Robert McDuffie Center for Strings

09/09/2026

The Labor Day Festival Closing Concert was nothing short of spectacular. 🎻

Over three focused days, eight carefully selected high school musicians stepped into the McDuffie Center experience. They learned from our distinguished faculty, rehearsed alongside current students, and rose to the challenge of making music at an extraordinary level.

This is what can happen when young musicians are given access to exceptional mentorship, high expectations, and people who believe deeply in their potential.

Swipe through the performance in program order. ➡️

Strum - Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)
Leila Warren, violin
Jiyu Kim, violin
Makynlee Hinckley, viola
Harry Tao, cello

String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 “American” - Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
I. Allegro ma non troppo
Lev Sakae Taira, violin
Jayden Kim, violin
Laurelin Stroh, viola
Ryan Pi, cello

Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber (1910–81)

Rounds for String Orchestra - David Diamond (1915–2005)
III. Allegro vigoroso

To these eight incredibly hardworking students: thank you for bringing your focus, curiosity, and musicianship to the weekend. This is only the beginning!

09/09/2026

Opening night! The Macon-Mercer Symphony kicks off its 2026-27 season Monday, September 21 with Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, featuring powerhouse faculty Stefan Jackiw and Brannnon Cho under the baton of guest conductor Case Scaglione. The program will also include David Diamond's Rounds and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1. Ticket link in bio - don't miss this event!

09/07/2026

What sets the McDuffie Center apart isn’t only the level of musicianship but the quality of mentorship behind it.

Current McDuffie Center student Isaac Willocks joined Labor Day Festival participants Harry Tao, Leila Warren, and Laurelin Stroh to reflect on a weekend of master classes, collaboration, and individualized support that challenges young musicians to raise the bar for themselves.

This is the purpose of the Labor Day Festival - to invite exceptional high school musicians from across the country into the McDuffie experience and giving them a glimpse of what can happen when extraordinary talent meets extraordinary mentorship.

This afternoon, you can hear the result of their dedication. 🎻

Labor Day Festival Concert
🕒 Today at 3 PM
⭐ FREE + open to the public
📍 Fickling Hall

No plans for the holiday afternoon? Come spend a little of it with us. The concert won’t take up your whole day - just enough time to experience some incredible young musicians creating extraordinary sound.

09/05/2026

This Labor Day weekend, the McDuffie Center welcomes a limited group of eight rising high school juniors and seniors from across the country to Macon.

Over the next three days, these exceptional young string musicians will rehearse, learn, and perform alongside distinguished McDuffie Center faculty and Young Artists. This is an opportunity for these students to experience firsthand the level of mentorship, artistry, and collaboration that defines the McDuffie Center.

Join us on Labor Day for a FREE public concert featuring the festival participants alongside McDuffie Center musicians, with a program reflecting on 250 years of America through works by Jessie Montgomery, Samuel Barber, Dvořák, and David Diamond.

Monday, September 7 | 3 PM
Fickling Hall at Mercer University
Free + open to the public

Experience the sound of promise, shaped by extraordinary mentorship.

09/04/2026

A timeless tradition. A free concert on Labor Day. A chance to see the best rising junior and senior string students in the country.

The Labor Day Festival closing concert -- be there Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. in Fickling Hall on Mercer's campus.

The program, from Dvořák to Jessie Montgomery, reflects on what it means to be American during the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding. Reflect and enjoy a community favorite!

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

04/24/2026

Robert McDuffie Center for Strings sophomore Benjamin Linton stepped on the Piedmont Grand Opera House stage as a soloist April 13 to perform Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47. He received the honor of being featured with the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra as winner of Mercer University’s 2026 Concerto Competition.

It’s a long work in three movements.

“It was a big-time performance of arguably the most technically and musically challenging violin concerto there is, and Benjamin stepped up to it big time,” said Robert McDuffie, who was present for the concert.

Benjamin Linton, a sophomore violinist with the McDuffie Center for Strings recently won Mercer University's concerto competition.

04/13/2026

Meet the winner of the 2026 Mercer University Concerto Competition, Benjamin Linton. He earned the title performing a longtime favorite, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47.

Tonight, you have the chance to see him take the stage alongside the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra and returning conductor Yaniv Segal for the final performance of the season.

Join us tonight, Monday, April 13 at 7:30 PM at the Piedmont Grand Opera House.

Also on the program is Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and
Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture.

Tickets are $25–35. Mercer students are always free with a valid ID. Get tickets here or at the link in our bio: https://tixr.com/e/151970

04/10/2026

Don’t miss the final performance of the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra season this Monday, April 13, 7:30 PM at the Piedmont Grand Opera House.

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 anchors the evening - a work composed under intense political pressure, often interpreted as both a public compliance and quiet defiance. Its emotional weight and ambiguity continue to resonate decades later.
The program opens with Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture - iconic and full of theatrical energy. This is followed by Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, an expressive work showcasing the impressive technical range of the violin.

The concerto will be performed by 2026 Mercer University Concerto Competition winner Benjamin Linton, under the direction of conductor Yaniv Segal.

Tickets range from $25–35. Mercer students with a valid ID receive free admission. Get tickets: https://tixr.com/e/151970