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The FMU Jazz Combo allows students in a small group setting to learn and hone improvisational skills within the the jazz idiom. Works have been selected from music by Corea, Glasper, Shorter, and more.

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika" class="css-u850">Step Afrika" class="css-u850" data-mark-multiple="true">Step Afrika" class="css-u850">Step Afrika" class="css-u850" data-mark-multiple="true">Step Afrika! is the world’s leading authority on the artform of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe and ranking as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the US. Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience

Pianist Thomas Pandolfi will join the Florence Symphony Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s famous Piano Concerto No. 1. This concert also features the story of love and tragedy in an unforgettable performance of Georges Bizet’s opera – Carmen, Suites 1 & 2.

A one-woman show filled with delightful Nunsense humor and audience participation segments, Sister Robert Anne’s Cabaret Class requires only a blackboard, a desk and a piano. Sister Robert Anne and her musical accompanist “teach” her “class” how to put together a cabaret act. Interspersed are some of the best and most memorable Nunsense musical numbers.

From Greenville, SC, Edwin McCain is going on over 30 years of hits and worldwide touring. He has been called a “street corner prophet” by USA Today, and “aching tenor” by Slate Magazine, and a “great American romantic” by the New York Times, but he is so much more than those things. After a long ride on a wave created by recording two of the biggest love songs in the history of music (“I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More”) and producing and starring in a tv series (Flippin’ Ships on Animal Planet), Edwin slowed his road schedule to dedicate more time to his primary roles as husband to his wife and father of their three young children, but now the kids are grown-ish and Edwin is back touring everywhere

With one of the best lineups in the group’s storied history, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring founding members Jeff Hanna (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica, vocals); longtime bandmate Bob Carpenter (keys, vocals)—a member since 1980; along with Jim Photoglo (bass, vocals); Jaime Hanna (guitar, vocals); and Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin, vocals); remains one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single “Mr. Bojangles,” a folksy Top 10 pop hit that brought roots music to the national forefront. In 1972, they released the first of three groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken records, collaborating with many of the best bluegrass, country, and folk artists in the world. The band also has enjoyed vast success on the U.S. Country charts with hits like “Fishin’ In The Dark,” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Long Hard Road.” The Dirt Band are GRAMMY, CMA, and IBMA Award winners, and their Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Friends – Fifty Years, Circlin’ Back! for PBS was an Emmy Award-winning television special. The Dirt Band’s latest album, Dirt Does Dylan—released in 2022—has received widespread critical acclaim.

“Formidable…dizzying…magical.” These words from New York reviewer Harris Goldsmith vividly illustrate pianist Petronel Malan’s uniquely captivating style. Indeed, as a multiple Grammy® nominee and gold medalist of several international piano competitions, Petronel continues to enthrall audiences worldwide.

The Francis Marion University Concert Band will be performing its fall concert at the FMU Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence. The Francis Marion University Concert Band is composed of FMU students as well as community members from the Pee Dee region. Community members include professional area music educators, band directors, choir directors, ministers of music, and FMU music faculty members. Membership is open to all FMU students and area residents who are experienced concert band instrumentalists.

Open to all university students and faculty interested in learning and performing chamber music, the University String Ensemble members meet for weekly rehearsals during Fall and Spring academic semesters, giving public recitals and accompanying other campus ensembles.

Ranky Tanky" class="css-u850" data-mark-multiple="true">Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local culture and community, helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day. The GRAMMY award winning band has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, The Today Show, PBS Newshour and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #playathome. Ranky Tanky were honored to be featured artists in President Biden’s inauguration event, We The People. They were the subjects of a 10-page profile in Oxford American’s South Carolina Music Issue and were named 2020 Artist of The Year by the Charleston City Paper.