Spring recital to feature Southeast instructor Leslie Jones

The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Music is featuring associate professor of music Leslie Jones in this year's spring faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Shuck Music Recital Hall on the university's River Campus.

"The whole Southeast community is encouraged to come, not just the Cape Girardeau community. The event is not free, but tickets are sold at the box office. Since they organize these ahead, we send out information on it on a database to thousands," said Beverly Delph, administrative assistant in the music department.

"Lots of great things happen here at the River Campus. This one in particular will be fun because of the varieties of music. This will appeal not only to people who love classical music, but there's a little something for everyone."

The event will feature songs from popular films like "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

"This year is the first year I have done this particular piece, but it is not my first performance here," Jones said. "I joined the faculty in the fall of 1999, and I have done a handful of these recitals. This one is interesting because I am not doing it alone, and I am actually doing it with other wonderful people. This gives an element of variety by working with my own pitch in combination with the others."

Jones said working with other people was a key motivator in preparing for the performance.

"I wanted to collaborate more, and I thought that would be more fun. What is neat is, we are actually doing a song from the first act in 'Sweeney Todd,' when Ms. Lovett is wanting to turn everyone into meat pies," she said.

"It may be dark, but it is also funny, and I think it will turn out well. Then we are doing a popular song from 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' I had actually done this performance not too long ago for a good, full audience at the University of Tennessee. It was classically played with a medieval text. There was also a group of female music educators doing a set of all a cappella. It was a great turnout there, and they have a campus about our size. I am definitely looking forward to this particular performance, and I hope everyone can come out and enjoy the show."

Peter Durrow, director of choral activities at Southeast, said the number of recitals varies every year.

"It typically runs three to four faculty members per semester, but it really depends on the load on the staff," he said. "Each of them are required to do it at least once and is expected to perform because it is a part of their professional development here at Southeast. They try to get these planned ... at least one year (in) advance. I'm excited for this one. Her [Jones'] voice is phenomenal."

General admission is $10. More information is available at the box office or by visiting rivercampusevents.com.