By SALINA POST
Kansas Wesleyan University is bidding a temporary "goodbye" to Sams Chapel in a most appropriate fashion...with a concert.
Three KWU ensembles are to perform in a concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday in Sams Chapel. The concert is open to the public at no charge. It also will be streamed live on the KWU Student Media YouTube channel.
The event will be the last concert in Sams Chapel for the ensembles until extensive renovations to the historic facility and the KWU Music Department are completed in approximately 18 months, according to information from KWU.
About the performance
The String Orchestra will perform three pieces arranged by Leonardo Rosario, KWU assistant professor of music and conductor of the orchestra: La Boda de Luis Alonso — Intermedio, the cha-cha from West Side Story, and Huapango. The orchestra will also play Medianoche en Barcelona and the mambo from West Side Story.
The Jazz Ensemble will perform Walking Taco, Absolutely, Positively, and Sabor de Cuba.
The Wind Ensemble has prepared more eclectic selections, mostly from the 20th century: March of the Belgian Paratroopers, Shepherd’s Hey, Alligator Alley, and Fate of the Gods.
About the construction
Sams Chapel, named for the parents of E.C. Sams, the then-president of JCPenney, was dedicated May 30, 1926, and has been the home of KWU music and theatre for the majority of the decades since. It has also hosted community events, graduation and commencement exercises, concerts, lectures and the crowning of the Lilac Queen. It remains the home of KWU Music and the university’s opening convocation, and its history is part of the efforts to recognize Pioneer Hall as a historic site.
In December, KWU announced that it had surpassed the $4.5 million goal for its music campaign.
The planned renovation will increase the stage space in Sams Chapel, provide new seating, improve the sound quality and create a chapel-specific entrance to Pioneer Hall, making it more attractive for concerts, speakers, and other events, according to information from KWU. It will also thoroughly renovate existing music classrooms and practice spaces, improving the day-to-day academic experience.
Despite the concert being Thursday, some renovation construction has already begun.