The Dillon County Theatre will open its 2024-2025 season on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. with Francis Marion University Ensembles and Soloists in Concert, under the direction of Dr. Fran Coleman and accompanied by Savannah Gaymon. The University Choir, Voice Collective (Women’s ensemble), Vibertones (Men’s ensemble), and soloists will present a program of classical music, musical theatre selections, and popular music – something for the musical tastes and preferences of everyone. The production is open to the public at no charge, and no reservations are required.
Fran Coleman is a coloratura soprano hailing from Richmond, VA. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Longwood University, as well as a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory. Fran has spent more than two decades performing as a crossover singer in diverse genres spanning from opera to pop. She currently produces and performs for regional party band Emerald Empire Band. Fran is also a soprano soloist at First Presbyterian and Central United Methodist Churches in Florence, SC.
In addition to her passion for performance, she also has a love for choral conducting and vocal pedagogy. Fran taught middle and high school choir for several years before accepting the position as Director of Women’s Choir at Longwood University in Farmville, VA. Fran has held the position of musical director for such shows as Xanadu, Sweeney Todd, She Loves Me, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Musical of Musicals, Songs for a New World as well as many others. Most recently, she musically directed Next to Normal at Francis Marion University where she holds the position of Associate Professor of Music Industry and Director of Voice/Choral Programs. She also starred as Carole King the Beautiful, the Carole King Musical at Florence Little Theatre in spring 2024.
Open to all university students, the University Concert Choir has an average enrollment of between 20 and 25 students. This group has sung in numerous area churches and has also performed with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. They have performed such major choral works as the “Polovetzian Dance and Chorus” of Alexander Borodin, the “Schicksalslied” of Johannes Brahms, and the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Recently their concerts have included selections accompanied by the newly formed Francis Marion string ensemble.
Francis Marion’s Voice Collective is a small, select treble ensemble. Libertines are the select Tenor/Bass-baritone ensemble. Both groups perform throughout the region for schools and service organizations. They have also performed in Orlando, Florida, in Baltimore, Maryland, in Washington, D.C., in Vienna, Austria, and on a performance cruise to the Bahamas. In July 2025, all three ensembles will be headed to Sweden to sing with John Rutter.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for seating at the Dillon County Theatre, located at 114 North McArthur Avenue across from the Dillon Train Station. Please come and enjoy this talented group of young musicians.
