Southwestern Adventist University’s (SWAU) annual music festival, now expanded to a fine arts festival, will take place April 10-13. 

For 31 years, the festival has been bringing students from around the Southwestern Union together. Gathering on the university’s campus, students practice songs, learn from clinicians and spend time playing and praising the Lord throughout the weekend. The finale concert is traditionally held at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, where students grace the same stage where many talented professional musicians have performed.

In its 32nd year, SWAU is opening submissions to those with artistic ability in drawing and painting. All Southwestern Union schools have been invited to participate. Students who submit pieces of art and are selected to exhibit during the festival will be eligible to win a scholarship. So far, $20,000 has been donated toward these scholarships. Participants will have an opportunity to exhibit their art throughout the weekend, with select students also able to display their pieces at the Meyerson Symphony Center prior to the finale concert.

“I am excited for this opportunity to expand the festival to include more of our Southwestern Union students,” said Ana Patterson, SWAU president. “We had a generous donor come forward to support the growth. I’m looking forward to seeing the art skills of our union’s students.”

Students who sign up for the art track will join the music students for all general activities and benefit from their own workshops with Marcela Wall, music and art instructor, and alum Mavis Mann-Rojas, guest clinician.

“This year, we asked participating students to paint their view of music within the context of their own unique culture,” said Wall. “They’ve been encouraged to look at their personal heritage and traditions, talk to their families and share about their culture. I’m so excited to see the results.”

The expanded experience is designed to include students who want to contribute to and grow their artistic skills. The focus for the art track is on drawing and painting this year. However, additional art opportunities are planned for the future, including photography, pottery and graphic design. 

The auditions and scholarship opportunities for music students remain the same. In fact, the finale concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center last year broke records in sponsorships and ticket sales, raising a total of $124,400 for music scholarships.

“A Night at the Meyerson has been providing scholarships to talented students of all majors,” explained Jonathan E. L. Wall, music festival artistic director. “The scholarships are not given exclusively to music majors. We now have a legacy of scholarship recipients who have gone on to become doctors, educators, nurses, pastors and leaders in their respective fields. The pursuit of musical excellence along their journey here at Southwestern Adventist University has given scores of students the opportunity to earn additional awards as they pursue their various degrees. We’re thrilled that the festival now has such a rich history of supporting students as they prepare for their chosen careers.”

Students can apply to attend the festival by submitting an audition piece. They can audition for both the art and music opportunities and could potentially sing in the finale concert as well as have an art piece on exhibit. However, during the festival weekend, they will need to pick one track to participate in for the workshops.

“We want everyone who wants to be there to have an opportunity to join us,” said Wall. “The audition process may be daunting, but we encourage anyone who is interested to apply. We’ve found that putting in a little extra effort to attend helps increase the quality of the event for everyone. We want you there!”

To learn more about A Night at the Meyerson program, visit https://swau.edu/give/meyerson/