Last concert for Flathead High choir director
<p class="p1">The Flathead High Concert Choir, along with director Kevin Allen-Schmid and clinician Dinah Helgeson, take a break at their annual retreat at the Trinity Lutheran Camp on Flathead Lake south of Bigfork in 2012.</p>
The Flathead High School choirs present their spring concert, “I Am A Traveler,” at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The free show takes place in the school performance hall.
The concert, with an international theme, is the last for Kevin Allen-Schmid, who began directing the choirs at Flathead in 1991 and who will be moving with his wife, Genia, in August to teach at an international school in Tanzania.
“The seniors and I are gearing up for traveling on in life,” Allen-Schmid said. “Though we have loved Flathead High dearly, there is so much of the world left to see and so many different things to do.
“This year’s choirs are as good as any that I have had the privilege to direct, and I thank my current students for being representative of all the wonderful singers I’ve known here for more than 20 years.”
The Allen-Schmids came to Flathead from teaching in Africa, he said.
“They are hiring me to start up a secondary music program from scratch, which will be a far cry from working with my esteemed music colleagues in the highly developed and long-established music programs in School District 5,” Allen-Schmid said.
“The students have been awesome about putting up with me this year. I’ve kept them informed about our job search process, and they couldn’t have been more supportive or have worked harder to make this year as musically satisfying and heartfelt as possible.”
Tuesday’s performance will reflect the global journey the Allen-Schmids — and the seniors — are about to embark on.
"This last concert of the year is about cultures from around the globe,” said Anna Stone, senior member of both the Concert Choir and the Choral-Aires, and this year’s choir president. “We’re singing everything from Thai to Spanish to Swahili.
“Each choir shows their love for the world through music, and since this is Mr. Allen-Schmid’s last concert, it connects us and moves us because each song represents a piece of his life through traveling. It will be a very special performance for all of us."
Christine West, a Flathead choir freshman, says: "Preparing for this concert is a bittersweet experience for me. I'm excited to sing the combined songs with the rest of the choirs, especially the African theme song from the film ‘The Power of One,’ which is so much fun to sing. However, knowing that this is Mr. A's last concert with us makes me sad. He has been a huge part of the Flathead legacy, and we will all miss him.”
Allen-Schmid anticipates a big audience for his final concert.
“We’re doing the same program twice to accommodate the expected crowd,” he said. “Audience members are encouraged to attend the 4 p.m. show if possible, in order to get a seat.”
Between the concerts, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., there will be a gathering of Flathead High choir alumni and friends in the school commons, where past choir photos and memorabilia will be on display and old choir recordings and photographs will be available.
The choirs are raising funds to complete the purchase of their new black robes with the sale of a new 2012-13 CD/DVD souvenir choir album. The CD includes selections from all of the school’s choirs throughout the year so far, and the DVD will be an edited film of the spring concert itself.
Customers may buy the two-disc set at the concert, and address an envelope for it to be mailed to them within the week.