Three Kokomo music groups set to perform

After thorough preparation, long rehearsals and a lot of collaboration, three Kokomo groups are set to perform this weekend.

On Friday, May 20, Kokomo Community Concerts will perform with the Dallas Brass, a world-renowned brass ensemble. The Dallas Brass has performed at Carnegie Hall, appeared on the CBS “Early Show,” traveled to Europe and the Far East, and now an all-star band of over 90 students from area schools will perform a number on stage with them.

The students will play “American Tableau” with the Dallas Brass. The students received the music back in January, and they have been rehearsing for this performance ever since. During the morning of the concert, the band will practice with the Dallas Brass. The all-star band consists of students playing woodwinds, brass and percussion. During the rest of the concert, the students get front-row seating.

This is the last performance of the season for the group. “We’re ending it with a bang,” said Mary Rusch, co-publicity director of Kokomo Community Concerts.

“They’re going to have lunch with the all-star band. They’re all super excited,” said Rusch. “It’s going to be an exciting performance for the whole family. There’s just so much energy.”

The concert will take place at Kokomo High School at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door for $20. Season ticket holders are encouraged to arrive early due to the students’ seating arrangement.

Then, on Saturday, May 21, Kokomo Children’s Choir will perform “A Musical Journey with Louis and Clark.” In the concert, a narrator will tell the story of the Louis and Clark expedition. “Along the way, the children will sing songs that were appropriate for the time,” said Linda Swartzendruber, founder and director of Kokomo Children’s Choir.

The choir, made up of 40 children ages 7-18, has been rehearsing for this concert since March.

While the choir has been practicing for the concert, they’ve also been learning a lot about the texts they sing.
“We’re singing two songs with lyrics written by Robert burns, a famous Scottish poet. We’ve had to figure out what a lot of the phrases mean,” said Swartzendruber.

Not only will the choir be singing, they also will be dancing. “There are a couple of dances the older kids have worked on, the Virginia Reel and the Grand March,” said Swartzendruber. “The Grand March would open a ball if you were celebrating the Louis and Clark expedition. The concert is going to begin that way, as if the ball was opening.”

The performance will include a number of French songs. “We’re trying to make it as authentic as possible,” said Swartzendruber.

In addition to having performed in Kokomo, the Children’s Choir also travels. The choir has been to Europe, Hawaii and Canada, as well as many festivals across the United States. The choir has plans to travel to New Orleans in 2013.

The performance will take place at First Local Presbyterian Church, 2000 W. Jefferson St. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students.

The Kokomo Symphony Orchestra will perform on May 21, as well, featuring “Best of the Classics.”
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at IUK’s Havens Auditorium. Admission is $5. For more information, visit www.KokomoSymphony.net or call 765-236-0251.