KAUKAUNA – One hundred years ago, Calvin Coolidge was president. A dozen eggs cost $0.55. And the Kaukauna Area School District had its first school orchestra.
The first class was a bit eclectic. According to the high school yearbook, there were 14 students, and they played not only string instruments, but saxophone, xylophone and drum set.
In this, the centennial year of the KHS orchestra, there are 147 students participating in six different orchestras at the middle and high schools.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the orchestra has commissioned a special piece by local composer Carrie Lane Gruselle.
The piece, entitled Echoes of a Century, will feature all orchestra students in grades 5-12, and will debut at the spring orchestra concert on Thursday, May 22.
This event is free and open to the public. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. at Kaukauna High School; doors open at 6 p.m.
The music program in Kaukauna is strong, and has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Best Communities for Music Education” by the NAMM Foundation for six years in a row.
