Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—As Mississippi State prepares for its 12th annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival in March, Mississippi Public Broadcasting viewers have an opportunity to see excerpts of last year’s musical extravaganza this week.

A 30-minute segment of 2017 festival performances and interviews with four nationally renowned musicians airs at 9 p.m. Friday [Feb. 9] on MPB’s high-definition network. The closed-caption broadcasts are special productions of the university’s Television Center.

Celebrating what is widely considered America’s truly original music genre, the popular springtime festival on the Starkville campus is organized by MSU Libraries and the Charles H. Templeton Sr. Music Museum.

The 2018 festival kicks off at 6 p.m. March 22 with the 5th annual Gatsby Gala fashion show featuring 1920s apparel designed by MSU fashion design and merchandising students and modeled by MSU Fashion Board members. Daytime museum tours, talks, “meet the artists” segments and educational seminars will take place March 23-24 in the fourth-floor Templeton Museum at Mitchell Memorial Library. Evening concerts featuring world-renowned musicians will be held in the mainstage theater at McComas Hall. Learn more at http://library.msstate.edu/ragtimefestival.

In addition to MSU Libraries and the School of Human Sciences, this year’s sponsors include MaxxSouth Broadband, City of Starkville, Mississippi Arts Commission, Art Works and National Endowment for the Arts.

Admission is free for MSU students with valid identification card. Tickets are available for advance purchase at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-charles-h-templeton-ragtime-jazz-festival-tickets-37468585548. Tickets also will be sold at the door.

For more festival information, call 662-325-6634 or email ragtimefestival@library.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.