MTSU Mondays: Frampton special concert, CMA honors, 'food' art exhibit

Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.

Grammy winner Frampton performs free 'gift' concert

Grammy-winning rock star Peter Frampton wowed a capacity crowd on Jan. 22 during his special concert at Tucker Theatre.

The performance was the singer’s gift to his fans after announcing his retirement from extensive touring after a diagnosis of inclusion body myositis, an inflammatory condition of the muscles that causes weakness. He quietly announced the show, only on his social media sites, and gave away the tickets for free.

“Thank you for coming, and thank you for being such a great crowd,” Frampton, 72, told the cheering audience with a powerful rendition of The Beatles’ classic, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” closing his 90-minute set. “We love you and we’re going to keep on fighting … never say never.”

And Frampton didn’t disappoint, belting out fan favorites such as “Show Me the Way,” “Baby I Love Your Way,” and “Do You Feel,” all from his iconic “Frampton Comes Alive!” album. The concert was filmed by Sky Arts, a British television network, for its new TV series, “Greatest Albums Live,” airing in the United Kingdom later this year.

And MTSU leaders, who just hosted November’s made-for-TV final concert event for The Judds in Murphy Center that attracted Wynonna, Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Martina McBride, were eager to make things happen for Frampton.

“We’ve once again demonstrated that MTSU is a destination for A-list artists seeking performance venues that can be a custom fit to their needs,” said President Sidney A. McPhee. “And we’re seeing how our academic strengths in music business and television production make our campus an attractive venue.”

Frampton’s team sought out MTSU as a venue through a connection with Odie Blackmon, a Grammy-nominated associate professor of songwriting in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.

CMA honors alums with music teachers of excellence

Alumnus John Hazlett, band director at McGavock High School in Nashville, was recently named a CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence for the third time.

“It is a great honor [to] be recognized, and I’m very humbled,” said Hazlett. “Music enhances the lives of young people every day in and out of the classroom, and music performance and music education play vital roles in the development and enrichment of the human spirit. All students should have that opportunity.”

Among the 30 total honorees were three other True Blue alumni: Susan Waters from Brentwood, Tennessee, Evan Burton from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Michael Holland from Smyrna, Tennessee.

The CMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association, created the Music Teachers of Excellence program to recognize the best and brightest music teachers from Nashville and beyond, stated a foundation press release.

Hazlett attended the fall awards ceremony at Marathon Music Works in Nashville to receive his accolade along with $2,500 for his school program and $2,500 as a personal stipend.

Artist’s ‘food typography’ exhibit showing through Feb. 7

Multidisciplinary visual artist Danielle Duncan Evans will have her fascinating work, "Entrée Reality: Between Worlds,” on exhibit through Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Todd Art Gallery.

Evans visited the university on Jan. 23 to help kick off the university’s spring 2023 exhibition of her work and offered a free public Q&A session on her artistic career development, focusing on the evolution of her creative purpose and processes.

The exhibit showcases Evans’ creations as a self-described “food typographer, which is a part photographer and part designer, with a dash of a food scientist.”

“All my work is composed in analog and in-camera but relies on technology to be digested,” said the Columbus, Ohio-based artist. “These pieces become statements on social issues, consumerism, and the joy of human connection.”

Evans is a freelance creative director and designer of global brand campaigns. More information about Evans’ work is available at her website, https://marmaladebleue.com.

Todd Hall is located at 542 Old Main Circle in the central part of the MTSU campus. "Entrée Reality: Between Worlds” will be free and open to the public during the Todd Gallery’s regular hours: weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU Mondays: Frampton special concert, CMA honors, 'food' art exhibit