The Missouri Western State University choral music program is celebrating alumni and retired choral director Frank Thomas with an Alumni Choir Day on Saturday, March 12 at the Fulkerson Center.
The day will begin with registration at 9 a.m. The schedule includes rehearsal time, as well as time to socialize and catch up with old friends. The day will conclude with a 4 p.m. concert featuring the alumni choral ensemble and the MWSU Chamber Singers and Concert Chorale. The concert is free and open to the public.
Frank Thomas joined the music faculty at Missouri Western in 1971 and retired in 2009. He founded the St. Joseph Community Chorus in 1980 and served as the artistic director until 2009, then returned to lead the ensemble in 2013 and 2014. Thomas’ work with the Community Chorus has been recognized on the local and statewide level. His awards include the 2014 Allied Arts Mayor’s Award for the Arts for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and a Missouri Arts Award in 2015.
Charles Bruffy
Featured conductors on the day include three accomplished alumni who studied under Thomas: Charles Bruffy ’81, conductor of the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale who this year won his third Grammy Award for recordings with the two groups; Steve Perry ’83, director of choirs at St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City and formerly of Lee’s Summit North High School; and Kim Evans-Carson ’08, vocal music teacher at Truman High School in Independence, Missouri.
Registration for the event is $20 and will include music and lunch. To register, contact Elise Hepworth, director of choral studies and music education, at ehepworth@missouriwestern.edu.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.