Arts in LaGrange
Growing up in this community, I was always involved in the arts. Whether that be taking classes, performing in concerts, or attending shows, I took for granted how many artistic opportunities this community offers. It blows my mind, and it’s crazy to think that the LaGrange and surrounding areas’ size supports an art museum, multiple theater programs, a listening room, and multiple choirs. Something about this town values the need for art and for people to express themselves freely and creatively, and for that, I am grateful. Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have,” and if LaGrange has proved anything, it is that indeed. I encourage you to read more about the art opportunities housed here in LaGrange; you very may well learn something.
Lafayette Society for Performing Arts, better known as LSPA, is an umbrella organization that strives to “promote, cultivate, nurture, and enhance the performing arts experiences for all LaGrange, Greater West Georgia, and East Alabama regions.” Under the LSPA umbrella include Azalea Storytelling Festival, The LaFayette Center for Dance, The LaFayette Theater Company, Young Singers of West Georgia, The Lafayette Ballet Company, The Lafayette Theater Academy, The Lafayette Theater Outreach, and The Lafayette Ballet Guild. Below is a brief explanation of each organization, taken from the LSPA website.
*The Azalea Storytelling Festival “promotes, cultivates, and further enhances the storytelling experiences.”
*The Lafayette Center for Dance “provides high-quality training in a variety of dance forms for ages pre-school and up, in a caring and nurturing atmosphere.”
*The Lafayette Theater Company “utilizes local talent to produce quality performances in order to help stimulate and nourish artistic growth, promote arts awareness, and enrich the cultural life in the LaGrange, Greater West Georgia, and East Alabama communities.”
*The Young Singers of West Georgia “reaches talented children in the West Georgia region and develop them into skillful musicians through quality vocal and ensemble singing instruction and performances.”
*The Lafayette Ballet Company “provides multi-faceted performance experiences to LCD dancers and additional community performers, while producing the highest quality productions possible.”
*The Lafayette Theater Academy “provides a safe and supportive environment for students, of all ages, to express their individuality and creativity, while gaining the knowledge and developing the skills necessary to succeed in all areas of the theatrical arts. The Lafayette Theater Academy will continuously develop ways for its students to use their training, through academy productions and coordination with the performing arts organizations, under the umbrella of LSPA. The education received through the Lafayette Theater Academy will extend beyond the stage, benefitting students socially, academically, and professionally.”
*The Lafayette Theater Outreach is “a free after-school educational enrichment program that brings various performing arts showcases to area elementary schools with a majority of underserved students.
*The Lafayette Ballet Guild is a volunteer program that “spreads the joy of dancing through community outreach and fundraising programming throughout the season.”
This community-built and supported organization has been here in LaGrange for nearly 40 years. It serves quite a few talented youth and adults, and as Executive Director Kerri Vice said, “The talent is there. They are kids and adults, and they are talented. I just love when I see a little kid grow in confidence and strength from when they first walk in to the time I see them on stage. They may never dance, sing, or act again, but they have put the time, they have put in the discipline, and they’re strong.” A few of these organizations operate as schools to our youth in the community and offer classes, such as Young Singers of West Georgia, Lafayette Theater Academy, Lafayette Center for Dance, and the Lafayette Ballet Company. Week in and week out, these programs see roughly 400 students.
Young Singers of West Georgia (YSWG) hits a little closer to home for me, as I was a member in elementary school, and then rejoined in high school. Young Singers is labeled a choir school; however, when asking Stacey Hardigree, YSWG Conductor and Artistic Director, Young Singers “is a place where we take musically talented children and shape them vocally, culturally, musically, and artistically to create true musicians. We teach them to sing with one another, to work for the good of a group, and see it through to the end product. We want our kids to develop skills to be leaders in churches, schools, or wherever we are asked to serve as musicians.” Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, YSWG has a long-standing tradition in LaGrange of producing these “true musicians.” In the past year, Covid has forced Hardigree to rethink and reapproach how best to serve her students in becoming musicians: “I have been able to slow down and truly teach the system of music and how it is all put together, not only being able to read rhythm and cite read, but to also understand it.” To Stacey, “music is a part of the soul. It brings out humanity in all of us. The feelings, the emotions, the thoughts, the expressions. Cultivating that for each child through YSWG is huge for me.” For this choir’s size, dedication, and talent for a community like LaGrange, it means something. Some of my fondest memories and experiences are experiences through YSWG; memories like performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of a unit of ROTC students singing the “The National Anthem.” Young Singers and Stacey Hardigree are two pivotal reasons I have the love and appreciation for music that I do.
Continuing with music, the Sons of Lafayette (SOL) is a community-based male voice choir. It is made up of 45 members and was first led by Loren Pinkerman after organizing the choir back in 2001. It is now under the leadership of Artistic Director Darian Krimm and President Don McWhorter. SOL perform a variety of genres, and do so because it “wants to offer a diverse selection of music to deliver to a diverse audience because it is a way to encourage those in our community to enjoy the arts,” according to McWhorter. SOL typically has two concerts throughout the year, one in the Fall/Winter and one in the Spring. When asked what he feels is important about music and its connection to us, McWhorter said, “Music is part of the soul of humankind. It is the case that music speaks to us at a deeper level than even conversations with someone do. When you find that instrumental music is followed by vocal music, it stirs the soul much more so than just having someone speak to you in a conversation. To me, it adds meaning and richness to the experience that we have in the community. It’s awesome to not only have people sing it, but others in the community support and coming to hear the music. I think they are uplifted and encouraged, so it’s a very positive, building kind of thing that builds them up instead of tearing them down. It allows them to feel needed, wanted, and included.”
Continuing with local choirs, we have The Choral Society of West Georgia. Under the leadership and conductorship of Betty Biggs, the Choral Society was organized in 2005 “committed to the excellence of choral music.” Two choirs are a part of the Society, a combined Men’s and Women’s Choir, and solely an All Women’s Choir. These choirs are made up of community members of all ages and all skill sets. Depending on the season, the Society puts on three to four shows, and this past year, all concerts were virtual. In October, the Society hosted its annual “Phantoms of the Organ - The Great Spooktacular Organ Concert!” In November, Biggs conducted the yearly Thanksgiving Concert, and just recently, in March, she organized a “Homecoming Concert,” in which she honored musicians from LaGrange. Another annual performance put on by the Society is the “West Georgia Choral Arts Festival,” where choirs from the surrounding areas are invited to participate in a day full of rehearsing, and perform in a free concert open to the public. Choirs of all ages and demographics participate, as Biggs mentioned, “I bring in children’s choirs, I bring in youth choirs, I bring in public school’s choirs, I bring in Women’s Choirs, Men’s Choirs, Mixed Choirs, High School Choirs, so it is an array of the whole choral spectrum. It is a profound experience when they all get together and get up on stage.”
Another significant aspect of LaGrange’s music scene is the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and the LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra (LSYO). Organized in 1990, the LSO aims to “enrich our community through music, connecting with audiences, creating memorable experiences, education programs, and performance opportunities.” The LSO and LSYO are dedicated to educating youth and adults alike about music. High-school-aged musicians participate in LSYO, while youth and children ages five to thirteen participate in the LSYO String Ensemble and String Sprouts program. The Director and Conductor of the LSO is Maestro Richard Prior, and the Conductor of the LSYO is Celeste Mall. Due to Covid, Prior has joined the radio waves in place of canceled performances and holds weekly podcasts. He offers commentaries of orchestral music from both previous LSO performances and performances by other orchestras. In addition, he holds weekly video podcasts with members of LSO to discuss the importance of music in their lives.
Shifting gears slightly to a different kind of music scene, we have Pure Life Studios. Pure Life is owned and operated by Maggie McDonald, and it is a listening room designed for singer/songwriters. Specifically keeping in mind people’s creativity, Pure Life is welcome to musicians, poets, and storytellers. McDonald, being a creative person herself, wanted to provide an outlet for people to have an innovative platform for themselves. Pre-Covid, McDonald booked performances weekly; however, they had to slow down a bit to two to three shows per month.
*Upcoming shows include Seth Walker on April 24th, Jontavious Willis, Jay Hopp, and Steven Hull on April 30th, and Run Katie Run on May 1st.
What McDonald sells is not only a guaranteed fantastic night, but also an experience. An experience to be exposed to an eclectic version of LaGrange. You walk in to the space of Pure Life and you can feel the stories of past performers, the hard work and determination it took to provide such an environment, and the appreciation for music and life that McDonald truly has. She has welcomed amazing talent to perform on her stage; people like Barry Waldrep, Jontavious Willis, Randal Bramblett, The Spoon Lady, John Berry, Jimmy Hall, and John Cowan. In talking with McDonald, one common thread rang true, and that is the ability for people to express themselves through music: “Music allows people to express everything everyone has felt before, but in their own version of it. Everybody, at one time or another, has experienced some type of love. And you can experience that in a country song, in a classical song, with or without words, but just so that people must hear the different variations of what love is. And that’s just how we talk and how we think. But in the end, most people speak the similar language, they want the same things and say the same things but say it differently. And that’s the power that music has.” Below is a link for more information on Pure Life Studios.
Shifting from Performace Arts to Visual Arts, we have The LaGrange Art Museum and The Cochran Gallery. Looking at its mission statement, “The LaGrange Art Museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts through the quality of its collections, exhibitions, education programs, and community outreach initiatives.” The Museum is currently in-between exhibitions and preparing for its annual “Creative Youth Art League,” where art from local elementary, middle, and high school students from public, private, and homeschools are showcased and celebrated. Following this exhibition, Laura Jennings, Executive Director of the LaGrange Art Museum, was excited to share that Robin Holder’s collection titled “Who Are We?” will be showcased. Here is a link to her work. http://www.robinholder.work/portfolio
As part of its mission statement, the Museum prides itself on educating the community on visual art. Programs are offered for children and adults alike through both classes and workshops. As Jennings said, “I love children and art. Our main focus is art education for youth, and I am fond of that. It teaches problem-solving, focus. It’s just a great way to look at things. I just love seeing kids creating stuff before they self-edit themselves and criticize themselves and think they’re not good at it.” Like the LaGrange Art Museum, the Cochran Gallery is another exhibition of artists’ work and collections. Run by Wes and Missy Cochran, it has been home to LaGrange since 2007. They showcase both their own work, as well as regional and national artists. The Cochran Gallery and LaGrange Art Museum collaborate with one another, complement one another, and support one another.
In reading throughout this article, I hope you learned something you didn’t know about this small town. LaGrange continues to surprise me, and the people in this town never cease to amaze me with their talent and creativity. Find your place to stretch your own creativity and support these local artists and venues.
http://lsparts.org/yswg/about.html
https://choralsocietyofwestgeorgia.org
https://www.lagrangesymphony.org