Songs of the South
featuring: Susan Ruggiero, soprano
Experience the rich musical heritage of the American South in a captivating concert featuring a diverse selection of songs inspired by Mississippi and its southern neighbors. Allow yourself to be transported by soulful melodies, lush harmonies, and poignant lyrics with songs by American composers as we celebrate the unique voices and stories of the South. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the heart and soul of Mississippi through this musical offering!
You will hear songs from Southern composers such as Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Luigi Zaninelli, as well as songs inspired by the South, like Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville Summer of 1915” and excerpts from Southern-inspired musicals such as Show Boat, Oklahoma, Finian’s Rainbow, and Porgy and Bess
Date:
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Location:
Lansdowne, 17 Marshall Rd., Natchez, Miss.
Admission:
$35
Susan Ruggiero is an active performer and educator based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She has been described as having a voice that is“stunning and pure”—State News, East Lansing, Michigan. Ruggiero has performed as a principal artist with the New Orleans Opera, Natchez Festival Opera, Shreveport Opera, Mississippi Opera, Opera South, Blue Lake Opera, Wildwood Opera Theatre, Kentucky Opera, and Opéra Louisiane. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards including: Shreveport Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition, Mozart Award in the National Orpheus Vocal Competition, and district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
An active recitalist, Ruggiero performs regularly both as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to performing extensively throughout the United States, Ruggiero has performed as a recitalist in Italy at Scuola Musicale di Milano (Milan), Sala San Tommaso del Palazzo Boncompagni-Roccasecca (Roccasecca), Ostia Antica (Rome), and the Conservatory of Music (Terni). As a concert soloist and recitalist, Ruggiero has also performed throughout Brazil at venues such as Festival Música no Mar de Minas (Alfenas), Paço da Liberdade (Curitiba), Festival Música nas Montanhas (Poços de Caldas), Universidade Federal do Paraná (Curitiba), and Escola de Música et Belas-Artes do Paraná (Curitiba).
Dr. Ruggiero is an Associate Professor of Music at William Carey University where she teaches, voice, flute, and music theory, and directs and produces operas. In the summers she serves on the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. Ruggiero holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Louisiana State University, a double Master of Music in Voice and Flute Performance from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Michigan State University.
Dr. Brian Murphy is active as a soloist, collaborative pianist, vocal coach, church musician, and pedagogue. He has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist and presented master classes across the United States, Mexico, Chile, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Murphy joined the Winters School of Music faculty at William Carey University in 2015, where he teaches piano, piano-related courses, music history, and collaborates with singers, instrumentalists, choral ensembles, and Carey Opera. Brian also performs with his father, Slater Murphy, organist, in the father-son duo, Murphy Mixture. During his time at Carey, Murphy has received five Top Teacher awards from Steinway and Sons. Prior to his appointment at William Carey University, Murphy taught and collaborated at Mercer University and Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. While in Georgia, he also worked as the Assistant Choral Director and collaborative pianist for the Middle Georgia Choral Society.
Murphy completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at The University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a double Master of Music in Collaborative Piano and Choral Conducting from Mercer University, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Mississippi College. Brian remains an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Mississippi Music Teachers Association, and the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League. In addition to music, Brian is also an avid runner and marathoner. He uses principles of marathon training in his pedagogy and his practice structure with his students. Brian lives in Hattiesburg with his wife, LeAnn, who teaches in the Petal School District. They have one son, Patrick, and one daughter, Elizabeth.
