Former Tech violin professor honored with scholarship, commissioned work
Tennessee Tech University's School of Music will honor Professor Emeritus Francis Elliott with a commissioned musical work set to debut at an April 21 concert, along with the establishment of a scholarship in his name.
The longtime violin professor served at Tech from 1971 to 2002, teaching private lessons to violin and viola students as well as introductory strings courses for all freshman music majors. He also performed with the Tech-affiliated Bryan Symphony Orchestra for more than 50 years.
Former students and colleagues in the School of Music, led by Tech alumna and tuba
performer Nancy Holland, have spent months rallying support for both the scholarship
and commissioned work, dubbing the effort the “Francis Elliott Consortium Project.”
Colin Hill, director of the School of Music, called the project “a celebration of both our past and our future at Tennessee Tech.”
“This project honors the lasting impact of Francis Elliott’s teaching and mentorship through a new commissioned work while also supporting the next generation of musicians through scholarship funding,” Hill said. “We are excited to recognize Mr. Elliott’s influence while continuing to invest in and inspire the students who follow in his footsteps.”
At 94, Elliott continues to attend School of Music concerts and teach private lessons. He reflected on his decades of service at Tech as a “wonderful experience.”
“I was immediately overwhelmed by the way this community treated me,” he said. “My father said to me, ‘You are living in the South now, where hospitality is the number one quality of the people around you.’ I quickly realized he was right. The parents and students were just phenomenal and so kind.”
Elliott said he was left speechless upon learning that the School of Music would commission a piece and establish a scholarship in his honor.
“There are no words for it,” he said.
As part of the consortium project, Tech’s Griffin Candey, assistant professor of music theory and composition, was commissioned to create a piece in Elliott’s honor.
“It means so much to me to have written this piece!” Candey said. “As a professor in my third year, and knowing how much this university and its students already mean to me, the idea of Professor Elliott spending 30 years of his career here, teaching and playing, is so stunning.”
Candey said his goal with the piece was “to create something bright, meaningful and celebratory.” To that end, he titled the composition “Forsythia,” after the bright flowering plant.
A $6,000 gift from Holland covered the full cost of the commission, ensuring that all additional donations will directly support the scholarship fund.
Tech's University Orchestra will debut Candey’s composition honoring Elliott at a concert on Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Wattenbarger Auditorium of the Bryan Fine Arts Building on Tech’s campus. The event is free and open to the public.
To donate to the Francis Elliott Consortium Project, click here.