Lee University’s Chamber Strings and Handbell ensembles will perform a joint concert, “Broadway and Beyond,” on Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Pangle Hall.

“If you love Broadway, I think the evening is for you,” said Xiaoqing Yu, chamber strings director and associate professor of violin at Lee. “The evening will feature the university bell choir, which will provide entertainment like no other. Professor Laud Vaught will lead a beautiful and exciting program.”

According to Yu, a stellar team of string students with a pianist and percussionists will present the beloved Broadway music. There will also be a surprise guest artist, 12-year-old violinist, performing the famed “Czardas.”

“It’s always a privilege to present live music and explore music that is familiar but perhaps in a different form than it’s normally heard,” said Vaught, director of Lee’s handbell ensemble. “Such is the case with Lee University Handbells. We love to step outside the box of the expectations people have for handbells, and this is that chance.”

“Broadway and Beyond” will include music from popular musicals, such as “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music,” “Mambo” from “West Side Story,” and the love duet from “Tonight,” sung by Lee voice students, along with tunes from “La La Land,” and “Hamilton.”

“Please mark your calendars and come to share in a good time. This challenging program will promise delightful excitement,” said Yu.

The Handbell selections will include a medley from “Phantom of the Opera” and the song “Till There Was You” from “The Music Man.” There will be a surprise piece in which the audience will have an opportunity to participate.

“Not only is the music not from the standard handbell repertoire, but we are adding extra elements to make the event even more memorable, so please join us for a delightful evening,” said Vaught.

Chamber Strings is a dynamic ensemble comprising the university’s finest violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists providing innovative programming for venues on and off campus.

Yu joined Lee’s faculty in 2004 teaching violin, viola, and chamber music. He serves as Concertmaster of the Greenville Symphony and performs with the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, a ten-week annual summer opera festival in New York. Yu has also performed in numerous concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, and was a member of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and American Chamber Orchestra, performing in nearly 100 European cities.

In addition to directing the Handbell Choir, Vaught serves as coordinator of the Phillip Thomas Music Resource Center and teaches in Lee’s School of Music. He also directs Lee’s summer music camp. Vaught has been in music ministry since 1984 in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, and Las Vegas. He earned his master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in music education from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Lee College, respectively.

This is a free, nonticketed event, open to the public. The concert will also be available via livestream at leeu.live.

For more information about this performance or upcoming events, contact the School of Music at (423) 614-8240, or visit leeumusicconnect.com.