The Fayette County High School Select Chorus will host the ninth annual Bluegrass Blast and Silent Auction on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the F.A. Sams auditorium in Fayetteville, Ga. The concert will feature three top bluegrass bands, including Southern Heart, The Suggins Brothers and Drivetrain, with special guests Curtis and Holly Jones.

The Bluegrass Blast will begin at 7 p.m. and the cost of admission is $8. Children 6 and under are free. Tickets will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit the FCHS Select Chorus on their concert tour to Europe in April.

Southern Heart has a deep dedication to bluegrass that can be heard in every note they play honoring the traditional sound, while taking a giant step in a style and direction all their own. Southern Heart has toured extensively through-out the Southeast, performing at local and regional festivals and events for the past four years. Their albums are receiving air play on local and regional radio stations.

The Suggins Brothers Bluegrass Band was founded and formed as an intentional accident. The initial intent was two individuals who loved to play and sing wide open, hard driving bluegrass music and relished in the opportunity to do so just for the fun of it. In 1985 the band took to the stage for the first time at Hamby Mountain Music Park in Baldwin, Ga. The show was high energy to the max and the band received a double encore for their first show effort. They have had the pleasure of sharing the bill with many of bluegrass music's top national acts including The Country Gentleman, Doyle Lawson, Jim & Jesse, and Ralph Stanley.

Drive Train’s lead musician is Randy Smith who has been a string musician for over 20 years. He plays guitar, mandolin and bass but is most known for his fiddle playing. He has performed in 12 countries around the world with bands or ensembles of various musical styles and has toured or recorded with many national artists and some of the top musicians in the industry.

Under the direction of Richard Prouty and Becky Mayo, assistant director, the Select Chorus will be embarking on a 10 day concert tour to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic from April 2 to 12. Founded in 1978, this audition group of juniors and seniors has a stellar reputation. A versatile group, the chorus regularly performs both formal choral literature and show tunes. They have performed around the world receiving accolades both nationally and internationally. The Select Chorus consistently receives superior ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association district performance evaluations for performance and sight-reading.

The Select Chorus has been recognized as an outstanding ensemble with many invitations to perform at special events. In addition to their regular performance schedule, the chorus has also performed for the 1998 Feast of Carol; 1985,1993,1999, 2002 GMEA conference; the 1988 Democratic Convention; the 100th anniversary celebration of Coca-Cola in 1996; the American Choral Directors Conference; the “Lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree” on several occasions and the 2006 Fayette Festival of Carols. Performances outside the state have included a variety of domestic and international appearances. The chorus has performed biennial concerts at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New Your for 25 years as well as touring Washington D.C., Nashville, Walt Disney World, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Nassau, Bahamas. The chorus toured England and France in 2000, Germany Austria and Hungry in 2002, Ireland in 2004 and Italy in 2006.

For more info, contact Jack Masters at jackmasters@mindspring.com.

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