House Concurrent Resolution 79

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE CAREER OF MRS. DIANNE PITTMAN HOLBERT AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT.

WHEREAS, after 25 years of building and expanding choral programs in Mississippi schools, Dianne Pittman Holbert is retiring from her current role at Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, the programs that Mrs. Holbert has headed have included show choirs, madrigal singers, concert choirs and many other ensembles that have achieved national recognition, and these groups have performed with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Symphony, and have presented private concerts at famous locations including St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. John the Divine Cathedral and Carnegie Hall; and

WHEREAS, in addition to instructing students at Long Beach High School and Jackson Academy, Mrs. Holbert has most recently built the Choral Department of Jackson Prep into one of the finest in the southeast and one that is recognized as setting the standard of excellence in performing arts; and

WHEREAS, in the 10 years she has served as Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Jackson Prep, the school built a 1,000-seat state-of-the-art Performing Arts Theatre and a Center for Leadership, the choral program has tripled in size and several ensembles have been added to the curriculum; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Holbert also founded the arts booster club, Applause, which is one of the only all-inclusive arts booster clubs in the country, supporting all of the arts programs at Jackson Prep; and

WHEREAS, while at Jackson Prep, Mrs. Holbert specifically created Reveillon, the high school showchoir, and Fusion, the junior high school showchoir, and Reveillon has achieved national recognition and was named Grand Champions at the FAME National Showchoir Competition in 2012, and was proudly ranked among the top 10 showchoirs in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Reveillon's reputation sparked the development of the Jackson Preparatory School Showchoir Masters, which Mrs. Holbert initiated in 2014, and since its inception, Showchoir Masters has become one of the premier showchoir competitions in the southeast, attracting other nationally ranked choirs from across the country; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, Mrs. Holbert was awarded the Allen and Sandy Chapman National Showchoir Director of Excellence Award, which is an award voted on among her peers and colleagues at the Nashville Showchoir Nationals; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Holbert is a graduate of Mississippi College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in conducting; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize the careers of fine Mississippians, such as Mrs. Holbert, whose dedication to improving the choir programs of this state brings great pride to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the career of Mrs. Dianne Pittman Holbert and congratulate her upon the occasion of her retirement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mrs. Dianne Pittman Holbert and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.