UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE HOSTS SECOND "STARLIGHT" MUSIC FESTIVAL

Mar 15th, 2004

MOBILE, Ala. - Five-time Grammy Award winner Sandi Patty will be the headliner for the second annual "StarLight at the University of Mobile," a free outdoor music festival on the campus of the University of Mobile featuring fireworks and a family atmosphere.

Designed as a way to showcase the Center for Performing Arts at UM, the fast-paced event will spotlight over a dozen student music and theatre groups while featuring a solo performance by Patty, as well as a special performance by UM alumnus Chauncey Packer.

The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, on the campus of the University of Mobile. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early and should bring chairs or blankets to the lawn in front of the outdoor stage at Martin Hall. The event is free, and donations will be accepted during the performance. The evening will end with a "bang" as fireworks light the sky.

Last year more than 3,300 people attended the first StarLight featuring bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs. That number is expected to grow this year as university officials hope to draw an audience of more than 5,000. This year's StarLight will feature a larger stage, and food and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Roger Breland, director of the UM Center for Performing Arts, said the audience can expect an outstanding evening of entertainment.

"Sandi Patty is the consummate entertainer, and we will hear one of the finest singers in America. She's a major artist with major symphonies around the country, and she has performed for the President of the United States and appeared on The Tonight Show. It will be a great evening," said Breland, who will serve as emcee of StarLight.

StarLight is aimed at bringing the community to campus and shining a spotlight on the university's Center for Performing Arts. Roger Breland, founder of the contemporary Christian group TRUTH and a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, was named director of the UM Center for Performing Arts in 2003. Under his leadership, the university is expanding its performing arts program while also providing students with more opportunities to deliver professional-calibre performances before large audiences. In addition to StarLight 2003, the Center for Performing Arts presented its first "Christmas Spectacular!" performance before more than 2,300 people at Dauphin Way Baptist Church in December 2003. There, UM students and faculty received numerous standing ovations for a program that ranged from contemporary to traditional Christmas music.

The variety of music to be presented at StarLight will include something for everyone, including Broadway show tunes, pop, gospel, jazz, opera and patriotic songs. The event will highlight the talents of more than 100 students plus faculty in the Center for Performing Arts, including the University Singers, Voices of Mobile, University Band, Jazz Band, Guitar Ensemble, Piano Ensemble, Opera Workshop, and Upper Room Dinner Theatre.

Also featured on stage will be Chauncey Packer, a 1998 graduate of UM with a master's degree in vocal performance from University of New Orleans. This young, up-and-coming tenor has been a featured soloist with the Mobile Symphony, Mobile Symphonic Pops, Baton Rouge Symphony, Gulf Coast Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. He is pursuing a doctorate at Louisiana State University.

Sandi Patty has received five Grammy Awards, 39 Dove Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards. She was recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Her 23 albums have sold more than 11 million units, including three platinum and five gold recordings. Her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, broadcast across America on ABC's special "Liberty Weekend," introduced her to the nation. Virtually overnight she became one of the country's best-loved performers.

She was named Billboard Magazine's "Inspirational Artist of the Year" four times; was a headliner for the United States Presidential Inaugural Gala on CBS in 1989, 1997 and 2001; and has appeared on CNN Headline News, Entertainment Tonight, ABC World News Tonight, E! Entertainment, the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade on ABC, and A July 4th Celebration on NBC, among many other television appearances. She has performed with the Boston Pops, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Dallas Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic and many others.

In case of rain, StarLight will be held at Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile.

For more information about StarLight at the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu/starlight or call (251) 442-2215.

Nearly 1,900 students are enrolled at the University of Mobile, a private Christian university offering bachelor's and master's degrees through the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business, education, leadership, nursing and religion. For more information about the university, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (251) 442-2273.

Directions to University of MobileThe University of Mobile is located 10 minutes north of downtown Mobile. From Interstate 65, take Exit 13 then go west on Hwy. 158 about 1.5 miles to College Parkway. Turn left onto College Parkway, then right at the stop sign. The main entrance is located about one-half mile on the right.