MACON — Robert McDuffie says he cannot believe the growth spurt the music institute bearing his name at Mercer University has experienced.
Now beginning its fourth academic year, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings has enrolled 20 students in its 26 available slots, with some from Georgia, California and as far away as Seoul, South Korea.
“What’s happened has happened at the speed of light,” said the Macon-bred McDuffie, 52, of the success of the institute, part of the Townsend School of Music at Mercer.
The idea was years in the making. McDuffie said he wanted to bring conservatory-level student to the Macon area, where he found his love for music in its diverse offerings and also to Mercer where he said they could get a quality education. The program offers a Bachelor of Musical Arts.
Monday’s concert in the McCorkle Music Building’s Neva Langley Fickling Hall is the culmination of the program’s biggest recruitment effort, a five-day program where students from across the country are brought in for a glimpse at what the program offers. The performance with several renowned musicians is just icing on the cake.
“It’s the only time all of the distinguished faculty would be on campus at the same time,” said McDuffie, who himself has a 30-stop, 35-day tour on the books for an Oct. 14 start. “It’s just a way to bring in some of the top high school juniors and seniors for a preview for the type of education they would receive.”
Word of the program has been getting around through instructors and musicians who have heard of the offerings at the center, McDuffie said. So much so that even the boot camp for perspective students has been fielding impressive numbers, he said.
The program includes an opening day concert, mostly featuring performances from the institute’s instructors. For the next few days, students immerse themselves in intensive study of classical musicians such as Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven and in strings training. Then the closing concert. A concert is being planned for next spring at the Grand Opera House to get the nation officially acquainted with the program.
“It seems to be happening organically,” McDuffie said of the program’s public awareness. “Most of the teachers around the country know about us. And with the great team effort by the higher-ups in administration, the center has hit its stride.
“It’s meaningful and relevant. I’m proud of the effort by everyone involved.”
To contact writer Marlon A. Walker, call 256-9685.
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