College of Charleston School of the Arts invites the public to celebrate the first night of spring with music by vocal superstars, tenor Rodrick Dixon and soprano Alfreda Burke. “Awaken for the Arts” will take place on  March 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the historic Dock Street Theatre (135 Church St). This benefit for the School of the Arts will also include a performance of a composition by College of Charleston music professor Edward Hart and other acclaimed music faculty will join Dixon and Burke on stage throughout the evening. The event is open to the public, but tickets are required. Watch a video.

“Awaken for the Arts” will feature performances ranging from the quintessential works of Puccini and Verdi to the finger-snapping show tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and others. The night will also include some local flavor in a revival of popular songs from DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

Peter and Cynnie Kellogg are the event’s presenting sponsors and the event is chaired by Joe Riley III. Dixon and Burke are generously donating their time for “Awaken for the Arts.” Charitable sponsors include MWV, TD Bank, and many others listed online: http://go.cofc.edu/awaken.

Prior to the event PBS will offer a preview of the vocal gifts of Dixon and Burke during a special airing of “Hallelujah Broadway” on March 3 at 4 p.m. and March 4 at 12 noon. The show was originally recorded in Central Prague for American Public Television in 2010 (EMI/Manhattan Records).

Rodrick Dixon possesses a tenor voice of extraordinary range and versatility that has earned him the respect and attention of leading conductors, orchestras, and opera companies throughout North America. In 2011, Dixon returned to the Ravinia Festival in Das Klagende Lied, The Bells; made his Cincinnati Opera debut in the production of Rigoletto as the Duke; participated in the Cincinnati Symphony Classical Roots Concert and The May Festival. Dixon has appeared on PBS numerous times, on Christmas specials, The Tony Awards, the Wayne Brady Show and on morning shows for several networks.

Alfreda Burke’s vocal artistry has been described as “voluptuous, creamy and luxuriant” (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune). She has appeared in concert throughout North America and in Europe. Burke made her Carnegie and Orchestra Hall debuts in Strauss’ Elektra with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim. Highlighted performances include the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia under Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus under John Morris Russell, Civic Orchestra of Chicago under Yaron Traub, Detroit Opera House/DSO/Rackham Symphony Choir under Suzanne Acton, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic, Umbria Music Festival (Italy), TodiMusicFest, Lancaster Festival under Gary Sheldon, Grant Park Music Festival, Millennium Park Gala, Kennedy Center, Chicago Opera Theater, Auditorium Theatre, Chorus Angelorum and Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, among others. Burke’s work in recordings, music video, television, radio, film and commercials include broadcasts on CBS, NBC, WGN, WFLD, WCFC, WTTW, KCET, KVCR, WCET, Odyssey, CAN-TV; features on WFMT, NPR, KUSC, WBEZ, WMBI, WGCI, WYCA and WOSU; The Visit, The Visitors, Unconditional Love, U.S. Marshals.

The College of Charleston School of the Arts plays a distinctive role in the lives and education of the students of the College as well as the community by developing artists, art scholars, and art leaders within a liberal arts setting. Within a city known for its cultural heritage, this superior education marks the School as a national flagship undergraduate arts program. The School of the Arts has reinvented itself, changing from a small fine arts department, into one of the fastest growing comprehensive arts schools in the nation in less than twenty years. The School strives to become a preeminent center for the study, practice, and management of the performing and creative arts.