The Brick Street Trio formed in the summer of 2011 from faculty members of the Music Department at Mississippi College. They play for dinners, receptions and other events. To hire the Brick Street Trio or get more information about their services, visit the services page.
James Sclater received the B.M and M.M. in Theory-Composition from the University of Southern Mississippi and the D.M.A. in music composition from the University of Texas at Austin. He has written over 140 works and has received commissions from various performing groups, including the American Guild of Organists and the Mississippi Symphony.
He received the 1974 Ostwald Prize for band music and is a six-time winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters music award. He has received an ASCAP Serious Music award yearly since 1991. His Concerto for Orchestra was commissioned for the 80th birthday of Eudora Welty. He retired from Mississippi College in 2010 after a 40-year teaching career. In 2012 he was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.
Sclater played clarinet in the Mississippi Symphony from 1971 to 2000. He performs now in the chamber duo LYRICAS, the Brick Street Trio, and Pentimento, a woodwind trio. Sclater is married to Judy Davis of Columbia, MS. They have a daughter, Patricia, who lives and works in Kansas City, MO.
Benjamin Williams is a composer in central Mississippi and an Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Mississippi College. Raised in Northeast Ohio, Williams earned degrees in Music Composition from The University of Akron (B.M and M.M.) and The Ohio State University (D.M.A.). The Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the NACUSA National Conference, UCM New Music Festival, The Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, Electronic Music Midwest Festival, Denison New Music Festival, Kentucky New Music Festival and the University of Nebraska New Music Festival have performed his works. Williams also performs chamber music locally with the Pentimento Trio and with the jazz ensemble Brick Street Trio.
Michael Rushing serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Mississippi College. He oversees the Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy and directs the Taylor School, a community arts program serving the Clinton and Metropolitan Jackson area. He teaches applied piano, group piano, piano pedagogy, and online music appreciation. He also maintains an active pre-college and adult piano studio through the Taylor School. Dr. Rushing promotes music education through community engagement, providing educational opportunities to under-served segments of the local community.