Baroque instrument dedication set at Missouri Southern

 (From Southern News Service)

“If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it,” goes an old play on words.

The Music Department at Missouri Southern State University is set to showcase two new instruments that will seriously enhance its period repertoire during a special dedication set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in Webster Hall’s Corley Auditorium.

A Klop continuo organ and a Herz double manual harpsichord were recently donated to the department by Jim Dawson, Gary Dawson and their family.

 

“When we did (John Rutter’s) ‘Requiem’ back in 2019, I was looking ahead and thought it would be great to do Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for the 10th anniversary of the Symphonic Chorus,” said Dr. David Sharlow, director of choral music at Missouri Southern. “I put it out there that we’d need the two period instruments for that to work.

“Afterward, I was approached by the Dawsons who said they wanted to purchase the instruments.”

The donation of the organ and harpsichord will have a major impact on the department, Sharlow said.

“We now have the instrumental capabilities to do some marvelous work in the orchestral repertoire,” he said.

To help debut the instruments, Missouri Southern will welcome Thomas Jaber, a professor of music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. During the dedication, he will talk about the instruments and perform with students in MSSU’s Music Department. Jaber will also offer a master class for students earlier in the day.

The Dawsons’ gift was facilitated by the Missouri Southern Foundation.

“The Dawson family has roots at Missouri Southern that go back to our Joplin Junior College days,” said Kevin Greim, associate vice president for university development. “We are so appreciative that they have continued to support our mission throughout the years. Their gifts to our Department of Music will give our students access to state-of-the-art instruments which will benefit not only the students, but also the countless music fans who will enjoy their work for many years.”

The dedication and performance is free and open to the public.