Golden Belt Community Concert Association

he concerts are presented in the Great Bend Municipal Auditorium where 1700 seats are available. Admittance to the Community Concerts is by membership only, however, memberships are transferable. A membership in the Golden Belt Community Concert Association is reciprocal with concert associations in Pratt, Lyons, Garden City and limited concerts in Dodge City. The cost of a single adult membership for the 1997-98 season is $25, a single student membership is $10, and a family membership is $55 which includes 2 adults and all children living at home.

emberships can be obtained only during the drive time which is usually the first 3 weeks of March each year. For information, contact Gladys Harms, President, at 793-7997 or Jean Cavanaugh, Secretary, at 793-3150.

oncerts are booked in October after the March drive is concluded for the following season. The season runs usually from September through the following May and ordinarily provides 5 concerts. The association is governed by a board of directors who makes all decisions and bookings

he first Golden Belt Community Concert season was the 1938-39 season. Two concerts were presented. One was "Mozart Choir", and the other was "Antoine" at a cost of $1200. The association has been active each year since with the exception of 1942 through 1946, during the war years. During the current 1997-98 season, 5 concerts will be presented at a budgeted cost of $34,000.

ome of the famous performers who have appeared here are: Svetlova; Alec Templeton; Eileen Farrell; Columbus Boys Choir; Denver Symphony; Dorothy Warenskjold; Robert Shaw Chorale; Boston Pops; Tucson Boys Choir; William Warfield; Vienna Boys Choir; Belafonte Folk Singers; Carlos Montoya; Don Shirley Trio; Roger Wagner Chorale; Mantovani; Norman Luboff Choir; Paul LaValle & Band of America; Robert Merrill; Ferrante & Teicher; Clebanoff Strings; Dorothy Kirsten; Peter Nero; Fred Waring & the Pennslyvanians; Duke Ellington; Arthur Fiedler; Guy Lombardo & his Royal Canadians; Marilyn Horne; Van Cliburn; Mitch Miller & orchestra; George Shearing Quintet; New Christy Minstrels; King Family; Johnny Mann & Johnny Mann Singers; Four Freshmen; Prague Chamber Orchestra; Young Americans; Danny Davis & Nashville Brass; Alvin Ailey Repertiorre; Les Brown & Band of Reknown; Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band; Opryland; Count Basie; Roger Williams; The Brothers Four; Nelson Riddle Orchestra and Floyd Cramer and many more. Concerts have been presented by artists from Monte Carlo; Paris, Mexico; Helsinki; Korea; Buenos Aires; Prague; Philippines; Ireland; Russia; China; Hungary; Belgrade and from all parts of the United States and Canada.