Champion fiddler and McCallie School alumnus Fletcher Bright, a founder of the Dismembered Tennesseans, was the featured guest artist at the Fall Concert in mid-November. Musicians from the GPS/McCallie Honors Orchestra and the GPS Wind Ensemble performed along with students in all string classes from the Middle and Upper Schools.

The hour-long concert had a distinctive international flair, with music from Hungary, Jordan, Spain, Germany and, closer to home, Appalachia. Mr. Bright, grandfather to several current GPS students and alumnae, performed a “Fisher’s Hornpipe,” “Tennessee Waltz,” and the famous “Orange Blossom Special,” complete with train sounds by his and the students’ instrumentation. Other musical performances included Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown,” an Arabic dance from Jordan, the theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “September,” the 70’s hit by Earth, Wind, and Fire.  

The concert also presented the work of seniors Sarah Thomas, who performed a Mozart aria from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” and Jennifer Rimer, the featured violinist in “Tennessee Waltz.”

Student work from Art II, Advanced Placement, and Ceramics I and II classes was displayed in the lobby of the Frierson Theatre and provided a gallery-like experience for the large audience prior to the performance.