St. Mary’s Academy Fall Music Festival
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." -Plato.
The 2020 Fall Music Festival is a two-weekend event intended to bring life to everything in a world that has been struggling under something a little less than life in the past months. We hope it can be a chance to ‘socialize at a distance’ with our community by enjoying the talents and hard work of its members. The students of St. Mary’s Academy have been busy during the last summer months to prepare for the event, the proceeds of which will be presented to the school as a help to the fundraiser. Each night there will be three sets of musical performances, and in addition there will be games for the young and old before and between the performances. Starting when the gates open, come enjoy the students’ home cooking. They will be offering a tantalizing variety of food: burgers, brick fire pizza, even the renowned Festival potato ribbons to name a few. Drinks and desserts will also be available.
Admissions are $5 a head; $30 cap for families. The refreshments and drinks will be available for purchase. Discounts for weekend/ full festival passes. All proceeds benefit the Academy.
Please bring your own lawn chair and maybe some bug spray just in case.
The Academy students, led by the Knights of the Immaculata, welcome you and hope to see you at the festival!
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Directions: The Festival takes place at the Shakespeare Festival grounds in St. Marys.
The entrance to the grounds is located south of 28139 Mt Calvary Rd, St Marys, Kansas, 66536.
Heading east or west on Highway 24: turn north onto Highway 63 in the middle of Saint Marys, head up 63 for about half a mile, turn right onto Mt. Calvary Rd., about a quarter of a mile and the entrance to the parking area will be on your right.
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
● 3:00 Gates open
◦ Come hungry! Games for kids will be open as well.
● 4:00 Ukulele workshop
◦ Learn to play! All are welcome, young and old, just bring a ukulele. (If you don’t have one, there will be some to purchase). We will go over the basics and hopefully learn a song together.
● 5:30 The Knights of the Immaculata
◦ The Knights and the Honor Guard of Our Lady will open the festival with some classic Knights’ repertoire and juggling.
● 7:00 Grand Celtic Music Tour
◦ Patrick Werick Dr. and Mrs. Strong, and company will bring a strong Celtic flavor complete with loud pipes!
● 8:30 Classical works of St. Mary’s Students
◦ A set of pieces by some of the hardworking and talented students and recent graduates of St. Mary’s Academy. Some of the works will be from the past Cair Paravel competitions. Music will include voice solos, small ensembles and more.
◦ Andrew Peters – vocal solos; Trinity Smalley – vocal solos; Ben Merz – vocal solo; Nicholas Madrid – Piano; Koskinen family – three a capella and polyphonic pieces.
● 10:00 Gates close
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
● 3:00 Gates open – food and games
● 4:00 ‘Meet the Instruments’ Workshop
◦ Geared for kids, but all are welcome. Here is a chance to see up close the many instruments of the musicians. Slide a bow across the strings of a cello and learn the valves on a tuba; maybe plant a seed in a future maestro!
● 5:30 Saint Mary’s College
◦ The St. Mary’s College choir with their well-beloved Fr. Franks will perform larger vocal ensembles, highlighting the best of their recent CD.
● 7:00 A look into St. Mary’s evenings
◦ A variety of performers sampling the sounds one might hear from a backyard fire on a Sunday night in St. Mary’s.
▫ Ben Lillis and the Restless Rogues; Fr. Kopec, Joe McDonald and other old-timers from the Knights of yore bring back some favorites.
● 8:30 Classical Soloists
◦ Instrumental pieces from the parishioners and teachers of St. Mary’s
▫ Mr. Peek, classical guitar; Jane Carver, flute; Mrs. Dorothy Armesto – violin
● 10:00 Gates close
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
● 3:00 Gates open
● 4:00 English Contradance workshop
◦ Come click your heels, spin to live music, and learn how to join in a traditional contradance.
● 5:30 The Roots: Ben Strong and fellows
◦ Teachers from St. Mary’s Academy present the roots of song in their own unique way…
● 7:00 MSM Bandwagon
◦ The High School Girls’ folk band present their premiere stage performance
● 8:30 Classical Soloists, part 2
◦ Mr. Pat Ard and Mr. Bryan – guitar duet; Mr. Eddie Shaw – Euphonium; Dr. Andrew Childs – vocal solo; Mr. Sam Cho (SMA stringed instrument instructor) cello.
● 10:00 Gates close
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
● 3:00 Gates open
● 4:00 A Mixed Bag
◦ ‘Pop–a–Tops’ Greg Mueller, Joe Mueller, Pete Isermann, Frank Mioni, and Dan Dowd
◦ Kentucky High School Girls with Fr. Bourbeau
● 5:30 An evening with Old Blue Eyes and Flyover
◦ SMA Graduate Philip Madrid will croon out a classic set of Frank Sinatra songs.
◦ Flyover: Mrs. Krista Childs and friends will perform some difficult and beautiful multi-part pieces, mixtures of medieval Renaissance and American/English folk, in the style of the popular women’s group The Wailin Jennys
● 7:00 Polymnia/ Smac-apella
◦ The SMA volunteer girls’ choir will perform their best pieces of the past years: stunningly beautiful polyphony.
◦ They will be joined by the premiere performance of the St. Mary’s a cappella group presenting a fun and challenging repertoire.
● 8:30 The Final Set
◦ The Knights of the Immaculata will close the concert.
● 10:00 Gates close
