FSHS Holiday Concert

Members of the Fort Scott High School choir are getting their first chance to perform in a new local venue.

The FSHS Holiday Choral Concert is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St. The concert will feature a variety of holiday music performed by the FSHS concert choir, select ensemble, beginning choir, beginning ensemble, the Mach 5 quartet, the All-SEK Singers, and the mixed quartet.

The entire FSHS choir consists of about 150 students, FSHS Choral Music Instructor Pat Harry said.

Harry said the choir is excited for the chance to present the concert in the 600-seat auditorium of the new fine arts center. The choir's concerts had previously been performed in the Fort Scott Middle School commons area, which provided limited space and seating.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to sing in that facility," she said. "People can see us better. We can hear better. It's just going to be so much better singing in that facility."

Classic Christmas carols such as "O Holy Night," and "The Carol of the Bells" will be performed, in addition to jazz holiday selections such as "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." The evening's featured piece will be "Betelehemu," a Nigerian carol sung in African dialect and accompanied by students on percussion instruments.

Two of Harry's original works, "Hands of Winter" and "The Gift," which were written in honor of local English teacher Dorothy Kivett, will also be performed.

Parents and friends of choir members raised funds to allow the holiday choral concert to be presented at the fine arts center, Harry said.

"We asked for donations at our fall concert," she said. "Friends and family of the choir were so generous that we got enough for two concerts. Our May concert will be at the center also thanks to those donations ... We'll have money left over to handle rehearsals as well."

About $150 was donated so the group can use the fine arts center for the holiday concert, and extra donated funds will allow for the choir to use the center for rehearsals leading up to the performance, Harry said.

"We have worked really hard to make this performance at FSCC a reality," she said.

A statement from Harry said the auditorium in the fine arts center is a "state-of-the-art performing facility where outstanding acoustics allow the students to have an exceptional singing experience."

The hour-long concert is free of charge and open to the public.