SC State’s inaugural International Music Festival set for Tuesday, March 25

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – South Carolina State University’s inaugural International Music Festival is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2025, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building’s Barbara A. Vaughan Recital Hall.

The International Music Festival is free and open to the public.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Global Engagement and the Music Program in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. The theme for the inaugural festival is “Music Across the Globe.”

Performances will feature music and musical instruments from Africa, the United States of America, India, Trinidad and Tobago, and Europe. Featured performers include:

• The SC State Jazz Combo.
• Muhammad Hossain playing Bengali Rock Music.
• The SC State Concert Choir performing “The Circle of Life” from “The Lion King.”
• Dr. Rosetta Dingle, SC State professor of music education.

Besides excellent voices, guests will hear a variety of musical instruments such as trumpets, drums, piano, acoustic guitar, African percussion instruments, and the steelpan.

The 2025 International Music Festival is the first in what organizers plan to be an annual series celebrating what Dr. Learie Luke, director of the Office of Global Engagement, describes as “music is from everywhere and can be performed everywhere on campus.”

Luke collaborated with Willie Bradley, a Grammy-nominated SC State music industry instructor, and Roland Haynes, the university’s production manager, to develop the International Music Festival.

While the first installment of the festival will only be staged in one location at the Vaughan Recital Hall, the organizers intend to expand to other venues as the event grows.

“We plan to stage the festival with music being played or sung at a variety of locations on campus,” Luke said, “We also plan to invite other universities and community groups.”