Sandlapper Singers will present a two-part presentation about the Civil War in March and April 2011. “Music and Conversation about the Civil War Experience” will include a public meeting and lecture about the Civil War experience of ordinary people on March 27, 2011 and a concert of Civil War music interspersed with images and readings on April 1, 2011. SC Humanities supported this project through a Major Grant in February 2011.
The Sandlapper Singers are a professional vocal chamber ensemble that presents American music and composers from the past and the present. During the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War (2011 – 2015), the Sandlapper Singers are planning a series of concerts that will feature music from the Civil War period, based on the belief that historical music can help us understand the human experience of that time and place.
“Music and Conversation about the Civil War Experience” will start with a public meeting at the South Carolina State Museum on the afternoon of Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. that will feature a panel of historians talking about the Civil War experience of ordinary people. Dr. Constance Schulz will share photographic images of South Carolina during the war years; Dr. Lacy Ford will talk about the “plain people” of South Carolina, and Dr. Bobby Donaldson will discuss the experiences of African Americans, some free but most enslaved. Additionally, musicians will perform samples of the music which will be featured at the concert on Friday, April 1. On the evening of Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m., the concert “Melodies from the Civil War: Hard Times” will be presented at Dreher High School auditorium in Columbia, SC. The program will feature guitarist Marina Alexandra and a guest appearance of the Benedict College Choir performing with the Sandlapper Singers.
For more information about the Sandlapper Singers, please see their website at: http://www.sandlappersingers.org/index.html.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.
