RALEIGH, NC, September 21, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- William Peace University, a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that the university will host a season kick-off opening performance and pre-reception for the launch of the seventh annual Manning Chamber Music Concert Series in partnership with the North Carolina Symphony on Monday, Sept. 28. The pre-performance reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Main Parlor, followed by the concert in Kenan Hall at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature Andrew Lowy, principal clarinetist for the North Carolina Symphony, accompanied by a string quartet in a program of music by Beethoven, Penderecki and other classical composers. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required and seating is limited. For more information and registration details, visit http://bit.ly/17NMsZ7.

The 2013-14 season will feature three concerts this year held on the William Peace University campus in conjunction with the North Carolina Symphony. All are made possible through a gift made by alumna Sara Jo Allen Manning '58 '60 which established The Manning Chamber Music Series Fund.

QUOTES:"One of the true cultural highlights every year for William Peace University is the participation of members of the North Carolina Symphony in performance as part of the Manning Chamber Music Concert Series," said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. "This season opener will provide a great opportunity for those who attend to meet and enjoy casual conversation prior to listening to expertly crafted music that is beautifully performed."

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ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all-women's college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor's students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women's institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and welcomed its first coeducational class to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university's graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.