The Southern Stars Symphonic Brass (SSSB) are a 30-piece professional brass instrumental ensemble which rehearses and provides a three-concert series in Crossville, TN each season. The upcoming concert is their second in their 8th season of providing “Premium Entertainment” to residents of the area. The musicians are top players on their instrument, and hail from Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Crossville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and southeastern Kentucky. This concert will be held at the beautiful 1200-seat auditorium of Stone Memorial High School in Crossville, TN.

Terri Utsey will be the guest vocalist with the Southern Stars on Feb. 20, 2016.

Guest vocalist for the concert will be local favorite Terri Utsey. Terri made her first public appearance in 2010 at the Historic Palace Theatre right here in Crossville, where she performed with the Cumberland Jamboree.  She enjoys singing all types of music, and has performed for a variety of benefits and charitable organizations in Crossville as well as Fairfield Glade. Recently she has added big band stylings to her repertoire as the female vocalist with the Swing Street Orchestra, managed by Rusty McClanahan. For her debut with the Southern Stars, Terri will be singing the classic Irish folk song “Danny Boy,” and the hymn used in the movie “Titanic,” which is the beloved “Nearer My God To Thee.”

As the concert theme above suggests, the remainder of the music will be associated with England, Scotland and Ireland and as typical of SSSB concerts, will include a wide variety of styles.  Selections will include the following music pieces (and the country represented): “The Men of Harlech” (Wales), “Colonial Song” (England), “Gaelforce”  (Scotland), the Beatles hit “Can’t Buy Me Love” (England), movie overture from “Far & Away” which featured Tom Cruise and Nichole Kidman (Ireland),  “James Bond Collection” (England), “Colonel Bogey march” (England). The SSSB will also feature three of their own outstanding musicians as soloists:  Chris McCormick on the flugelhorn to play “Ye Banks & Braes” (Scotland);  Lisa Burden on alto horn to play “The Lark in the Clear Air” (Ireland), and principal cornetist Alex Wilborn to play “Rule Britiania” (England).

Tickets for this concert go on sale on January 4 and can be purchased at Cumberland Eye Care in Fairfield Glade, First National Bank of TN branches in Fairfield Glade and Crossville, Bed & Biscuit Kennel, and at the box office or by phone or website of the Cumberland County Playhouse. Adult tickets are $22, and students are admitted free as a means of encouraging children and teenagers to be exposed to outstanding music.

The SSSB are offering a particularly good deal with the purchase of a “short season” ticket, which gives admission to the Feb. 20 concert, as well as the April 16 concert which will feature Nashville entertainer Buddy Greene, as a highly-requested return guest artist. The “short season” ticket is discounted to $35, which is a savings of $12 from the price of the two remaining concerts which are $22 and $25 respectively.

This is a terrific offer which not only provides seating in a reserved section, but also includes the benefit of being able to exchange a ticket for use for another concert should the need arise. The Southern Stars encourages its patrons to take advantage of this opportunity to hear a group of musicians that attracts audiences of 400-500 on average. Haven’t heard a professional brass band? You owe it to yourself to find out about the quality music that is here in your backyard, entertaining folks for into the band’s eighth season in 2015-16!