“It’s been over a year ago that I went to Mr. Kuss and talked to him about the possibility of doing this concert for our high school kids on stage,” Stuart Secttor, executive director of the Clark State Performing Arts Center, told the audience.
“Mr. Kuss was a great man who took great pride and deliberation and thought before he gave an answer. So, he took some time — he even had several conversations with one of our choir directors in the county who is his grand-niece — and after some time, more than a couple months, he got back to me and said, ‘You know, Stu, I think that Barbara would love this idea,’ ” Secttor said.
“She loved music, she loved students, and this was an opportunity for our local kids to perform on stage. Let’s do this thing,” he said.
Mr. and Mrs. Kuss’ grand-niece, Lydia Smith-Lockwood, director of the Shawnee Symphonic Choir which performed in the concert, said she is proud to be a part of the lineage.
“Through their philanthropic nature and love of the community, I think they instilled in all family members to give back to the community,” Smith-Lockwood said.
It was the first concert Smith-Lockwood had been a part of in the Kuss Auditorium that her grand-uncle was not present for, she said.
The concert also featured performances by the Emmanuel Christian Show Choir, Northwestern Show Choir, Kenton Ridge Chamber Singers, Springfield High School and Greenon Royal Sound.
All groups then combined for an En Masse Finale, directed by J. Chris Moore, executive director of the Springfield Arts Council since 1974 and 1971 professional voice and choral education graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory Music.
The groups took part in a day-long choral festival with Moore, culminating in the concert.
The concert was co-sponsored by the Clark State Performing Arts Center and the Springfield Center City Association, with additional support from the Carleton F. and Ruth Davidson Trust, The Turner Foundation and Springfield News-Sun.
About the Author