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As a prelude to the Scuppernong River Festival, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Columbia will host the premier of an original musical celebrating the life and music of Stephen Foster. Bob Waters, a Tyrrell County resident, was awarded an Artist Support Grant from the NC Arts Council to create and perform this tribute to a true musical genius.

“Mr. Foster was this nation’s first professional composer, and is often referred to as the father of American music. His song, Oh! Susanna, was sung by people from all walks of life and was given worldwide distribution, thus creating the genre known as ‘Pop’ music,” stated the event announcement. “Along with performing this piece and 14 more of his compositions on a variety of instruments, Mr. Waters intends to take the audience ‘backstage,’ with hopes of helping them develop a greater understanding of how the events in this man’s life shaped and affected the content and the character of his music.”

The performance will be held at historic St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Road Street in Columbia on Friday, October 8 at 6 p.m. and last about an hour.

“Come ready to learn, listen, maybe sing along with a few tunes, and enjoy some of the best music ever written,” invites the announcement.

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