MCC to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of “A World of Music”

Middlesex Community College is thrilled to honor the 25th anniversary of the college’s “A World of Music” concert series. A celebratory performance will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 30 in MCC’s Concert Hall in Bedford.

“It is wonderful to include John Ferrillo, for this both celebrates the concert series’ long collaboration with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and highlights that John grew up in Bedford and graduated from Bedford High School,” said Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, MCC’s Chair of Music. “We will play a few charming works as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our ‘A World of Music’ concert series here in Bedford. We are so grateful for the enthusiastic and supportive audiences we have had over the past 25 years!”

John Ferrillo, Principal Oboe of the Boston Symphony, will open the celebratory event. MCC music faculty members Raley Beggs, guitarist; Todd Brunel, clarinetist; Orlando Cela, flutist; Daniel Fridley, bass singer; Pamela Marshall, composer; Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, pianist, will join MCC alumni Nathaniel Abreu, cello, and the MCC Chamber Chorus. English faculty member Tom Laughlin will read one of his poems. Works by Émile Paladilhe, Maurice Ravel, Ariel Ramírez, Igor Stravinsky, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, and a jazz improvisation will be performed.

"How wonderful to be celebrating a 25th anniversary, and with my longtime colleague Carmen and in my hometown, Bedford," Ferillo said.

The concert is funded by a grant of $5,000 from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. This grant signifies that MCC provides significant public value through its programs and services.

For this fiscal year, Mass Cultural Council has adopted a $34 million spending plan, allowing the Agency to award at least 2,200 grants totaling approximately $26.2 million to the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector. This is funded primarily through public dollars, including the Agency’s $26.9 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.

Mass Cultural Council funds reach every community in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to advance the Commonwealth’s creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources.

Additional “A World of Music” performances include Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 8 in Bedford; a performance by the Lowell Chamber Orchestra at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 22 in Lowell; and a Student Recital at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 7 in Bedford.

MCC kicked off the Fall season with a combined celebration of the Lowell Bicentennial and 25th anniversary of “A World of Music” on Sunday, October 11. All concerts are free and open to the public.

MCC’s Concert Hall is located in the North Academic Building at 591 Springs Road in Bedford. Parking is available on-campus. Learn more about MCC's "A World of Music" concert series!