Published on July 24, 2023 by Anne Madison Adcock  
Mark Lackey1

Composer and Samford Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition, Mark Lackey, was recently awarded a music fellowship by Alabama State Council on the Arts. Fellowships provide support for creative growth and career development in arts education, craft, dance, design, media/photography, music, literature, theatre and visual arts.

 

“I am humbled to receive a music fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts,” said Lackey. “It is especially meaningful to receive recognition of my contribution to the arts in Alabama, as I have lived in a number of other places, but I was born in this state.”

 

Lackey recently contributed to an album, souls like birds..., a collaborative project spearheaded by Associate Professor of Trumpet, Michael Averett and his Mient Duo partner and guitarist, Brent Ferguson. Lackey worked alongside Joel Davis, Department Chair for the Division of Music and Professor of Music Theory and Composition, to compose the music for the album, while Assistant Professor of Commercial Music, Steven Potaczek, served as audio engineer. The collaborative style of the album is also seen in Lackey’s upcoming production.

 

The Alabama State Council on the Arts music fellowship includes a grant that will be used to help fund performances in his newest work entitled TOGETHER, an hour-long piece that links various styles as a metaphor and an opportunity for bringing people together. Lackey coordinated with several colleagues to compile a wide range of musical components and genres, calling it the “most involved project” he has ever done. The piece will be presented with projections, lighting and sound, and it features members of the Samford University Gospel Choir as well as School of the Arts students and faculty members.

 

TOGETHER has two upcoming performances: the first will take place on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 at 7 p.m. at Samford University’s Brock Recital Hall. The second performance will take place on March 23, 2024 at St. Paul United Methodist Church.

 

For more information on Mark Lackey and his work, visit www.marklackey.net.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.