Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra

Mike Mills, of two-decade rock powerhouse R.E.M., and Robert McDuffie, internationally renowned violinist, have been close friends since they were children growing up in Macon, Georgia. In the spring of 2016, inspired by the blurred lines between contemporary classical audiences and rock and pop music, McDuffie commissioned Mills to write a new composition they could share with audiences both classical and modern.

In 2016-2017, Mills and McDuffie performed Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra to sold-out venues on the east coast. Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra is the first classical work composed and performed by Mike Mills with his longtime friend and new collaborator, McDuffie. The pair is joined on the recording by the McDuffie Center for Strings Ensemble conducted by Ward Stare and made up of students from the award-winning Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. This piece will also be performed at A Night of Georgia Music.