LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2007) — Florida Southern College opens its 48th  Festival of Fine Arts season Oct. 11, showcasing the varied ensembles of the FSC Music Department. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Branscomb Auditorium on the college campus. 

This year’s event features a wide variety of musical selections from baroque to jazz, vocal to instrumental, performed by outstanding students under the direction of FSC’s acclaimed faculty directors. In addition, the second half of the evening is devoted to a re-dedication of the Houts Memorial Steinway piano, which was completely refurbished during the summer.  The piano was donated to the college in 1973 by Dr. H.L. Schofield in memory of Jack Houts, FSC’s choral director from 1961-1972.  Robert MacDonald, who originally dedicated the piano, will perform for the re-dedication. FSC faculty members and former students of Jack Houts, Paula Parsché and Diane Willis Stahl, will perform in memory of Houts.  The FSC Chorale will perform “God’s Trombones,” a work closely associated with Houts’ tenure at FSC.

Tickets are $20. FSC students are admitted free of charge; non-FSC students admitted at half price. For ticket information, please contact the Branscomb Auditorium box office at (863) 680-4296. 

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive United Methodist-affiliated college with a liberal arts core. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 46 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio; is a national leader in engaged learning; and boasts 26 NCAA Division II national championships. It is ranked in the Top 5 “Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South” by U.S. News & World Report and is included in The Princeton Review’s “366 Best Colleges” guide. The College is committed to the development of the whole student through vibrant student life programs that prepare graduates to make a positive, consequential impact on society. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.