Students, faculty, and alumni turned a legendary New York venue into a hometown triumph between commissioned pieces and classical hits

Lots of college students worry about their Valentine’s Day plans. But for a group of Mercer Bears, their jitters were more focused on packing their suitcases, string instruments, and songbooks for a long weekend in New York City that culminated in performing at one of the world’s most iconic venues.

Students from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and Mercer Singers teamed up with faculty and alumni to put on a major show at Carnegie Hall on February 17. For this group, the performance was more than just a concert – it was a celebration of talent, mentorship, and musical magic.

Conducted by professor Stanley L. Roberts and guest conductor Paul Watkins of the Emerson String Quartet, the program featured standout works like Bartók’s “Divertimento for Strings,” Ola Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass,” and the world premiere of “From the Frontier” by renowned composer Mack Wilberg.

Commissioned for Carnegie

One of the exciting aspects of the Carnegie Hall performance was tapping Wilberg to write “From the Frontier.” The acclaimed music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City (formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), Wilberg is known for his lush choral arrangements and emotionally resonant style.

Growing up in a small town two hours south of Salt Lake City, Wilberg grew up seeing the choir he would one day direct. He can vividly recall it being a “big deal” to go into the city with his grandmother at the age of 11 or 12 to see the Tabernacle Choir practice.

“I can still remember what music they were rehearsing and what the conductor was saying,” Wilberg said. “So it made a big impression, and it’s kind of surreal to imagine, now that I’ve been doing this for so many years.:

Wilberg was approached by retired Mercer faculty member David Keith several years ago to write a few pieces, but despite growing up in Utah, he already knew about Macon.

Wilberg was once in a piano quartet and funnily enough, a member of the group was a friend of Neva Langley Fickling, renowned Macon-based pianist and a former Miss America, so they traveled here for a concert. He remembered how Macon was in “full bloom” early in the year compared to the harsh Utah wintery weather and found the city beautiful. That was many years back, and Wilberg spoke to MM right outside the performance hall now named in Fickling’s honor.

Carolyn Townsend McAfee wanted to commission a new work for Mercerians to bring to Carnegie Hall, and they wanted Wilberg to create something uniquely American for this landmark performance.

“I’m one of those composers who writes for the audience,” Wilberg said. “Hopefully the audience is edified and uplifted by what they’re hearing. And because these pieces draw from our American heritage, I think they’ll find them to be very listenable – and hopefully inspiring.”

The piece, a three-movement set, reimagines familiar American folk tunes like “Skip to My Lou” and “Red River Valley” with fresh orchestration and choral harmonies. Although these songs might once have been common knowledge, Wilberg discovered that even among talented student musicians, they’re no longer widely recognized. “I was just talking with Dr. Roberts, and he said that many of the choir students didn’t know either of those songs,” Wilberg said. “That really surprised me – but maybe it’s part of why this kind of piece matters.”

Wilberg hadn’t originally planned to write the work under such a tight deadline. The idea for the commission was floated before the pandemic, then paused for several years. When the project was revived in late summer 2024, Wilberg had just weeks to write the score – and had to sacrifice most of his Christmas vacation to complete it. “That’s okay,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve done that before. Writing is a lot of hard work, and if you want to maintain a high standard of performance, you’ve got to do the nitty-gritty.”

Though Wilberg almost hesitated due to the stringent holiday concert obligations, the quality of Mercer’s musicians made him accept the challenge. “I knew that the ensembles here were very, very good,” he said

Despite the time crunch, Wilberg composed with specific performers in mind. “I am always envisioning – number one – who the ensemble is,” he said. “I knew the choir, and I’d heard great things about the McDuffie Center strings program. Knowing that there was this great string orchestra, you don’t want to just write quarter notes and whole notes and half notes… I knew that I wanted to write something that would give, hopefully, the players a little more to do.”

That vision paid off. During early rehearsals, students were moved when the choral and string parts were finally brought together, with one mentioning that she didn’t understand how emotional the piece was until she heard it with the orchestra.

Although Wilberg wasn’t able to travel to New York for the Carnegie Hall performance, he attended the preview concert in Macon and spoke with students and faculty during his visit. “I’ve been very impressed,” he said. “This piece has become a way to connect students with their own musical heritage – and maybe help preserve something that’s at risk of being forgotten.”

Blending voices in a community effort

Gary Gerber, dean of Mercer’s Townsend School of Music, enjoyed the result. “Singing in Carnegie Hall is very special in and of itself, but to perform a premiere by someone as well known as Mack Wilberg? That’s the icing on top of the cake.”

He added, “It was a very positive experience all around, from the performance itself to just being in New York. Feeling the weight of that historic space is something these students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

Before the concert, students were encouraged to take it all in – literally. “The organizers told us, ‘When you walk out on stage for rehearsal, take your phones out. You’re going to want to take a picture,’” Gerber recalled. “So for five minutes, everyone was taking selfies and pictures of the hall. It was a cool way to soak in the moment.”

Globally renowned violinist and McDuffie Center founder Robert McDuffie called the night “a proud moment,” both musically and symbolically. Seven McDuffie faculty members joined the stage, with notable musicians like Amy Schwartz Moretti, Annie Fullard, Lawrence Dutton, Jeff Turner, Daniel Tosky, and David Kim involved in the show. But all of these stars in their own right chose supporting seats in the action, while it was the students who took the lead.

“We all took last chair,” McDuffie said. “It was important for us to show that this night was about them. Our students played the principal roles. They led the way. We trusted them to represent everything the McDuffie Center stands for – artistic excellence, mentorship, and the power of rising to the occasion.”

McDuffie described the performance as a moment that crystallized the Center’s mission: “It wasn’t just a concert. It was a handoff. It was showing them they’re ready, and watching them fly.”

Perfecting their song

Among those students was Ben Linton, a freshman violinist whose dream to play at Carnegie Hall had been alive since childhood. “I’ve heard about it since I was very, very young,” he said. “It’s always been my dream to play there and experience the magic of Carnegie Hall.” He recalled chamber coach Annie Fullard describing the hall as “just glowing,” and said he could feel the weight of history when he walked in.

Linton also shared how the experience broadened his horizons beyond the concert hall. “It was my first time ever visiting New York,” he said. “Just the idea of being in the city, like seeing Central Park or catching the New York Philharmonic, it all felt so inspiring. It gave me a new kind of motivation, like there’s so much more out there I want to explore as a musician.”

Graduate pianist McKinley Starks agreed. They performed in Hans Bridger Heruth’s “Joy,” a four-hand piano piece, and described the experience as “collaborative and kind of electric.” Singing Wilberg’s music at Carnegie brought things full circle for Starks.

“I was raised on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” they said. “So meeting Mack Wilberg and playing his music felt really personal. When I saw him sitting in rehearsal listening to us, I was shaking. I mean, this is a person I used to idolize from a screen. And now I’m playing his music for him. That’s wild.”

Starks said the trip reignited their love for New York and planted seeds for their future. “The first time I came to New York, I stepped off the plane and thought, ‘This is where I need to be.’ This experience reminded me of that spark, that anything-is-possible feeling.”

Sophomore Anna Grace Martin, a vocal music education major, learned a lot from being part of the new work. “I fell in love with this commissioned set,” she said. “The musical contrast between each song is quite emotional in many aspects.”

“I can go from dancing with fellow altos in ‘Skip to My Lou’ to crying during the tenor solo in ‘Red River Valley,’” she said.

For Martin, the performance was extra meaningful. Like Linton, it was her first time ever visiting New York, where she hoped “to experience as many art forms as humanly possible.” Beyond the stage, Martin saw the trip as a powerful moment of musical growth.

Maconites get a taste of Manhattan

Back home, audiences in Macon got to see parts of the Carnegie Hall program during a sold-out Fabian Concert Series performance on Feb. 11 and a Feb. 10 open dress rehearsal. A final chance to hear selections from the show took place on Feb. 24 at the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra concert at The Grand Opera House, with Watkins returning to the podium.

For students considering Mercer, Dr. Gerber says this kind of opportunity sets the school apart. “We do have multiple opportunities, not only in Macon, but around the world to be able to perform. In just the past few years, they’ve sung in cathedrals in France, discussed interfaith music in Morocco, and now they’ve performed at Carnegie Hall.”

Besides these, Gerber explained that students regularly get the chance to play in a variety of stages locally, from the historic Grand Opera House to the intimate Fickling Hall to the ornate St. Joseph’s Church.

“It’s not just the level of music that’s high, but there’s a unique depth to the experience. It’s going to benefit the quality you’re putting into your performance,” he said. “That variety and quality is a huge part of what makes Mercer so unique.” With the confidence gained from Carnegie Hall, these Bears might be unstoppable.

“You might see my name in big lights one day,” Starks said with a grin. “Actually, you probably will.” And based on the impression the trip made, Starks won’t be the only one.

Note: Julia Morrison represents Townsend School of Music and McDuffie Center for Strings as the director of arts marketing and community engagement for Mercer University.