
January 24, 2015
About The MRAC
Our Mission
The mission
of the Meherrin River Arts Council is to produce an annual concert
series that features nationally known entertainers who perform a wide
genre of music at a reasonable cost to our patrons. To provide various
performing arts programming in the local schools.
History
In 1978,
after perceiving a tremendous need for a performing arts series in the
Emporia-Greensville area, a group of concerned citizens formed the
Meherrin River Arts Council (MRAC). The MRAC--named after a historical
river that runs right through the heart of the City of Emporia and
Greensville County--took on the unusual task of bringing
national-quality arts entertainment to a small-town setting in Southside
Virginia.
The group's
goals have been two-fold: create a series that showcases a variety of
entertainment styles and genres while keeping tickets affordable to all
segments of the population. In fulfilling this mission, an annual
concert series of four performances was begun in 1979. The series is
developed and administered by an all-volunteer board of directors, which meets year round.
This year the
MRAC will be celebrating its thirty-fourth anniversary season. Over the
past quarter century, the MRAC has hosted over 100 performances. Local
audiences have enjoyed everything from opera and ballet to plays and
symphonic concerts. National and international stars have brought the
sounds of jazz, country, contemporary and popular music to the region.
The
completion of the Emporia Greensville Performing Arts Center has greatly
enhanced our concert series. The facility, located in a new local
elementary school, not only provides exceptional viewing capabilities
from all of its 906 seats; it also boasts theater-quality sound and
lighting systems, highly unusual in any school setting.
The opening
of the new center is the most recent example of the MRAC's dedication to
bringing quality entertainment to all of the citizens of Southside
Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina for many years to come.
In addition,
the MRAC produces a performing arts series for students in the local
schools. The students have seen performances that have featured ballet,
opera, theater, chamber orchestra and plays. Many of these programs
show children the importance of math, reading and science through the
performing arts. Students experience programs that are both challenging
and entertaining.
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