In the late 1930s and early ‘40s, Mickey Rooney starred alongside Judy Garland for several films that shared a similar plot line. Against all odds, their plucky characters set out to produce musical shows that would raise money in pursuit of some good deed — like saving an orphanage.
I am not a Mickey Rooney enthusiast, but I understood the playful reference Saturday night at the Alhambra Theatre when Lindsey Adams described his own naive enthusiasm for the inaugural concert of the Hopkinsville Chamber Orchestra & Chorus.
Borrowing Rooney’s signature line, Adams told the Alhambra audience that planning the first concert felt a lot like shouting, “Hey, let’s put on a show!”
Adams, who is a district judge, serves as co-president of the orchestra and chorus that formed in a matter of months. He also sings in the chorus.
While the Hopkinsville musicians weren’t setting out to save an orphanage, you could say they were doing their part to save community.
“Music creates and binds community,” said Adams. “That’s why you are here. That’s why everyone is here.”
Under the direction of artistic director Heejung Park, who also leads the music program for First United Methodist Church, the orchestra and chorus is a collaboration with the Pennyroyal Arts Council, whose executive director is Margaret Prim.
One of their goals was to prove that a town the size of Hopkinsville could produce music at a high level of artistry.
“It is so incredibly dangerous to have Margaret and Heejung together on any committee — because nothing is impossible, and this is evidence of that,” said Adams.
The inaugural concert was titled “First Notes” and included arrangements composed by Heejung in addition to selections from the French opera Carmen, and several popular American songs, such as “Over the Rainbow” and the official anthems for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.
Two dozen musicians comprised the orchestra, and the chorus included approximately 50 community members.
Most of the roughly 650 seats in the Alhambra were sold for Saturday’s concert.
Adams said the next concert for the Hopkinsville Chamber Orchestra & Chorus will be on Nov. 13. If you want to see what Hopkinsville can achieve, save the date.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
