The sounds of the season will be carried by Great Bend High School A Cappella Choir members as they present the 78th annual Vespers Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the high school auditorium.
Susan Stambaugh, USD 428 vocal music teacher and choir director, said the concert is a longstanding tradition in this community. The first time the GBHS A Cappella choir sang in public was at the Vespers Concert in 1936 and the community has made it a well-attended – even standing-room-only – event ever since.
Stambaugh said tradition and the educational value of singing music originally commissioned for the early church is important for her music students.
“This concert is about keeping alive a tradition that has been so important to so many in the community,” Stambaugh said, noting that the performance is totally voluntary for the choir members.
Following the concert at 3:30 p.m., the Great Bend Youth Choir will perform. Fourth through eighth graders from the community auditioned to sing in the choir. It is jointly directed by all of the USD 428 music teachers.