Vespers, Youth Choir
The annual Vespers Concert presented by the A Cappella Choir of Great Bend High School will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the GBHS Auditorium.
The USD 428 Youth Choir will take the stage at 3:30 p.m.
The program is free and open to the public.
Other musical programs on the Great Bend USD 428 calendar include:
Monday, Dec. 11
GBHS Vocal Christmas Concert, 7:30 p.m. at the auditorium.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Riley Vocal Music Concert grades 3 & 4, 7 p.m. in the GBHS Auditorium.
Great Bend Middle School Orchestra Concert, grade 7 & 8, 7 p.m. at GBMS.
Thursday, Dec. 13
Eisenhower Music Program, grades 3 & 4, 7 p.m. at the GBHS Auditorium.
Park Vocal Concert, grades 3-4, 7 p.m. in the Park Elementary gymnasium.
Monday Dec. 18
GBHS Bank Winter Concert, GBHS Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m. in the auditorium.
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Jefferson Vocal Concert, grades 3-4, 7 p.m. in the Jefferson Elementary gymnasium.
The A Cappella Choir will be 65 voices strong when students take the stage Sunday at the Great Bend High School Auditorium. But the choir’s traditional Vespers Concert represents thousands of voices lifted in praise over the course of eight decades.
Vocal music instructor Susan Stambaugh said this will be the 24th year for herself and accompanist Nancy Baxter to lead the school’s select choir of juniors and seniors as they perform songs selected for the Christmas season. 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 event ever since — even if they had to reschedule for an ice storm, Stambaugh said.
It means a lot to the student performers, said Stambaugh, who noted many former choir members as well as people from the community who love good music attend year after year. In addition to Baxter on the piano, the choir will be accompanied by some talented instrumentalists from the area.
The program is steeped in tradition, and the students themselves choose to keep some of the music they recall from Vespers past. “When the newest of computer apps can be out of date in three weeks, it’s nice that they like the traditions,” Stambaugh said.
For 22 years the program was narrated by the Rev. Dr. Doyle Smith, who died in 2015. This year’s program will be narrated by his son Todd Smith of Lenexa.
“We are so appreciative of how the community supports the long-standing tradition of Vespers and we are proud to continue to do our part in keeping the tradition strong and meaningful,” Stambaugh said. “This is a tradition that has endured changes in everything from technology to political correctness. When I asked the students to share with me what it means to them to sing, they shared that it was a reflection of their faith, they loved the music, the bond strong through the ages, and it allowed them to share with the community during what is sometimes a hectic time of the year. I am grateful for another year of sharing with these students and the community what has remained so special through these years.”
The songs range from the foretelling of the Nativity ages before the birth of Jesus to the awe of His birth night and to the celebration of what this event has meant through the years, she said.
Following the Vespers program, at 3:30 p.m. the Great Bend USD 428 Youth Choir will perform.
