Middle and high school students in the Russellville City School System will be able to broaden their musical tastes thanks to the Shoals Symphony at UNA and CB&S Bank.
The two groups are partnering to bring an entertaining and educational concert to the Russellville High School Auditorium on Monday, March 11, at 9 a.m.
Ellen Reinlie, president of the Shoals Symphony at UNA, said the concert is something the group tries to do once a year for a local school in order to expose the younger generation to classical music.
“Part of our mission is focused on education,” Reinlie said. “We’ve been doing these school concerts for several years now and they seem to be successful.
“We just want to expose these students to a different kind of music than what they might be used to in the hopes they will come to appreciate it and enjoy it.”
Reinlie said the concert would be an abbreviated version of the full concert the Symphony would be performing on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Norton Auditorium on the UNA campus in Florence.
She said the set would include several classical songs from that concert as well as an educational piece called “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” which highlights the different sections and instruments that make up an orchestra.
“This is something that is entertaining for the students but it is also very educational,” she said. “It breaks things down in a way that is easy to understand.”
Reinlie said Danny Davis, who serves as the executive vice-president of CB&S Bank, is a member of the Shoals Symphony’s board or directors and he played a big role in getting this year’s school concert take place in Russellville.
Reinlie said the concert would not have been possible without the help of CB&S Bank, who is a financial partner for the concert.
“We appreciate Danny and the bank for helping us bring this concert to Russellville,” she said.
“We are excited to be coming to Franklin County. We have been very well-received by the superintendent, principal and other staff, and we are looking forward to performing for them.”
Davis said he and the bank were glad to be part of this event.
“The bank is always very supportive of the school system and we thought this was a great opportunity for the students,” he said.
“We appreciate the Symphony considering us and we also appreciate Sen. Roger Bedford, who is donating money to the event through his Community Development Commission funds.”