Mississippi Symphony Orchestra to present Valentine's Day event

By Staff
special to The Star
Feb. 8, 2004
JACKSON The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra will present "Dance, Romance and Diamonds: An Evening of Classical Elegance" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Jackson's Thalia Mara Hall.
Conducted by MSO Music Director Crafton Beck, the romantically themed concert will feature guest vocalists and the Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, with special guest Miss Mississippi 2003 Allison Kellogg.
Including music from popular romantic films such as "Ghost" and "Out of Africa," "Dance, Romance and Diamonds" will provide an amorous atmosphere for couples.
The concert is co-sponsored by St. Dominic Health Services and Entergy. BellSouth of Mississippi has generously sponsored the guest artists.
Kellogg will appear with the Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, which will perform two selections with the MSO.
The first, entitled "Flirt," is set to the Shostakovich Dance Suite. The second, "Diamonds," is set to music by Karl Jenkins and Antonio Vivaldi, music immediately recognizable as "that diamonds commercial on TV" Beck said.
The Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet is a pre-professional ballet company housed at the historic Madison County Cultural Center. Many dancers have gone on to professional careers, including Sarah Newman, the 2002 USA International Ballet Competition competitor from Brookhaven who is currently with the Alabama Ballet.
Kellogg returns to dance with the ballet for Pops III after having obtained her bachelor's degree in dance from the University of Alabama. She will be the featured soloist in "Flirt," dancing alongside former professional ballet dancer Erik Kegler, who has frequently appeared as a guest artist with the MSO in past concerts.
Another returning guest artist is vocalist Heather Clancy-Allen, who will be joined by singer Will Cleckler in romantic selections such as "Unchained Melody" and songs from the films "Out of Africa," "Romeo and Juliet" and the Broadway musical "Camelot."