Macon was established in 1823 as a center for trade and networking for people from across the country, especially in Georgia.  Aptly referred to as The Heart of Georgia with its geographical location, it is also the heart of music and the arts, from rock and roll to soul to the classics in theater and music.

The Choral Society of Middle Georgia and the Mercer University Chorus will pay tribute to the 200-year history of the city with this concert.  Dr. Gary Gerber, in his second year as Dean of the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University, is the choral conductor and accompanist is Jonathan A. Poe.  Traditional spirituals, sacred harp selections, and classical pieces written as far back as 1823 to the present reflect the wide range of musical styles readily found in Macon.  Composers range from Franz Shubert and Brahms to Z. Randall Stroop and Dan Forrest.  The concert will end with a choral arrangement of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Macon native Otis Redding.  While he wrote about sitting on the dock of the bay in San Francisco, the soulful song also reflects on his home in Georgia which started on the banks of the Ocmulgee River in Macon.  As the river flows with many turns and changes in scenery, so will the music offered in this performance.