ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Spring is officially in the air, and a local musical group is looking to help celebrate that.

The Liberal Community Singers Association (LCSA) will be hosting its spring concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at the First United Methodist Church at 116 W. 3rd Street. Admission is a free-will donation.

Director Timothy Smith said the group is excited for the upcoming concert.

“We've been really excited this semester. We've got a few extra songs compared to what we've had, and there have been some different challenges that have come up because of that, but the group’s done great,” Smith said. “We are a smaller group this time around, but the people who are in the group have been really dedicated, and I am really looking forward to this concert.”

Smith said the music has been fun to put together.

“I am really excited to showcase a different type of concert and this time around, everything is centered around a nature theme,” Smith said. “With our concerts in the past, there hasn't always been a theme, except for winter, and around then, everything is kind of wintry except for maybe one or two pieces, because we start in September and not everybody wants to sing about Christmas and snow then. But this time, I was inspired to do a whole concert centered around nature, so every single song is really about appreciating nature. The concert is going to be fun and it's going to feature a wide variety of music from more contemporary choir music to an opera duet, so it’s going to be a good time for everyone who comes out that night.”

With the concert set for next week, Smith said there is a lot of excitement among the choir members.

“We are excited just to make music with everyone. This semester has been filled with a lot of laughs and we all really get along with each other, which is great,” Smith said. “We have a really good dynamic going around, so I think that extra closeness is really going to shine through. I have enjoyed really digging into it this semester, I feel like we've been tuning a lot more into music phrasing instead of just going over notes. The part I love about choir music is bringing the meaning of the piece to the forefront, and I feel like that is also going to show more this time around.”

Smith added the concert should be a great experience for the audience.

“I really hope people will like the level of artistry these singers are bringing in. I truly do my best to make everyone feel successful, no matter what level of music knowledge they have,” Smith said. “Choir music can be a lot to look at when you first look at it, especially if you have no experience with it, so we've done days where we’ve looked at it and organized it as necessary so rehearsals are easier. And we have so many people with so many different music abilities and so many of the people have so many different experiences – some of them have formal choir experience, some of them have done band and they like to sing, and this is a new outlet for them to continue music, and some of them have no choir experience at all and sing with the car radio. When you take everyone with all these different experiences and bring them together to make such wonderful music, I want that to shine through. I want the mission of Liberal Community Singers Association to communicate how, with every concert, we seek to empower every singer of every ability and every age.”

Smith also offered encouragement for people to think about joining the group.

“I think everyone should try. Anyone who’s interested can send a message to the Liberal Community Singers Association page on Facebook or through our page on Instagram, and I’ll be happy to get them started,” Smith said. “What makes music groups so special is the community that you get to build with people who are not like you. We want other people in there, and we've had people who have tried it, and then they realize their schedule doesn't fit as well for that semester. We have people who go in and out just depending on their schedule, but they like it, but they can't do it every semester. So I encourage people just to give it a try, come to one or two rehearsals.It's going to be hard to say no and leave after you do. It's an amazing group of people, and I truly am blessed every single Monday night that I get to rehearse with them. It's my favorite part of the week, truly. We are a fully functioning nonprofit, and we do need funds, so we appreciate any donation, and if people would like to donate but are not able to be there that night, they can reach out to my email, and we can discuss other ways that they can get payment to us. Overall, the concert should be a great time for everyone, and I hope we see a lot of people that night.”