POPLAR BLUFF - The Civil War will be the focus of a special concert at Three Rivers College featuring the three outstanding musical groups.
The Three Rivers Department of Music will present a Civil War Tribute Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 6 featuring the college’s Symphonic Band, Collegiate Choir and special guests the Heartland Wins and Percussion Ensemble. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Tinnin Fine Art Center on the TRC campus in Poplar Bluff.
Three Rivers College students, high school students, and community musicians will unite for a band, choir and wind ensemble concert on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. The concert will begin at 7 p.m., with performances by the Three Rivers College Symphonic Band, Collegiate Choir, the Heartland Winds and Percussion Ensemble, and high school choir students from the surrounding area.
William T. White, instructor of music at Three Rivers, will conduct the Symphonic Band. The band includes Three Rivers’ students, community musicians and area high school students. Cindy J. White will conduct the Three Rivers Collegiate Choir. The Heartland Winds and Percussion Ensemble from Cape Girardeau is under the direction of Dr. Robert Gifford, Professor Emeritus of Music at Southeast Missouri State University.
“The focus of the concert is to present our tribute to the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War,” said William White. “This program will present wind, band and choir literature of the highest standard. Some of the most talented musicians in Southeast Missouri will take part in this concert.”
Local musicians who are members of the Three Rivers Symphonic Band include Corey Bennett, Adam Clark, Amberley Craig, Lauren Dudley, James Eldreth, Sarah Joiner, Kay Plummer, Lacey Midget, Scott Rybolt, David Simmons, all from Dexter; and Alex Holloway and Tiffanie Smith of Essex.
Area Three Rivers' students singing the the Collegiate Choir include Brandon Swindle, Shelle Killian, Landon Hall and Shawn Slavings, all of Dexter.
Gifford said the member of the Heartland ensemble are looking forward to performing again at Three Rivers.
“The ensemble is looking forward to performing again in December of 2011 in the beautiful Tinnin Fine Arts Center on the campus of Three Rivers College,” added Dr. Robert Gifford, director of the Heartland Winds and Percussion Ensemble.
The Three Rivers College Symphonic band will feature musical selections commemorating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. The program will include: “The Blue and the Gray” by Claire Grundman; “Washington Grays” by Clauduio S. Grafulla; “American Civil War Fantasy” by Jerry H. Bilik and “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by William Steffe, setting by Peter J.Wilhousky, arranged by James Neilson. The performance of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” will also feature the Collegiate Choir.
The band will also present the classic “Lincoln Portrait” by American composer Aaron Copland. Narration for the selection will be provided by the Rev. David Huck, a decorated Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War from Poplar Bluff.
The Heartland Wind and Percussion Ensemble will perform “Kirkpatrick Fanfare” by Andrew Boysen Jr; “Hymn Song for Sunday” by Don Gillis; “Harlequin” by Franco Cesarini; “The Path Ascending” by Rob Smith; “Funiculi-Funicula Rhapsody” by Luigi Denza and arranged by Yo Got; and “Cachucha-Galopp, op. 97” by Johann Strauss (Vater), arranged by Gustav Fischer.
Southeast Missouri area music educators, Southeast Missouri State University music faculty and other musicians who were seeking an outlet for their musical talents organized the Heartland Winds and Percussion ensemble in 2006. The group normally holds four or five rehearsals each year and presents a concert for junior high and high school participants of the Southeast Missouri Music Educators Association All-District Bands. Musical director and conductor of the ensemble is Robert M. Gifford, Professor Emeritus of Music at Southeast.
Admission will be free for the concert. For more information about the concert or music programs at Three Rivers College, please contact the Whites at (573) 840-9639, or wwhite@trcc.edu.
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
Who doesn’t like a holiday song, especially when it’s sung by a fantastic group of 60 kids?
The Dexter Songmakers took center stage Tuesday evening as the evening’s entertainment at the Dexter High School Student Council’s Annual Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Dinner.
The DHS Auditorium was filled with senior citizens and Songmaker family and friends for the special concert.
The Songmakers is a special auditioned choir directed by Delisa Sitze and accompanied by MaryRuth Boone.
Tuesday’s concert began with a touching tribute to veterans, “Thank You, Soldiers.” Stize explained the group has been working on the song all fall. The choir is preparing to video a performance of the “Thank You, Soldiers” to send to the husband of fifth grade teacher Jessica DeMent, who is serving in Afghanistan.
The rest of the concert had a Christmas holiday theme. Featured in the presentation were percussionists Joe Rice and Jett Featherston.
It was a delightful concert, putting young and old alike in the holiday spirit.
Following the concert, the seniors attending the Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Dinner enjoyed Bingo led by the DHS Student Council members.
The dinner, concert and bingo were all held at Dexter High School.
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CAPE GIRARDEAU - The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Southeast’s Choral Union and University Choir to perform the festive choral work, “Gloria,” by the celebrated Baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi, Dec. 6 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University.
Also on this program will be the glorious late “Symphony No. 4 in D Minor” by the great Romantic composer, Robert Schumann, as well as the ethereal “Three 17th Century English Lyrics” by the American composer, James Mulholland.
The concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Faculty members Sara Edgerton and Peter Durow will conduct this concert. Edgerton and Durow will provide a short pre-concert talk in the Bedell Performance Hall at 6:45 p.m. The pre-concert talk is free to all ticket holders for this concert.
The program will begin with Robert Schumann’s heartfelt, expressive “Symphony No. 4 in D Minor.” This symphony was originally written in 1841, immediately upon the heels of Schumann’s marriage to youthful piano virtuoso Clara Wieck, and is imbued with Schumann’s characteristic lyricism, tunefulness, and appeal. Schumann later reworked this symphony, with fuller orchestration and greater cohesion of form, and it is in this later version that the symphony is best known. From a gentle opening introduction, through the fiery first movement, to beautiful oboe, cello, and violin melodies in the second movement, to an energetic Scherzo movement and jubilant last movement, this symphony has all the hallmarks of the great Romantic compositions for symphonic orchestra.
On the second half of the concert, the Southeast Missouri Symphony will be joined by Southeast’s Choral Union and University Choir in the performance of two works for orchestra and full chorus. Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi is esteemed for his vivid, energetic, and dramatic compositions. Well-known today for his many concertos, including the iconic “Four Seasons,” Vivaldi also wrote many choral and operatic works. His “Gloria” is perhaps the best known of all his choral works, with colorful orchestration and eloquent choral parts.
In addition to the full orchestra and choir, this composition also includes several movements for vocal soloists. For this performance, Southeast students Brittney Leimkuehler, Magda Salem and Megan Statler, soprano, and Anna Christine Woiwood, mezzo-soprano, will be featured in the solo movements.
The concert will conclude with “Three 17th Century Lyrics” by American composer James Mulholland. Mulholland composed this short set of songs to accompany three traditional English texts: “Fair and Tender,” “Come Let’s Be Merry,” and “When I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” Mulholland is a notable American choral composer, with more than 600 published works to his credit. This brief sampling of songs by Mulholland will provide a pleasant, harmonious conclusion to the concert.
Tickets are Now on Sale
Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online at RiverCampusEvents.com.
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
Dexter’s fifth-graders pledged Wednesday afternoon to make good decisions and not get involved with alcohol, tobacco or drugs during their DARE graduation at Central Elementary School.
For the past 12 weeks, the students have been working with Dexter Police Office Lori O’Dell and taking Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes that have prepared them to live a life free of drugs and alcohol.
The classes use role-playing and other activities to show effective ways to resist peer pressure. Using their own personal experiences working with drug abusers on the street, officers are able to provide students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs, teach good decision-making skills, show them how to resist peer pressure and give them different ideas for alternatives to drug use and violence
At the program Wednesday O’Dell recognized Essay contest winners and runner-ups from each fifth grade classroom at Central. Students recognized include:
- Jill Allen’s Class: Jerrica Porter, winner; Brooke Hessling, medalist
- Jennifer Collin’s Class: Natalie Sitze, winner; Gabe Rimel, medalist
- Jessica Dement’s Class: Joe Rice, winner; Coby Powers, medalist;
- Nicole Guethle’s Class: Adi Schumer, winner; Hannah Copeland, medalist
- Sandy Stone’s Class: Madison Bryant, winner; Arianna Carter, medalist
- Kimmy Moore’s Class: Chris Graves, winner; Hallie Keathley, medalist
- Kara Lummukka’s Class: Emily Grobe, winner; Kelby Hill, medalist
O’Dell announced the overall winner was Adi Schumer and a special essay award given to Joslyn Walker. All classroom winners and Walker read their winning essay’s to the students and parents attending the graduation.
Recipients of the Daren Award for good spirit and participation were awarded to Malia Cook and Macy Roper. Dement’s class received the Attendance Award and Bolin’s class received the Milk Dance Award.
Guest speaker for the graduation was Mrs. Missouri, Rachel Watson. Joining Watson on the platform was Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham, Assistant Police Chief Charles Sanders. Bernie DARE Office Andrew Johnson, former Dexter DARE office Danny Gentles, Sept. of Schools Dr. Thomas Sharp and Central Principal Cindy Bowman.
Each student completing the DARE program walked across the stage and received their DARE certificate from O’Dell and shook the hand of platform dignitaries.
The ceremony concluded with the premiere of a special video presentation created by Dement.
Jessica's Dement's DARE Presentation
