CLEVELAND, Miss. — Two Delta State University programs have received grants from The King’s Daughters and Sons Circle Number Two of Greenville to expand arts education opportunities for students across the Mississippi Delta.
The grants, awarded through the organization’s 2026 grant program to the Delta State University Foundation, will support the Bologna Performing Arts Center’s Office of Arts Education and the Delta Music Institute.
The BPAC grant will help provide reduced-price tickets for public school students attending the center’s School-Time Matinee Series during the 2026-27 school year. The series brings professional touring performances to thousands of kindergarten through sixth-grade students from the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas.
School-Time Matinee tickets typically cost $7. With the grant funding, scholarship tickets will be available to public school students for $1.
“The School-Time Matinees are amazing educational field trips,” said Cade Holder, director of marketing and education at the BPAC. “Professional touring companies bring in sets, costumes, and original stories that kids in the Delta don’t have to drive to Memphis or Jackson to see.”
Holder said the performances also give students an opportunity to experience live theater, sometimes for the first time.
The next School-Time Matinee performance will be “Pete the Cat” on Nov. 6. The performance is recommended for students in prekindergarten through third grade. Educators can contact the BPAC Arts Education Office at 662-846-4621 for information about block bookings.
Matty Bengloff, executive director of the BPAC, said grant support has become increasingly important as the cost of touring productions rises.
“As a non-profit theatre, we are eternally grateful for the funding from our corporate sponsors, annual members, and of course the amazing granting organizations like KDS,” Bengloff said.
The grant awarded to the Delta Music Institute will support its annual one-week summer camp for high school students interested in careers in music and entertainment. The grant period runs from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027.
During the camp, students receive hands-on instruction in areas including audio recording and production, live sound, music business, performance and entertainment technology.
The program also introduces students to the professional facilities and expertise available through DMI while giving them an opportunity to explore the range of careers within the music and entertainment industries.
“We are extremely grateful to The King’s Daughters and Sons Circle Number Two for investing in the next generation of music and entertainment industry professionals,” said Dr. Richard Tremmel, director of the Delta Music Institute.
Tremmel said the camp also serves as an outreach opportunity by allowing students to experience a university environment, work with DMI faculty and staff and connect with other students interested in music and entertainment.
