Studio musicians – 15 total – took center stage in preparation for the 66th annual Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, Tuesday.

Jackson native and Nashville resident Chris McDonald, a 1972 graduate of Jackson Central-Merry High School, arranges the music and serves as the orchestra’s conductor.

“We’ve been doing this for decades,” said McDonald, who was named arranger of the year in Nashville in 2017. “I have some new faces in here this year, and they know the show. They are friends of mine, and they are really great players.

“Some of them I work with in the studio (in Nashville), some I work with on a daily basis, and some of them I only see once a year – so it’s almost like summer camp for us.”

The musicians make up the only pageant orchestra in the nation.

Competition in the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant begins at 8 p.m., Wednesday, and continues through Saturday, at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.

The Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant has 37 contestants.

Competition will be held in swim suits, talent and evening gowns, as contestants vie for $100,000 in scholarship funds, and the opportunity to compete in the Miss America Pageant.

Limited tickets remain for lower level seating, but ticket prices for the balcony are $30 – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – $50 Saturday.

A ticket for all four nights of competition is $70.

Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and for more information, call (731) 425-8590.

(PHOTO: Chris McDonald directs the orchestra as they prepare for the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center)
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