For one group of Mercer Bears, Valentine’s Day will bring a different kind of butterflies inside than the feeling of love. Instead, these musicians will be experiencing the nerves and excitement that come before a performance. Students from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and Mercer Singers are now preparing for a show alongside Mercer University faculty and alumni at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City on Feb. 17.
The program will be conducted by Dr. Stanley L. Roberts, associate dean and the Arthur Lowndes Rich Professor of Choral Conducting at Townsend School of Music, alongside guest conductor Paul Watkins of the Emerson String Quartet.
Highlights from the program include Bartók’s “Divertimento for Strings” and Ola Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass,” in addition to the premiere of an exciting new work by Mack Wilberg, best known as the music director for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Wilberg was commissioned by Carolyn Townsend McAfee to create “From the Frontier” with the 2025 Mercer Carnegie Hall appearance in mind. Drawn from the great treasury of secular and sacred North American folk music, this set of songs suggests a call to honor the relationships that stabilize life on the frontier.
“He has taken simple, common folk tunes and hymns of the 19th century and created an exciting and moving concert work for today,” Dr. Roberts said about the premiere.
“From time to time, there are those composers who remind us of that which was before. Wilberg has done this for us in this commission,” he said. “They reach back and grasp simple, musical gems of the past that have woven the generations together and give to us a new musical tapestry, which current and future generations can celebrate and enjoy.”
Freshman violinist Benjamin Linton, who is studying music at the McDuffie Center, agreed.
“I think it’s beautiful in its simplicity,” he said. Linton also thought that how the piece brought together so many choral voices alongside the strings was unique.
Sophomore music education major and vocalist Anna Grace Martin said she “fell in love” with the commission during rehearsals.
“The musical contrast between each song is quite emotional in many aspects. I can go from dancing with fellow altos in ‘Skip to My Lou’ to crying during the tenor solo in ‘Red River Valley,'” she said.
The opportunity to make music in one of the most famous venues in the world is not lost on these Mercer students, who plan to use the time in New York to further their education. For Linton, it will be his first time visiting the city, which he has long aspired to see.
“I’ve heard about it since I was very, very young,” he said. “It has been my dream to play there and to experience the magic of Carnegie Hall.”
Martin said she looks forward to the opportunity to see art museums and take in a Broadway show.
“I hope to experience as many art forms as humanly possible,” she said.
On Feb. 11, a preview performance of some of the Carnegie Hall works, including “From the Frontier,” will play to a sold-out crowd in Macon during the Fabian Concert Series. Tickets have been opened up for the Feb. 10 dress rehearsal for those who missed out. Then, Mercer students and faculty will travel to New York on Feb. 14 for a weekend of rehearsal and exploring. The performance at Carnegie Hall will take place Feb. 17, and tickets are available for the public here.
Another opportunity to view some of the Carnegie Hall program will take place Feb. 24 during the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra concert at The Piedmont Grand Opera House. Paul Watkins will return as guest conductor. Tickets are available now.
Students like Martin believe they have already learned a lot in brief moments of rehearsal together as an ensemble.
“I can only imagine the progress we will make when we’re together and how rewarding it will be in the end,” she said.
