Here we are again, our Golden Belt Community Concert Association is facing another mid-season break – no more concerts until Feb. 27. But we will not sink into the doldrums just yet. We have holidays to celebrate.
Speaking of holidays, I have one recommendation that is bound to lift your spirits. It’s the Stan Kenton Brass Christmas concert. A 20-member big band, the Kenton Brass will present a Christmas concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, in the sanctuary of Trinity Lutheran Church, 2701 24th Street.
The concert is free and open to everyone in this community and surrounding area. It features Christmas carols in the big band style of the late Stan Kenton, a popular band leader, pianist and composer, who produced many musical hits from 1940 into the 1960s.
We will hear favorite Christmas carols including “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Twelve Days of Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” and many more, performed by this amazing group of professional brass musicians.
There is a great success story behind bringing the Kenton Brass to Great Bend. Our concert association generally has been shying away from yuletide concerts because the holidays are such busy times for everyone, with many schools presenting special programs and organizations hosting their own celebrations.
For many reasons, our association is not in a position to add another concert to our season, so when Kurtis Koch, retired local band director, percussionist and member of the Kenton Brass, brought to our attention that the Stan Kenton Brass wanted to perform in our central Kansas community, several local people came forward to help make this event a reality. All the band needed was a place to perform and funding to make the concert possible.
Spreading the word and seeking out a place to hold the concert became a priority, and soon the band had a place and the funding provided by many generous individuals and organizations including the Barton County Arts Council.
In the mid-1970s the Stan Kenton Brass performed the Kenton Carols for their first time in Wichita’s West Heights United Methodist Church. A big band playing in a church on a Sunday morning was a revolutionary occurrence for its time. After that event, the Kenton Brass traditionally has played in the Wichita and Hutchinson areas.
That tradition has continued for more than 50 years. This is their first performance in central Kansas.
Giving Tuesday
Remember, November is the month for Giving Tuesday. Our association is one of the 106 organizations partnering with the Golden Belt Community Foundation to receive donations for their GBCF Endowment Funds.
When you designate your donation to an organization, your gift will go into its Endowment Fund, which continues to grow to ensure that organization’s success now and in the future.
Donations are being received from now through Dec. 3. There are four ways to give: in-person at the GBCF Office, 1307 Williams St., Great Bend; by regular mail, P.O. Box 1911, Great Bend, KS 67530; online at www.goldenbeltcf.org; or at bank drop-off locations in each county on Dec. 3. More information is available on the GBCF website and on GBCF’s Facebook.
Linda Jerke is 2nd vice president and publicity chair of the Golden Belt Community Concert Association. She was Localife Editor for the Tribune for 22 years and was a communications specialist in the Office of College Communications at Barton Community College for 17 years before her retirement in 2011. She can be contacted by email: lindajerke@gmail.com.
