By Melissa Wray

Thursday, Dec. 5, at 12:45 p.m., the public will get an opportunity to watch students and faculty of the University of Memphis' music department perform holiday classics at the annual Holiday Music Concert in the Harris Concert Hall located in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music.

Performers include the University Choir, the Tuba Ensemble, a jazz trombone ensemble,  and two different string ensembles, all of which are student groups.

What makes this year's concert interesting is the fact that Channel 13 will be taping the concert and playing it live for their audience on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to Kevin Sanders, assistant music professor and member of the faculty-based Memphis Brass Quartet.

"While there will not be any original compositions being played, not all of the music is going to be holiday music," he said. "As a matter of fact, the two string ensembles will be playing Mozart and Haydn."

Some of the other groups will be playing holiday music with a bit of a twist, which Sanders described as being "kind of a cool thing."

"For instance, you might hear 'Jingle Bells,' but it's a very different version that one  of our students arranged," he said.

Sanders added that the holiday concert has always been a way for the music department to thank the campus and the community. 

"We just want to get people into the holiday spirit," he said.

By Erica Holmes

Cuarteto Casals impressed audience members on opening night of the Harris Concert Hall, a music series created by Concerts International and ArtsMemphis.

They are a four-piece string quartet from Spain known as the first Spanish string quartet with an impressive international profile, including receiving the Premio Nacional de Musica and the Premi Cituat Barcelona. The quartet even accompanies the King of Spain on diplomatic visits on occasion.

The concert series will run from Tuesday Oct. 22, 2013 until Tuesday April 3, 2014 and will feature a wide variety of musical performances and genres, including a family of Armenian guitar virtuosos.

Members of the quartet are not only playing in Memphis on their two-week U.S. tour – they will play for a sold-out audience at the Library of Congress on Thursday Oct. 24, 2013.

The organization is encouraging students to attend future performances by offering a limited number of free tickets to students at University of Memphis and admission for students from other Universities is only $10 per ticket. Show tickets are available at the info desk in the University Center or at the box office in the Music Building. 

By Margot Pera

Halloween weekend will be an extravaganza to remember for Ben Jenkins, a University of Memphis math graduate student and techno DJ.

Jenkins will begin his party binge Thursday, Oct. 31, at Mollie Fontaine Lounge and end at Mollies on Saturday around 3 a.m.

Jenkins began his DJ vocation in 2008 after seeing some electronic music DJs play live at Voodoo Festival in New Orleans.

“I went to Voodoo fest to see Rage Against the Machine, and I saw a couple of DJs there and kind of liked it,” Jenkins said. “My friends and I started researching electronic music and eventually I started discovering a bunch of underground artists I really liked.”

 Jenkins’ favorite type of techno music is house, which he says has a softer melody than other derivatives like dubstep and trance.

“All of the electro genres, dubstep, trance, house, are derived from techno, which originated from disco,” Jenkins said. “Trance has a faster tempo and uplifting chords, and dubstep is basically a meditation on base.”

By John Martin / MicroMemphis Reporter

The Memphis Grizzlies disposed of the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games earlier this month in rather easy fashion.

But, after the tornadoes that demolished the surrounding areas in Oklahoma City, there’s no lingering bad blood from the City of Memphis toward their neighbors to the west.

Many businesses around the University District, including Newby’s Memphis at 539 S. Highland St. organized food and donation drives to assist the residents of Moore, Okla., where dozens of people were killed and thousands of homes destroyed by a tornado outbreak that swept through the state.

Newby’s, a prominent stable of the University District, conducted the drive May 23, and the turnout was promising. Though official numbers haven’t been tallied, organizers and nearby residents were encouraged by how many people showed up.
 

Perfect weather on April 6 made for a great first Blue Tom Fest at the University of Memphis, and due to the success organizers hope to continue the tradition every spring.

More than 100 people were in attendance for the sunny skies, warm weather and good music for the outdoor event. It attracted students, faculty and residents of the University District.

 “I loved this event. Literally my friends and I were talking about sitting outside listening to music that day because it was so beautiful, then I remembered the festival” said Junior Journalism major, Christina Vanelli.

Organizer, Trey Hamilton said it was everything he expected.

“The crowd was diverse and the bands put on great shows.”

The University District is gearing up for the first ever BlueTOM Fest on April 6 at Memorial Field on the University of Memphis campus.

The festival is named after Blue Tom Records, which is the U of M’s student run record label.

The line up will include Star and Micey, Fast Planet, The Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, Lightaho, Alex Inman and Absentease.

Tevin McInnis, a junior at the University of Memphis will be DJ-ing the event.  

“I’m excited to see the musical diversity, and excited to reach out to a different crowd as far a DJ-ing goes,” said McGinnis.