Owensboro Public Schools is hosting its 25th Annual Fine Arts Festival at the RiverPark Center over the next 2 weeks, with a special focus on honoring the program’s success since its inception in 1999.
OPS Coordinator of Fine Arts Kara Smith said that in planning this year, they wanted to find a way to pay homage to the past and stake claim to what they have ahead.
“Twenty-five years is a long time to have this long-standing tradition in our district, and knowing that it was going to be the 25th, I put a lot of thought into what that theme would be. To me, the word legacy summed up the entirety of everything achieved by the Fine Arts Festival so far,” Smith said.
Smith said the legacy can be seen in all the students they’ve served over the years, and the reach extends to the families enjoying the work each year.
Beyond the student and community impact, the festival allows the students to learn and exposes them to people who are accomplished in their respective art fields.
“That includes pivotal composers, artists, actors, people like that, so ‘Legacy’ was the title that was able to encompass all of those different things,” Smith said.
Smith said presenting the students with the opportunity to perform at a facility the size of RiverPark is not the norm, so she’s grateful for the venue.
“If you’re in a smaller community or a community that doesn’t have a performing arts center, it may be high school or even college before they get that opportunity. So for our students to get to do that, is probably one of the most unique aspects of it,” she said.
Before her current role, Smith was a music teacher at Estes Elementary and co-director of the Owensboro Middle School band. She said she’s seen how the anticipation surges through the students as they approach their respective nights.
When the day comes to a close, she said there’s often one feeling each student shares.
“Honestly, they feel like rock stars because they’ve had the opportunity to be on that stage performing for hundreds of people. For a student-aged child, that’s very, very special, and it does so much just for their confidence. That excitement keeps going to the point where they want to continue to do it year after year,” she said.
This year’s festival kicks off with the following schedule:
- Monday, March 18 – Band Night at 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 19 – Choir Night: Elementary schools at 6 p.m. Middle and High schools at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 20 – Orchestra Night at 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 26 – Theatre Night at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 27 – Dance Night: Elementary schools at 6 p.m. and Middle and High Schools at 7 p.m.
