- [Announcer] Major funding for "A Night of Georgia Music" is provided by the Peyton Anderson Foundation, investing in the good works of people in Central Georgia and improving their quality of life through community development, education, health, human services, and arts and culture; and by the W. Mansfield Jennings Junior Charitable Trust.

Additional funding is provided by the Knight Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

(playing delicate music) - Well, it began when Bobby and I had dinner in Athens and he made a proposal to me to write a concerto for violin, rock band, and string orchestra.

And I was sort of at loose ends.

My band had retired.

And I said, "Well, that's certainly gonna be a challenge, should I decide to accept it."

And I did a thing that we think is pretty cool.

So we played that a few times, and then we realized that to really, to give it legs, to be able to present it to a wider range of people, we needed another piece to the puzzle.

So we were just brainstorming and we thought, "Well, you know, since Georgia is such a great state for music and musicians, I mean, it's the most fertile state in the country as far as I'm concerned."

So I said, "All right, well, we'll just curate an hour of songs either about Georgia or by Georgia artists or, in some cases, a combination of both."

And once we did that, we said, "Okay, we need another player.

It can't just be the violin for the whole time.

We need a piano player."

It didn't take long to come up with the one and only that could possibly fit and make it as good as it is, and that was Chuck.

And we were like, "Oh gosh, will he do it?

Should we ask him?

I don't know."

And the lightning struck and he said yes.

- The truth is they know that I work cheap.

(all laughing) No, it was an honor to be asked, and I thought it was a brilliant concept because, as Mike points out, Georgia has produced so many great songs, great artists, and so the hard part was knowing what to leave out.

(delicate music fades) (captivating music) ("One Way Out") (playing edgy blues music) (audience cheering) (percussion soloing) Whoo!

(audience cheering) (violin and piano playing bluesy call-and-response) (band playing vigorously) (slide guitar whining) (orchestra plays vocal melody) (playing bluesy breakdown) (audience cheering) (clapping) ("Rainy Night in Georgia") (orchestra playing gently) (violin playing wistful vocal melody) (piano lead dreamily rolling) (band plays passionately) (nimble violin soaring) (musicians sync with gusto) (audience cheers) (violin plays wistfully) (audience cheering) (clapping) (playing lively jazz-rock music) (piano playing brightly) (music crescendos) (bass riff fills) (playing joyful refrain) (piano playing jazzy breakdown) (exciting crescendo building) (playing zealous rock bridge) (music decrescendos) (gentle finale shimmering) (audience cheering) (clapping) (musicians chattering off-microphone) (piano and violin playing heartfelt duet) (solo piano gracefully rolling) (violin rejoins for melody) (audience applauds) (audience cheering) (clapping) (orchestra playing nascent music) (music enlivening) ("Respect") (playing spunky soul music) (fervently playing vocal chorus melody) (audience cheering) (music quieting) (band plays dramatic finale) (audience cheering) (clapping) - Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you so much.

Just a little program note about this next song.

This features...

This orchestra is all students from the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University.

(all applauding) Thank you Conducted by Ward Stare.

(all applauding) And this next song features the very same orchestra.

Thank you.

(audience applauds) (orchestra playing dramatic intro) ("Give Me Back My Man") (band playing upbeat dance music) (playing dramatic finale) (audience cheering) (clapping) (strings playing jaunty music) (music turns mournful) - One, two, three... (drumsticks clacking) ("Hey Ya") (band playing exuberant pop music) (audience cheering) (violin squeals) (song resumes feverishly) (piano playing spirited lead) (audience cheering) (music swelling) (enthusiastically playing chorus) (audience cheering) (clapping) (piano playing bluesy jazz music) ("Georgia On My Mind") (audience cheering) (band playing sentimental jazz music) (playing expressive piano) (audience cheering) (audience cheering) (clapping) (cheering continues) (cheering subsides) (playing mournful violin) (orchestra softly accompanying) ("Losing My Religion") (band playing lamenting rock music) (band plays rhythmic breakdown) (violin wailing) (playing with fervor) (band plays rhythmic breakdown) (audience cheering) (clapping) ("Jessica") (playing feel-good Southern rock music) (cheering swells) (piano plays lively lead) (band playing colorfully) (music swelling) (audience cheering) (violin soaring) (playing brilliant turnaround) (playing colorful music) (audience cheering) (finale music shimmering) (audience cheering) (clapping) - Well, let me say what I think a wonderful thing it was that Bobby wanted to come out of the classical world and do this.

And I think all of us feel the same way about music.

You know, you just shouldn't segregate anything to do with music.

And, Bobby, you know, that's a challenge and it's a pretty bold move to come out and play with a rock band, and get Mike to write a concerto, and then for us to come together with these fantastic arrangements that David has put together, and then to perform them, and to perform them with Bobby's students, who are brilliant by the way, just brilliant.

(cheering vociferously) (clapping) (cheering continues) (chattering)