Paris, Tenn.–Paris First United Methodist Church will host “Some Strings Attached”, a musical ensemble consisting of five unique musicians, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, at the sanctuary.
It will be a homecoming for one of the group members, Brittany Martin, daughter of Rev. Rob and Amy Martin. She is excited to return to Paris for a hometown concert and to Paris First UMC where her father was minister and her mother the choir director.
She graduated from Henry County High School in 2014 where she sang with the HCHS Madrigals before studying voice at Lee University in Cleveland, TN. She graduated with her Master in Music from the University of South Carolina this spring.
“Some Strings Attached values creativity, flexibility, and diversity of programming in music,” Martin said. “The name of our group, Some Strings Attached, represents the way we appear on stage: a music ensemble performing with an unspecified number of strings. Though the full group is five members—singer, pianist, violinist, violist, and cellist—we often perform in subsets. Part of our mission is to promote the presentation of programs where the ensemble members have different roles throughout. We enjoy the freedom to program pieces that allow our members to work together in any combination.. This philosophy allows us to present programs encompassing a wider variety of sounds and genres, often juxtaposing classical and popular styles. We inspire one another to be well-rounded musicians, open to all musical possibilities.”
Along with Martin, “Some Strings Attached” is a diverse group of musical talent. Jordan Knapp (Monroe, MI) is both the pianist and composer-in-residence for the emsemble. He was most recently commissioned by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Cellist Eunice Koh (Singapore) performs in multiple chamber ensembles and orchestras throughout South Carolina and maintains a thriving private cello studio. Violinist Korcan Köstük (Izmir, Turkey) is a flourishing chamber and symphony orchestra musician. In Turkey, he performed concerts throughout the country and founded numerous chamber ensembles. Morgan Owen (Greensboro, NC) has dedicated her career to teaching future music educators and playing in professional symphonies, including positions in Paducah, KY; Jackson , TN; and Greenville, SC.
The concert is free to the public but a love offering will be taken to help the ensemble’s travel expenses. The church is located at 101 E. Blythe Street in Paris. For more information, please call 731-642-4764.