive, which is being coordinated by Billy C. Ward, Mississippi State vice president for institutional advancement and a member of the association board of directors. The two-hour gala begins at 4 p.m.

Myers, an associate professor of English at the university, is assisting Ward, along with board members Robert L. Phillips and C.T. Carley. Phillips is a Mississippi State English professor; Carley, head emeritus of the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department.

"The association will seek corporate sponsorships of $1,500 to help underwrite performances," Ward said. The drive also will solicit individual donors at the level of patron, $1,000; benefactor, $500; donor, $250; and member, $100, he added. "We're confident the university and the community will want to support the symphony as a valuable cultural resource," Ward said.

The 65-piece orchestra is composed of volunteer community performers, including Mississippi State and local high school students.

Myers, who plays string bass, said the organization "wants to broaden its efforts to provide the best programs for everyone." Among the possibilities are a free spring pops concert at the university's amphitheater, he said.

Tentative performances for the 1997-98 season include a fall classics concert on Nov. 9; children's programs, Nov.18 and 19; a fall concert with the Starkville Symphony Chorus, Nov. 23; a master works concert, March; and a combined symphony orchestra and chorus concert, April.

For more information about the fund drive or ways to contribute contact Myers or Phillips at 325-3644 or Ward at 325-3222.