The students of Allen, Fort Scott, and Neosho County Community Colleges will perform a combined concert, Music from the Movies!, on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Thomas H. Bowlus Fine Arts Center in Iola.

This collaboration among the three community colleges will be performed under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Anderson and Adrienne Fleming of Allen Community College, Seth Ernst of Fort Scott Community College and Alan Murray of Neosho County Community College. The choral and instrumental combined concert will feature sixty-two community college students. The concert is free to the public, general admission.*

According to Anderson, the concert came about as a result of continued efforts from the administration at the colleges.

“The vice presidents at Allen, Neosho, and Fort Scott Community Colleges meet once each month and cultivate ways to collaborate among the three schools,” Anderson said. “The music instructors had complete creative freedom on how we wanted to organize and present the concert, but the idea for the concert came from above us.”

The concert itself, as far as anyone at Allen knows, is the first of its kind.

“As far as I know this is the first time in history this type of collaboration has occurred,” said Anderson. “It is not too uncommon for colleges and universities to join forces on concerts, and certainly it is common for community bands, orchestras, and choirs  to perform together, but this is the first time we at Allen have done something like this.”

Fleming’s first year at Allen has been jam packed with new experiences, including reviving the choir’s Singing Valentines fund raiser and taking on the combined concert with Anderson and the other directors.

“For quite some time my personal motto has been ‘Don’t think, just do,’” Fleming said.  “While some may think this implies lack of thought, it is more of a reminder to not allow room for over analysis. I believe that we are all in the process of ‘becoming.’  It is a constant process of growth and forward motion.”

The combined concert is an opportunity for the students at the three community colleges to learn from each other and for the directors to hear the other ensembles.

“I am most excited about hearing the other bands and choirs, and for the other students to hear them as well,” said Anderson. “While we go on field trips to hear professional operas and orchestras every semester, this is much more of an even playing field for us. It will honestly be my first time hearing any community college band or choir outside of Allen’s own!”

Fleming, meanwhile, is most looking forward to a personal song selection that will be performed by her choir students during the concert.

“While I have a personal connection to all of the pieces I select, I enjoy ‘Down to the River to Pray,’” Fleming said. “My daughter was baptized by her great uncle in the Republican River while this song was sung, so there is quite a personal connection.”

The directors and ensembles of all three colleges look forward to seeing a large crowd at this historic performance on April 10.

*Information was provided to The Allen Flame by press release from the marketing department of Allen Community College.