The 91ɬ�� Performing Arts Center (PAC) 2025-26 Main Stage Series kicks off in October, and features a season full of performances from national ensembles to student productions to holiday favorites and family-friendly performances beginning this fall.

“To the community, I would like to welcome everyone through our doors once again for another season that is PAC-ked with programming,” Daniel Brown, director of the Performing Arts Center. “I am confident that this year will be one of the most exciting to date.”

The season opens Oct. 29 with the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus. Founded in 1946 and 1957, respectively, the Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus are the oldest and largest of the U.S. Army Field Band’s performing components. The ensembles will present a program ranging from masterworks and operatic arias to Sousa marches, jazz classics and Broadway favorites. The concert is free, but tickets .

A few weeks later, the Georgia Southern Theatre program and the Performing Arts Center will present Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” Nov. 13-15. The comedy explores themes of love, identity and transformation. General admission tickets are $20; Georgia Southern student, faculty and staff tickets are $10.

On Nov. 20, the holiday season kicks off with “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” The musical follows seven-year-old Lois Jean, who believes a baby hippo named Bella can bring her family together for Christmas. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.

The PAC’s season continues in 2026 with playing host to a night unlike any other with “Candlelight Celtic.” Surrounded by the warm glow of more than 1,000 candles, the audience will be immersed in a one-of-a-kind enchanting atmosphere filled with the soul-stirring melodies of Ireland. This event was created by the 2009 World Champion of Irish Dance, Scott Doherty, and worldwide touring Irish musician Chris Smith. The show takes place on March 2, and tickets range from $10 to $25.

From April 9 to 11, a Pulitzer-winning drama comes to the PAC. “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets and laughter while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. General admission tickets are $20; Georgia Southern student, faculty and staff tickets are $10. “Sweat” is recommended for patrons ages 13 and up due to strong language and some violence.

School Matinee Series

The PAC’s is expanding this year to include 12 educational touring shows in collaboration with theater companies and Georgia Southern Theatre students. Tickets are $5, and bookings are available through pac@georgiasouthern.edu.

The series begins Oct. 8 with Washington Irving’s classic “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” recommended for grades 4 and up. A is available for audiences.

On Oct. 10, “New Kid” tells the story of an immigrant family navigating a new culture. On Oct. 21, Bright Star’s comic duo Lenny and Mabel bring “Peter Pan” to life in a play within a play. The show is recommended for Pre-K through grade 3.

Additional matinee shows include:

• Halloween Carnival — Oct. 21
• As You Like It — Nov. 13
• I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas — Nov. 20
• George Washington Carver & Friends — Jan. 12
• The Life of Dr. King — Jan. 13
• Dino Academy: A Dinosaur Discovery Show — Jan. 20
• Empowered, Brilliant & Brave: Great Women of Black History — Jan. 21
• Jack’s Adventure in American History — March 25
• Game Show USA — March 26
• Winnie the Pooh — April 21

Additional events

The PAC will also host free events, including concerts by the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music and student film festivals and premieres from the Department of Communication Arts.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Sept. 15, including students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased , at the PAC’s Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. or over the phone at (912) 478-7999. Additional questions can be answered by emailing pac@georgiasouthern.edu.

The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus will open the PAC 2025-2026 season on Oct. 29.

The , 91ɬ��’s premier choral ensemble, continues to reach new heights in international competitions. The group took third place in the in the Netherlands, which was held from May 29 through June 1. The prestigious festival featured 10 choirs from eight countries, including the U.S., Sweden, Slovenia and other European countries. 

“I could not be prouder of these students,” said Shannon Jeffreys, D.M.A., director of Choral Activities at Georgia Southern. “They sang with such passion, musical precision and sincerity. Every note came from the heart. On that stage, they weren’t just performing music; they were telling stories, sharing their souls and lifting up the very best of what choral music can be.”

Jeffreys said each student brought something unique and beautiful to the experience, but two students made special additions by having their own songs featured in their performances. Ryan Fruchtl and James Rowell are both in their third year with the group. Motivated by Jeffreys to write their own works, the students’ European debuts are the results of years’ worth of effort.

“We had been talking in her office one day about writing something,” Rowell said. “We were brainstorming what could be used during the competition, and we settled on something that could be sung in a cathedral. I showed her a piece, and she said, ‘Let’s go with it!’”

Rowell’s song, “Somnambulism,” which means “sleepwalking,” served as the prelude to their other competition pieces. And as fate would have it, it would eventually be sung in a cathedral while on the tour.

Fruchtl’s piece, “My Faith Still Holds,” features two male solo parts, but neither of them are performed by Fruchtl himself. As Jeffreys auditioned students, everyone had an opportunity to try out for the roles. 

“I’m really good friends with the soloists,” said Fruchtl. “If I’m being honest, I really had Paul and Bret, who ultimately performed the piece, in mind for the solos when I wrote it. They’re just incredible.”

Chorale, made up of 35 students, has been performing in competitive and noncompetitive venues for the past week throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. Between performances, the students have explored local historic and cultural locations across Amsterdam and other areas.

“Opportunities like this one—where students engage at the highest level on an international stage—are transformative,” said Jeffreys. “They grow as artists, as musicians and as people. It builds confidence, deepens their understanding of other cultures and shows them just how powerful music can be in connecting people across the world. I have so much love and admiration for each of them. What they achieved together is something they’ll carry for a lifetime—and so will I.”

The trip was supported and sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost and College of Arts and Humanities Office of the Dean.

In 2022, in Berlin, Germany. Their global success also earned the singers national recognition as named a in 2024.

91ɬ�� College of Arts and Humanities and the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music will host Joe Robinson in concert on March 22 on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah. 

Born and raised into a musical family in Australia, Robinson began playing guitar when he was nine years old. At age 13, he won the Australian National Songwriting Competition, and at 15, he released his first collection of original material. A monumental achievement followed a year later when he won first place on the “Australia’s Got Talent” television show.

Since then, he has developed a worldwide touring career, performing across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, China and Australia.

“I’m very excited to be performing in Savannah,” said Robinson. “I really appreciate the laid-back Georgia people. The vibe in some ways reminds me of the folks I grew up around in coastal and rural Australia.”

He continued, “The Gretsch family have been longtime friends and great supporters of mine and to perform in support of the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music is a great honor! Due to the demand for my online livestreams and educational programs, I am not touring very much this year. So, this will be a special evening. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Robinson has garnered high praise and prestigious awards from the international music community.

Voted “Best New Talent” in the Guitar Player Readers’ Poll, Robinson’s talents were further recognized by Guitar Player magazine as part of a cover story titled “Youthquake 2017: Ten Mind Blowing Young Guitarists.” In the article, Guitar Player called Robinson “equally mind-blowing as an acoustic fingerpicker and electric soloist…his YouTube videos display an astounding combination of taste, speed, cagey phrasing, and a clear, articulate and sparking tone.”

Joe Robinson will be in concert in Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus Fine Arts Auditorium on March 22 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 and student tickets are $5. More information can be found at .

Allen Henderson, D.M.A., professor of music in the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at 91ɬ��, has been recognized by two national organizations for his significant role in the voice industry.

The Voice Foundation presented Henderson with the 2022 Voice Education Research Awareness (VERA) Award for his “outstanding contributions to the field of voice.” He received the award in Philadelphia as part of the foundation’s annual symposium. The award honors unique leaders who have enhanced appreciation for the human voice, and recognizes those who have a dedication to excellence, education or mentorship. The award also acknowledges role models in voice use and advancement.

The Voice Foundation praised Henderson’s efforts to integrate the worlds of voice science and voice pedagogy, and commended the way Henderson incorporated expert opinion and guidance into thoughtful policy decisions.

“I am honored and humbled,” Henderson said. “It was a total surprise for this distinguished body to recognize me for my work. Congrats to my fellow awardees rock legend Jon Bon Jovi, baritone Vladimir Chernov and Brazilian broadcaster William Bonner,  who have all given so much to the professional voice community.”

A month later, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) awarded Henderson the IMPACT Award for his exceptional and unwavering dedication to the organization, and for the significant impact his leadership, initiative and achievements have made on the association during its 57th national conference in Chicago. NATS is the world’s largest professional association of voice and collaborative pianists with more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and more than 35 other countries. Members represent all music styles and work in independent studios, community schools, elementary and secondary schools, higher education or in the medical field.

Henderson has been a major contributor to both the Voice Foundation and NATS for decades. In addition to his academic appointment, he has served as executive director of NATS since 2008, and prior to his current appointment, was involved with the organization for 15 years. 

The “grit and grace” that defines the historic Gretsch sound is also a perfect label for Georgia Southern, as the university’s school of music will now be named after the world-famous drum and guitar maker.

With approval today from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, 91ɬ�� has established the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music and becomes the newest addition to the Gretsch family, which includes country music icon Chet Atkins, legendary rock drummer Charlie Watts, the Beatles’ George Harrison,  the late great Malcolm Young of AC/DC, rockabilly and swing king Brian Setzer, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and many more.

Naming the university’s school of music comes after Fred and Dinah Gretsch pledged $3 million plus their Gretsch Collection of historic drums, guitars, and company archives to Georgia Southern. While the school of music will now bear the Gretsch name, the company’s influence will be felt across all campuses and in several academic departments, the museums and the library. Georgia Southern will be able to catalog and display Gretsch’s storied instruments — a collection estimated to be valued in the millions — that tell a compelling story of musical history from American jazz to English-born rock to popular modern worship bands in Australia.

Downtown Savannah has already been identified as an exhibit venue for the Gretsch Collection. Georgia Southern is establishing the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music Performance Stage at the Atlantic Building of the new downtown Plant Riverside District. Within that building, exhibit space will highlight Gretsch instruments and storyboards with QR code links to the Gretsch history and legacy.  Similar exhibits will be planned at the Georgia Southern Museum in Statesboro, as well as the Fine Arts Hall at the Armstrong Campus, and can be packaged for partner shows around the world.

“The generosity and vision of this transformational gift from Fred and Dinah Gretsch is truly a milestone in Georgia Southern’s history — for the university, for the communities we serve and for our school of music,” said 91ɬ�� President Kyle Marrero. “This collaboration with the Gretsch family, the Gretsch Company and its commitment to excellence exemplifies our goal to elevate and further enhance extraordinary programs, like our music program at Georgia Southern.”

Steven Harper, chair of Georgia Southern’s music department, agreed this new partnership is a game-changer.

“Fred and Dinah Gretsch are not only major figures in the Music Industry, but they are also major figures in the advocacy for universal music education,” Harper said. “They have made access to the joy of music for everyone a high priority in their lives. That they’ve chosen Georgia Southern to help continue that work is both a great honor and a testament to Georgia Southern’s long reputation as a leader in training music educators. This gift and naming are representative of Georgia Southern’s expanding influence regionally, nationally, and internationally.

“The creation of the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music, as well as the initiation of our recently-approved degree in Music Industry on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, will dramatically increase our profile and our opportunities for serving the people of the state of Georgia,” Harper said. “I could not be more grateful and more excited about the future possibilities.”

91ɬ�� is poised to expand an already-strong music program into “an internationally-recognized leader through the generosity of Fred and Dinah Gretsch,” said Carl Reiber, 91ɬ��’s Provost. “This gift will not only impact the music program directly, but also other departments will be involved in the curation and display of historic documents and musical instruments to tell the story of Gretsch music from the late 1800s through today.”

Fred Gretsch is the great-grandson of a German immigrant and entrepreneur who began the company in Brooklyn by handcrafting banjos, drums and tambourines in a small workshop. Now based in Pooler, Georgia, Fred and his wife Dinah lead the family-owned company, still regarded as one of the music industry’s most influential and innovative instrument manufacturers.

The Gretsches have long been involved in music education programs and lending their name and their history to Georgia Southern was an appropriate way to honor the company’s legacy.

“We are so very enthusiastic about this partnership. Our vision is that Georgia Southern will be recognized as the very best music school in the Southeast,” said Fred Gretsch. “We are impressed with the university’s dedication to transforming lives and communities, and with their eagerness and ability to appropriately catalog our collection. This collaboration allows us to appropriately honor our company’s influence with many of the icons that are dear to us who have shaped the Music Industry.”

With the agreement, Georgia Southern will create the following positions:

• The Distinguished Scholar in Guitar/Music Industry, an assistant professor in the music school’s new music industry program who will also work closely with the museum and library to document, curate and promote the Gretsch Collection.
• The Gretsch Collection Curator of Permanent Collections, a position in the Georgia Southern Museum who will provide all aspects of cataloguing, registration, collection management, maintenance and upkeep duties including activities involving the permanent Gretsch Collection, loans and exhibitions, access to collections for scholarly research, and in support of university classes and day-to-day operations.
• A project archivist for the Gretsch Archival Records, a three-year position in University Libraries who would primarily be responsible for the arrangement and description of the Gretsch archival records, to include print, photographic, audiovisual and digitally born materials.
• Two graduate assistantships in the Department of History for students who will help in organizing, cataloguing, researching, and preserving the Gretsch family’s collections, exhibits, documentation, and digitization.

“This amazing gift is just part of an ongoing partnership between the Gretsch family, Gretsch Company, Gretsch musicians, our School of Music, and our Music Industry program,” said John Kraft, interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “This opens new doors for us to do top-tier research, teaching, and community outreach throughout the College of Arts and Humanities. The Gretsch collection of instruments and company documents is a treasure that will provide decades of scholarship and educational experiences for faculty and students.”

91ɬ��, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers approximately 140 different degree programs serving almost 27,000 students through 10 colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit .