Belhaven University and Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Share a Lasting Legacy

JACKSON, Miss. (December 4, 2025) – When the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO) takes the stage, chances are strong that Belhaven University is also present—through its faculty, alumni, and students. The two institutions have been intertwined since the orchestra’s founding, and their partnership continues to shape Mississippi’s cultural and educational life today.

The connection between the Belhaven University Music Department and the MSO stretches back to the orchestra’s earliest days in the mid-1940s. For decades, the orchestra kept its offices on the Belhaven campus, with rehearsals and performances held at the university. That foundation supported the orchestra until it eventually grew into a self-standing nonprofit organization.

“Belhaven had always been entwined with the history from the Mississippi Symphony,” said MSO Music Director and Conductor Crafton Beck. “It has been quite natural, therefore, for a close relationship to develop.”

Over the years, that relationship grew stronger as Belhaven invited MSO musicians to join its music faculty. Chief among them was violinist and professor Xie Song, whose teaching shaped a generation of string players. Beck credits Song’s influence with sustaining the symphony’s high standards. “Quite simply, without the numerous superb violinists who moved to Jackson specifically to study with Professor Song, I cannot imagine how the MSO would have managed to maintain such a high level of performance,” Beck said. “An orchestra without a violin section is not an orchestra.”

Today, the impact of Song’s studio is unmistakable. In a recent rehearsal, Beck asked all violinists who had studied under Song to stand—nearly half the section rose. “Mr. Song is a phenomenal teacher and violinist,” said Dr. Stephen Sachs, longtime Belhaven professor and MSO pianist. “The shared legacy between MSO and BU starts with him.”

Sachs, reflecting on a group photo taken after a Bravo concert that captured Belhaven alumni, faculty, and students alongside Beck, called it “a dream come true” to see so many Belhaven-trained musicians central to the symphony’s sound.

Another milestone in the Belhaven–MSO relationship came more than a decade ago, when Beck and Professor of Music Dr. Andrew Sauerwein launched the MSO Composers’ Reading. The program, now directed by Sauerwein, invites composition students from Belhaven, Mississippi College, Jackson State University, and Mississippi University for Women to hear their works performed by the symphony.

“The MSO Composers Reading is designed to give students a rare opportunity to hear readings of the short orchestral works they have composed and discuss them with Crafton and the orchestra members, most of whom are music educators,” Sauerwein said. “The experience and feedback students receive are tremendously valuable to their artistic growth and cultural understanding. It is not a competition or a marketplace; rather, composers and performers—and listeners—involved in the reading can give one another beautiful gifts of musical design, feedback, and insight.”

Beck calls the reading “an extraordinary opportunity” that deepens the bond between the university and the orchestra while cultivating the next generation of composers.

For today’s Belhaven students, the partnership offers not only instruction but also meaningful performance opportunities. “Being able to work with MSO musicians has pushed me to grow,” said violinist Hannah Romanko, a rising senior at Belhaven. “It’s one thing to learn in the classroom, but playing alongside professionals shows you what excellence looks like in real time.”

Alumni continue to carry that legacy into professional life. Zak Joyner, now teaching and performing, credits the Belhaven–MSO connection with preparing him for his career. “The chance to study with people who were not just professors, but also active symphony musicians gave me a model for balancing teaching and performance,” he said. For violinist Daniel Jones, who also came through Belhaven’s program, the bond was just as formative. “Belhaven gave me the skills, but the MSO gave me the stage,” Jones said. “That combination prepared me for everything I’ve done since.”

The collaboration benefits both the orchestra and the university. For Belhaven students, the opportunity to study with professional musicians and perform alongside them elevates their training. For the MSO, the relationship provides a steady stream of talented young players. “Both benefit from this collaboration,” Sachs said. “MSO benefits from having Belhaven faculty and students participate, and Belhaven benefits by offering another performance opportunity. Everybody wins.”

Beck believes the partnership also strengthens the musicians themselves. “Just about every musician in the MSO is a teacher,” he said. “By working with younger generations, older professionals continue to grow. Younger generations remind us to adapt and discover new repertoire, new ways of thinking, and new ways to make music.”

The connection between Belhaven and the MSO reaches beyond the campus and the concert hall. Events like the MSO’s annual “Mozart by Candlelight” performance at Belhaven’s Center for the Arts have become highlights of Jackson’s cultural calendar.

Beck sees the partnership as vital not only for training musicians but also for enriching Mississippi’s cultural landscape. “The many out-of-state and international students who choose to study at Belhaven represent an extraordinary mixing of experiences and cultures for us all,” he said. “Students and families are changed, as are we the educators who have gotten to know them.”

The legacy of partnership rests on excellence and commitment, Sachs said, and its continuation depends on both institutions staying strong. “Much depends on both MSO and Belhaven being strong in music,” Sachs said. “Belhaven will need to seek and maintain a commitment to bring highly talented students and faculty to campus, while the MSO depends on audiences who require excellence from the stage. Both require support, but the rewards are extraordinary.”

From its beginnings nearly 80 years ago to today’s shared stages and classrooms, the bond between Belhaven University and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra remains a defining force in Mississippi’s cultural life; one that ensures the next generation of musicians will continue to thrive.