MURFREESBORO
— MTSU has a great way to spend a Friday evening — enjoying the talents of
young musicians from across Tennessee in the annual VSA Young Soloist
competition, set for Friday, Feb. 19.
This year’s event, which is open to the public and begins at 7 p.m.,
also features a special guest performance from musical prodigy Scott MacIntyre,
an “American Idol” finalist and a past VSA International Young Soloist winner.
Tickets are limited but still available at $5 each for the 7 p.m.
performance in Hinton Music Hall inside MTSU’s Wright Music Building. You can
obtain tickets by emailing userk7706@comcast.net or calling 615-210-8819; a
searchable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.
MTSU students once again are coordinating the statewide event, which is
open to any vocalist or instrumentalist age 14 to 25 with any form of
disability. The state contest is part of an international competition, which
will be held May 27 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in
Washington, D.C., and will feature winners from across the nation.
The young musicians performing at MTSU are part of VSA Tennessee, the
state organization on arts and disability that was established in 2001 on the
MTSU campus. Students in MTSU professor Lori Kissinger's Organizational
Communication in Communities EXL Class are once again handling logistics for
this year’s event.
VSA, an international organization on arts and disabilities, is
celebrating its 42nd year in 2016. Founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy
Smith and formerly known as Very Special Arts, VSA merged with the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2011 to expand its services.
Special Feb. 19 guest MacIntyre began his career as a classical pianist
at age 6, earning a place by age 14 at Arizona State University’s Barrett
Honors College and Herberger College of Fine Arts. He graduated summa cum laude
from ASU at age 19, received a coveted Marshall Scholarship and earned a
master’s degree from the Royal Holloway,
University of London, and the Royal College of Music.
MacIntyre also began singing and playing guitar, drums, percussion and
bass, releasing several CDs of his own before joining season eight of “American
Idol” on the Fox network in 2009 and becoming the first visually impaired
finalist on the show.
His eighth-place “Idol” finish has led to continuing success in his
career, including his first book, “By Faith, Not By Sight,” and more CDs and
concerts. You can learn more about him at his website, http://scottmacintyre.com.
Kissinger's students regularly help with VSA events at MTSU as part of
her experiential learning classes. Students involved in the ORCO 3250 class also
have organized special VSA events to serve as fundraisers for the organization
as well as activities for the artists and the community.
“The Young Soloist competition is my favorite program of VSA Tennessee because
of the amazing talent and the inspiration that these artists provide,” said
Kissinger, who also serves as VSA Tennessee’s executive director.
The 2015 Tennessee VSA Young Soloist program is sponsored by U.S. Rep.
Diane and Dr. David Black and the First Tennessee Foundation.
For more
information about VSA Tennessee, visit http://www.vsatn.org
or contact Kissinger at userk7706@comcast.net
or 615-210-8819.
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