"Twelve Voices in Song" this Sunday, March 27

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will present “Twelve Voices in Song,” a Sunday Concert on Sunday, March 27 at 2 p.m. in the LRMA American Gallery. The concert is being held in conjunction with the opening of the LRMA exhibition Twelve Voices. An opening reception for the exhibition will immediately follow the concert.

The concert program will include songs by Donizetti, Gershwin, Gounod, Puccini, and Verdi. The vocalists are students of Dr. Maryann Kyle at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Cierra Hodo is a freshman from West Point, MS, majoring in vocal performance. At West Point High School, Hodo played the roles of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Laurey in Oklahoma!. She graduated from the Mississippi School of the Arts.

Sarah Childers is a junior Vocal Performance major from Fulton, MS. She recently sang the role of the Rose in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince. She has performed in the musical Company (Jenny), Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (Ciesca), Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci (chorus), Puccini’s La Bohème (chorus), and in Ragtime (chorus).

John White has performed throughout the United States and internationally as a soloist. Notable operatic roles include Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, The Count in highlights from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and Blackbeard Teach in Moore’s Devil and Daniel Webster. As a concert soloist, White has sung numerous works including Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. White works frequently as a worship leader, Christian recording artist, and keyboardist.

Angeley Marullo-Butler is a sophomore Vocal Performance and Business Management major. She has performed in the Jackson area since 2005.

Hilary Bounds is a freshman Vocal Performance major. She recently appeared in The Little Prince as The Fox.

Grace Claire Cordes is a freshman Vocal Performance major. She recently appeared as the Rose in The Little Prince.

Danielle Adams, from Fulton, MS, is a junior Vocal Performance major. She recently appeared as The Fox in The Little Prince and the Grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood.

Sara Linger is a junior Vocal Performance major from Ocean Springs, MS. Linger was recently seen in The Little Prince, playing the title character, and La Bohème as the understudy for Musetta.

Mattie Obregon is a senior Vocal Performance major from Marion, Virginia. She has performed the roles of Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème, Donna Anna from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Nella from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, and the title role in Puccini's Suor Angelica.

Tara Melvin is a New Orleans native with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Music degree from Southeastern Louisiana University. Melvin is currently a doctoral student at U. S. M. She has appeared in such roles as Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Sally/Ida in Die Fledermaus and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Also from New Orleans, Tyrone Hayes is a second year doctoral student . He recently sung the roles of Marcello in La Bohème and Tonio in I Pagliacci. Hayes received his Masters degree in Voice Performance from Southeastern Louisiana University and Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of New Orleans.

Originally from Meridian, MS, Lori Joyner is a doctoral student at U.S.M. She has a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Mississippi. While at Ole Miss, Lori performed the roles of Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Mrs. Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

This Sunday Concert is presented by the Hattiesburg Civic Chorus and Concert Association and sponsored by Tim Lawrence of of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC of Jackson. The concert is free and open to the public.


The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street in historic downtown Laurel. For more information, call 601.649.6374 or visit the Museum’s website at www.LRMA.org.