ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Mid-November is here, and soon, so to will be Thanksgiving Day, which will usher in the official start of the Christmas season.
At Seward County Community College, plans are under way for the school’s annual holiday tradition with its winter concert set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in the Showcase Theater.
SCCC Instrumental Music Instructor Claire Thompson said the time for this year’s concert is a bit of a change, as is some of the music.
“We’ve got the standard Christmas classics, along with some newer things we’re really excited about,” she said. “We’re doing a couple pieces from holiday movies, and we’re even collaborating with the choir this choir. Band and choir will perform together at the finale of concert. We’re really looking forward to something a little different this year.”
This is Thompson’s third year at SCCC, following a stretch at Liberal’s Prairie View Elementary, and she said she has learned much in her planning of both the college’s winter and spring concerts.
“I feel every concert we have, I’m able to learn things and change based on what my students need,” she said. “I feel we’ve gotten into a really good groove of things this year especially, and we have the biggest band we’ve had since I’ve been here. Being able to pick pieces based on that has been wonderful, and I’m very excited the program is growing and we’ve been able to explore new and challenging pieces based on that.”
Though the holiday season is still in its early stages, Thompson said her students are already quite excited for the upcoming concert.
“This is the first time we’ve had such a large group of Seward County students in band,” she said. “They’re really excited to showcase all of their hard work, and I feel they are already in the holiday spirit because of that. They are really looking forward to performing and sharing with the community what they’ve been working so hard all semester. I feel they are more excited than they have been in the past.”
Thompson said she chose a piece for the band to do with the SCCC choir because she thought it would be unique for the two groups to collaborate and do something together.
“Since we’ve got a good size group this year, why not try something different and see how it goes and include all students who are involved in performing arts at Seward?” Thompson said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
To get the audience even more excited for the holiday season, Thompson chose a few Christmas classics everyone is familiar with, and this too gets her students exposed to more classic traditional pieces.
“I took into account what they wanted, which is where we came up with music from movies and one from one of our favorite composers whom we’ve used his music every concert I’ve done here,” she said. “He’s become a favorite of the kids. It’s a really good collection of things the audience will appreciate and things my students have selected and are really excited about.”
Dec. 4 is exactly three weeks from Christmas Day, and Thompson said the night of the concert, the Showcase Theater is going to be very alive, and the audience can expect a night of high energy, exciting and fun for the entire family holiday entertainment.
“I think this is going to be one of our best shows based on how the band has been rehearsing,” she said. “Everybody is very excited and very eager to perform for the community. It’s going to be a wonderful night of making music for our community.”
Tickets for the concert are $3 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, e-mail Thompson at
Thompson said she has never been more excited for a performance at SCCC than she is for this year’s winter concert.
“I feel all of our hard work in building up the band program is paying off,” she said. “The kids have done an incredible job in recruiting their friends to join, and we have a great sounding band. I’m really excited to show the community what these kids have been working so hard to achieve.”
