MSU duo represents state at Kennedy Center jubilee

Two university faculty members represented the state last fall at the 25th anniversary celebration of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Flutist Lana Johns and pianist Joel Harrison presented a concert of 20th century American and Czech music in a performance at the Washington, D.C., landmark. The Celebration Concert Series featured an artist or group from each of the 50 states.

The music education colleagues have performed widely throughout the South, as well as in Europe. They were nominated for the Kennedy Center gala by Sen. Trent Lott and Nell Elam of Starkville, director of the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education.

Harrison, an associate professor, is a Mississippi Touring Artist whose performances have been featured on Public Radio in Mississippi.

Johns, an assistant professor, has performed in recitals throughout the United States and in South America.