A BIT OF OUR HISTORY
Sometime during 1946 a group of music lovers got together and founded the Arkansas Valley Community Concert Association in La Junta, Colorado. The first year's season (1946-47) included the Von Trapp Familly Singers under the sponsorship and coordination of Columbia Artists, Inc. Those first 1946-47 concerts were held in the Otero Jr College's Gymnasium and the membership dues were $5.00 for three concerts with a budget of $2,450. Three or four concerts were held during the early years depending on the cost of the performers.
The highest membership during the period that concerts were held in the gymnasium was 949 in the 1961-62 season. After the college built the Humanities Center with its 518 seat theater, the largest number of members was 615 in 1999-2000. Since 2001-2002 the budgets have been $20,000 or more and usually there were six or seven concerts available during the concert season.
For many years, the Allied Concert Services located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, have been supplying us with our artists. During our 73 years, our concerts have included various brass quintets, various dance groups, several Air Force groups, George Shearing Duo, Serendipity Singers, North Swedish Festival chorus, Peanuts Hucko jazz quintet among several jazz groups, Black Mountain Male Chorus of Wales, and the Moscow Boys Choris, among others. The selection committee tries to select a season of concerts which provides a variety of artists, spread throughout the year (during the time that the performers are available to our geographical area), and that are within the constraints of the budget.
The highest membership during the period that concerts were held in the gymnasium was 949 in the 1961-62 season. After the college built the Humanities Center with its 518 seat theater, the largest number of members was 615 in 1999-2000. Since 2001-2002 the budgets have been $20,000 or more and usually there were six or seven concerts available during the concert season.
For many years, the Allied Concert Services located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, have been supplying us with our artists. During our 73 years, our concerts have included various brass quintets, various dance groups, several Air Force groups, George Shearing Duo, Serendipity Singers, North Swedish Festival chorus, Peanuts Hucko jazz quintet among several jazz groups, Black Mountain Male Chorus of Wales, and the Moscow Boys Choris, among others. The selection committee tries to select a season of concerts which provides a variety of artists, spread throughout the year (during the time that the performers are available to our geographical area), and that are within the constraints of the budget.