The Iola Area Symphony Orchestra is launching into a new era while also honoring a bygone era.
The orchestra will present a patriotic concert that coincides with Veterans Day at 3 p.m. Sunday. It also will be the orchestras first concert as part of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, rather than as a separate organization.
Tickets are $5 for adults; students and children are admitted free.
Sundays concert will feature familiar numbers, including John Philip Sousas iconic Stars & Stripes Forever and Sentimental Journey, the 1944 classic that served as an unofficial homecoming theme for World War II veterans.
The concert just happened to coincide with Veterans Day, so we thought why not play music from the World War II era, Andy Dunlap, a member of the symphony orchestra, said. Well have a variety of music. We play things that are popular, like theme songs youve heard in movies and the actual classics by the old masters. It will be familiar. You like to hear music that rings bells.
THE CONCERT marks the symphony orchestras first performance under the Bowlus umbrella, after the symphony orchestras non-profit organization disbanded earlier this year. The orchestra has always performed at the Bowlus, so the change likely will go unnoticed by most concert-goers. However, it allows the orchestra to continue its performances without the financial burden as a stand-alone organization.
The organization was formed 52 years ago as an opportunity for area residents to enjoy music, Dunlap said.
It was not going to be a performing orchestra, just some people who wanted to get together and play orchestral music, Dunlap recalled. By the time I got here they had already established the procedure of having two concerts a year, one in the fall and one in the late winter or early spring.
He joined the group when he returned to Iola in 1977 and now serves as treasurer of the Iola Area Symphony Board of Directors, which is an advisory board.
After stints with various conductors, Dr. Gregory E. Turner of Fort Scott settled into the role of leading the orchestra. This is his 25th year.
All of the participants are volunteers, a diverse group made from middle-school aged participants to senior citizens.
Costs to support the group, though, became unaffordable in recent years. The symphony orchestra was required to provide liability insurance for each performance, a cost of about $600 per year. Licensing fees added additional costs.
We dont have that kind of gate, Dunlap said, referring to revenue from ticket sales.
Financial support for the group came from donations and supporters. Donations still can be made to the Bowlus specifically for support of the orchestra, Bowlus director Daniel Kays said. The symphony orchestra also is being underwritten by the Stevenson Trust, through the Bowlus, for the next five years. The Bowlus will provide administrative support and marketing, as well.
