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Musicians To Kick Off Vermillion’s 150th Party
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BY RANDY DOCKENDORF
randy.dockendorf@yankton.net
VERMILLION — To kick off Vermillion’s year-long 150th anniversary celebration, renowned opera tenor Scott Piper is presenting his hometown with his greatest gift — his voice.
Piper and other musicians are presenting the concert, featuring Victorian-era music, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Farber Hall on the University of South Dakota campus. Concert-goers can attend a 3:30 p.m. reception at the Austin-Whittemore house, located at 15 Austin Avenue.
The Vermillion Chamber of Commerce is distributing the free tickets, said Mayor Dan Christopherson. All of the tickets have been reserved, but a waiting list has been formed, he said. The chamber office can be reached at (605) 624-5571.
The concert, entitled “Unchained Melodies: 1859,” will provide a history lesson as well as entertainment, Piper said.
“‘Unchained Melodies: 1859’ will give us a glimpse into the stories, anecdotes and songs of that tender period in American and world history,” Piper said. “The concert is intended as an inviting and intimate experience, which is why the location of Farber Hall was so important.”
The performance of music from that period will help people better understand Vermillion’s founding, Piper said.
“1859 is a singular event, not only because of its function as the sesquicentennial kick-off celebration, but because we are going to be taking an artistic look at the year Vermillion was founded,” he said.
“I am very excited by the caliber of artist that has agreed to come and share the stage with me. Susan Keith Gray, Jeffrey Paul, Katherine Vogele and Chris Hill are first-class artists. I welcome this opportunity to create beautiful music together.”
Besides Piper, the concert features piano, oboe, flute and clarinet players, as well as a story teller, Christopherson said.
“There will be education on a music venue,” the mayor said. “Scott will educate us a lot about 1859, and he is really excited. He is a fantastic performer, and we are lucky that he agreed to do this for us.”
Those attending the event are requested to wear business, period or black tie, Christopherson said. A number of people plan to wear clothes reflecting 1859, he said.
Sunday’s event has been several months in the making, Piper said.
“In May of this past year, I was in conversation with Dan Christopherson about my dreams and hopes regarding Camp Opera (which he holds during the summer in Vermillion),” he said. “During this conversation, Dan asked if I would take an interest in helping him develop a kick-off event for the year-long celebration. I jumped at the opportunity to share something special with my community.”
Piper has made the concert a reality despite the tremendous demands of his professional singing career, Christopherson said.
“Scott performs worldwide, and he travels a lot professionally,” the mayor said. “He was looking for time in his schedule and made the sacrifices for this concert.”
Piper was quick to spread credit for putting on Sunday’s event.
“Every member of the Vermillion Sesquicentennial Committee is working diligently towards presenting something wonderful on the 11th,” he said. “The concert is only the first part of the overall event. Cleo Erickson and Gloria Barnes are preparing a setting of Victorian treats that will be available at the reception after the concert.”
Unfortunately, Piper won’t be able to remain in Vermillion for the reception.
“I will be leaving immediately after the concert to catch the last flight out of Sioux Falls on Sunday night,” he said. “I will be heading to the St. Bart’s International Music Festival (in the French West Indies) which has graciously agreed to let me arrive several days late in order to still honor my promise to present this concert in Vermillion.”
While billed as the kick-off, the sesquicentennial concert is actually not the first event of the year-long celebration, Christopherson said.
“Celebrate Vermillion,” a community family-oriented event, offered a smoke-free and alcohol-free atmosphere on New Year’s Eve at the University of South Dakota (USD) DakotaDome.
“The fireworks during ‘Celebrate Vermillion’ was the official start to 2009, and we will have events each month,” the mayor said.
The official sesquicentennial celebration will be held Aug. 6-9 (Thursday through Sunday). The weekend will include the all-school reunion, Clay County Fair and a large community barbecue featuring an appearance by the Ratingen Youth Orchestra from Vermillion’s sister city in Germany.
The year-long celebration will feature dedication of Vermillion’s new City Hall Building, set for April 30. In addition, the city will complete its Streetscape project.
“The original plan of the sesquicentennial was always to have a couple of significant brick-and-mortar projects, but combine those with a series of official events and celebrations,” Christopherson said.
The 150th celebration will also feature the USD campus, the mayor said. The university enrolls around 9,000 students, is undergoing several major construction projects and has begun its transition to NCAA Division I.
“We will have tours of some of their new projects, such as the medical school, the Muenster University Center, the business school and many other things,” Christopherson said.
The Vermillion sesquicentennial committee has been planning the celebration since early 2005, the mayor said.
“It is hard to believe, on the one hand, that it is officially here. On the other hand, ... some of us (committee members) said, ‘What are we going to do in 2010?” he said. “We have been holding meetings for (four) years, and there has just been a lot of work. This year, it’s a matter of tying up loose ends and details with the projects, then pulling them off and being successful in it.”
Christopherson admits to mixed feelings now that the long-awaited anniversary year has commenced.
“It’s one of those bittersweet feelings, where it’s finally here, and we have all of our main projects through the year,” he said. “It’s been very satisfying. A lot of work has been done, and now we are seeing it come to fruition.”
A list of events can be found on-line by clicking the ‘150’ logo at www.vermillion.us. For more information or to contact committee members, e-mail 150@vyn.midco.net.
Piper and other musicians are presenting the concert, featuring Victorian-era music, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Farber Hall on the University of South Dakota campus. Concert-goers can attend a 3:30 p.m. reception at the Austin-Whittemore house, located at 15 Austin Avenue.
The Vermillion Chamber of Commerce is distributing the free tickets, said Mayor Dan Christopherson. All of the tickets have been reserved, but a waiting list has been formed, he said. The chamber office can be reached at (605) 624-5571.
The concert, entitled “Unchained Melodies: 1859,” will provide a history lesson as well as entertainment, Piper said.
“‘Unchained Melodies: 1859’ will give us a glimpse into the stories, anecdotes and songs of that tender period in American and world history,” Piper said. “The concert is intended as an inviting and intimate experience, which is why the location of Farber Hall was so important.”
The performance of music from that period will help people better understand Vermillion’s founding, Piper said.
“1859 is a singular event, not only because of its function as the sesquicentennial kick-off celebration, but because we are going to be taking an artistic look at the year Vermillion was founded,” he said.
“I am very excited by the caliber of artist that has agreed to come and share the stage with me. Susan Keith Gray, Jeffrey Paul, Katherine Vogele and Chris Hill are first-class artists. I welcome this opportunity to create beautiful music together.”
Besides Piper, the concert features piano, oboe, flute and clarinet players, as well as a story teller, Christopherson said.
“There will be education on a music venue,” the mayor said. “Scott will educate us a lot about 1859, and he is really excited. He is a fantastic performer, and we are lucky that he agreed to do this for us.”
Those attending the event are requested to wear business, period or black tie, Christopherson said. A number of people plan to wear clothes reflecting 1859, he said.
Sunday’s event has been several months in the making, Piper said.
“In May of this past year, I was in conversation with Dan Christopherson about my dreams and hopes regarding Camp Opera (which he holds during the summer in Vermillion),” he said. “During this conversation, Dan asked if I would take an interest in helping him develop a kick-off event for the year-long celebration. I jumped at the opportunity to share something special with my community.”
Piper has made the concert a reality despite the tremendous demands of his professional singing career, Christopherson said.
“Scott performs worldwide, and he travels a lot professionally,” the mayor said. “He was looking for time in his schedule and made the sacrifices for this concert.”
Piper was quick to spread credit for putting on Sunday’s event.
“Every member of the Vermillion Sesquicentennial Committee is working diligently towards presenting something wonderful on the 11th,” he said. “The concert is only the first part of the overall event. Cleo Erickson and Gloria Barnes are preparing a setting of Victorian treats that will be available at the reception after the concert.”
Unfortunately, Piper won’t be able to remain in Vermillion for the reception.
“I will be leaving immediately after the concert to catch the last flight out of Sioux Falls on Sunday night,” he said. “I will be heading to the St. Bart’s International Music Festival (in the French West Indies) which has graciously agreed to let me arrive several days late in order to still honor my promise to present this concert in Vermillion.”
While billed as the kick-off, the sesquicentennial concert is actually not the first event of the year-long celebration, Christopherson said.
“Celebrate Vermillion,” a community family-oriented event, offered a smoke-free and alcohol-free atmosphere on New Year’s Eve at the University of South Dakota (USD) DakotaDome.
“The fireworks during ‘Celebrate Vermillion’ was the official start to 2009, and we will have events each month,” the mayor said.
The official sesquicentennial celebration will be held Aug. 6-9 (Thursday through Sunday). The weekend will include the all-school reunion, Clay County Fair and a large community barbecue featuring an appearance by the Ratingen Youth Orchestra from Vermillion’s sister city in Germany.
The year-long celebration will feature dedication of Vermillion’s new City Hall Building, set for April 30. In addition, the city will complete its Streetscape project.
“The original plan of the sesquicentennial was always to have a couple of significant brick-and-mortar projects, but combine those with a series of official events and celebrations,” Christopherson said.
The 150th celebration will also feature the USD campus, the mayor said. The university enrolls around 9,000 students, is undergoing several major construction projects and has begun its transition to NCAA Division I.
“We will have tours of some of their new projects, such as the medical school, the Muenster University Center, the business school and many other things,” Christopherson said.
The Vermillion sesquicentennial committee has been planning the celebration since early 2005, the mayor said.
“It is hard to believe, on the one hand, that it is officially here. On the other hand, ... some of us (committee members) said, ‘What are we going to do in 2010?” he said. “We have been holding meetings for (four) years, and there has just been a lot of work. This year, it’s a matter of tying up loose ends and details with the projects, then pulling them off and being successful in it.”
Christopherson admits to mixed feelings now that the long-awaited anniversary year has commenced.
“It’s one of those bittersweet feelings, where it’s finally here, and we have all of our main projects through the year,” he said. “It’s been very satisfying. A lot of work has been done, and now we are seeing it come to fruition.”
A list of events can be found on-line by clicking the ‘150’ logo at www.vermillion.us. For more information or to contact committee members, e-mail 150@vyn.midco.net.
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