By William H. Kelly III
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Jackson State University’s Lowell Hollinger will grace the stage alongside the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO) for a spectacular evening of candlelight and classical music. Titled “Mozart Glow,” Hollinger will feature in a groundbreaking duet for the event at the Belhaven University Center for the Arts on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 pm.
“It’s a great honor for my colleagues to know what I’m capable of, for my family to see me perform in front of the orchestra, and for my community and church members to be able to witness this moment happen as well,” said Hollinger, eager to see familiar faces in the crowd this Saturday.
The concerto will consist of Hollinger, who is MSO’s second clarinetist, and Principal Clarinetist Jorge Diez. Hollinger and Diez will partner for a sophisticated composition of Franz Krommer’s “Concerto No. 2 for Two Clarinets,” sharing a brilliant dialogue between the two soloists and the orchestra. The duet will include Cimarosa’s “Caio Mario Overture” and a rousing, feel-good finish of Mozart’s daring and unforgettable “Symphony No. 40.”
“What’s really interesting about the piece is there’s a first and second clarinet part, but it is not the typical situation that you would find in a first and second part. Usually, the first player, in layman’s terms, plays the high things, and the second player will play the lower things,” he said. “With this particular concerto, Krommer interweaves all of that amongst both parts. As we play, it’s almost difficult to know who is doing what because we share the high and low parts interchangeably. It truly is a double concerto and really an amazing piece. I’ve enjoyed playing it.”
As the only Black wind player in the MSO, Hollinger hopes to continue to inspire aspiring Black musicians and clarinetists to go above and beyond.
“I’m a huge advocate for directors continuing to play because it can benefit your students in more than one way. The biggest way is the visibility of it because, as we know, representation matters, and if you don’t see it, then you don’t believe it can be something that you can actually accomplish,” said Hollinger, who has helped open doors for JSU students to perform with the MSO.
“It gives our students an opportunity to perform in a professional organization or professional symphony. That’s the thing about it that really makes this amazing, because where else is a HBCU student going to have the opportunity to perform in a symphony? That’s happening right here at Jackson State, and I think that’s huge.”
Hollinger currently serves as an assistant professor of music, associate director of bands, and former director/conductor of the JSU Wind Ensemble. In December 2024, the Wind Ensemble, conducted by Hollinger, was invited to perform at the Mississippi Bandmasters Association Convention as the featured college band, making history as the first HBCU to perform at the convention in its almost 100 years of existence.
The musician also carries up to 20 years of experience as a member of the MSO, where he is a tenured clarinetist. Hollinger is also a musician representative of the Mississippi Symphony Board, a member of the Orchestra Committee, and a member of the Union Board.
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