MANSFIELD, Ohio — A free pre-concert lecture will be given by Mark Sebastian Jordan before the Mansfield Symphony Side by Side concert on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Beginning at 7:15 p.m., the informative session will take place in the second floor Ballroom at the Renaissance Theatre. Jordan’s presentation will include short musical listening examples and interesting anecdotes about the music on the program, as well as some tips on “what to listen for!”
Highlights include scintillating details about pieces on the concert such as “Danse Macabre,” which according to Jordan “made the composer’s mother faint,” and “Rumanian Dances,” music, which Jordan states, the composer once used to “intimidate an annoying fan by demonstrating aggressive dance moves.”
Jordan has been an active presence on the Ohio arts scene for more than 30 years as a writer, storyteller, actor, director, playwright, and improv comedian.
His Mansfield Trilogy of historical dramas was featured in sell-out performances for a decade at Malabar Farm State Park. As a living history performer, Jordan has portrayed director Orson Welles, composer George Frideric Handel, humorist Dan De Quille, and politician Clement Vallandigham. He has also been featured in television programs such as Ghost Hunters (SyFy), Mysteries at the Museum (Travel Channel), My Ghost Story (Biography Channel), and House of the Unknown (A&E pilot), and appeared as an extra in the classic film The Shawshank Redemption.
Jordan is a writer with numerous publication credits and awards, and has worked as a freelance journalist for publications all over the world. His satire on history textbooks, 1776 & All That, is available from XOXOX Press.
Jordan’s first poetry chapbook, The Book of Jobs, was published by Pudding House Press, and his second chapbook, Murder Ballads: American Crime Poems, was published by Poets Haven Press in 2014. His work has been included in numerous journals and collections. Jordan has written about classical music for High Fidelity Review, Surround Pro Magazine, Musicweb International, and Seen & Heard International.
He lives at Malabar Farm State Park in Lucas, where he runs the Hostelling International hostel, which provides affordable accommodations to travelers of all ages, promoting the idea of world peace through culturally diverse travel.
The lecture is free to all ticket holders and begins at 7:15 p.m. in the 2nd floor Ballroom at the Renaissance Theatre. Mansfield Symphony’s Side by Side Symphony begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Concert tickets can be purchased at the Renaissance Box Office, by phone at 419-522-2726 or online at MansfieldTickets.com.
Tickets range from $28 to $39 for adults, and all tickets for children 14 years and younger are $10, only available by visiting or calling the box office. The $15 Club ticket offer applies to this event, in which tickets for the back row can be purchased at the box office two hours before the show. This offer is limited to 50 seats.
