MACON – The third annual Robert McDuffie Center for Strings Award will be presented to the Redding family on April 28. The award is given to an individual or group who has exhibited a strong dedication to and support for the arts, and by extension, for their community and its future.
“The Reddings have worked tirelessly to promote music and culture in Macon. Their commitment to this effort makes them extremely deserving of this year’s honor," said Center Director Amy Schwartz Moretti.
Established in 2007 by Zelma Redding in her husband’s honor, the Otis Redding Foundation, with its roots in music, has created educational awareness programs in the arts and humanities, including the popular Otis Music Camp that takes place every summer. Karla Redding-Andrews, daughter of Otis, serves as executive director of the foundation. Three generations of Reddings have been working to realize The Dream Academy, a statewide charter school positioned to open in fall 2018.
“The Redding family has contributed not only to the musical fabric of our city through their Otis Redding Foundation, but to the lives of generations to come by working to create the Dream Academy, a charter school that will combine arts and academics,” said Moretti.
The award will be presented before a concert by the Mercer University Orchestra on April 28. The Center will also present a $500 donation to the Otis Redding Foundation. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Neva Langley Fickling Hall in the McCorkle Music Building on Mercer’s Macon campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, the Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America’s most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season’s concerts please visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
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