An event that is pleasing to the ears and eyes, the seventh annual Symphony in the Flint Hills featured symphonic melodies in a green pasture near the tiny town of Bushong.
The Kansas City Symphony performs once a year on a different site in the Kansas Flint Hills. The Symphony in the Flint Hills organization sold 5,000 general admission tickets to its concert Saturday, and viewers were treated to a concert, breathtaking scenery, education about the Flint Hills, the option of a hearty barbecue meal and more.
“Basically the Symphony in the Flint Hills does a really simple thing: celebrating beauty with beauty,” said Emily Hunter Connell, director of the event. “It’s beautiful music and beautiful tallgrass prairie. We take those two things, and we pair them together.
“There are lots of different ways of looking at beauty. Our culture is full of a marketing mess, and we have lots of people telling us what beauty is, but we know what true beauty is. And we gravitate toward true beauty, and that is why people come here.”
The symphony site in Lyon County offered views of rolling hills in every direction. The land filled quickly Saturday after gates opened at 1 p.m. Attendees listened to educational presentations about history and nature, and rides were available in horse-drawn carriages.
More than 750 volunteers helped make the event possible, and in turn they received a free ticket to the concert. Jake Vail and Susan Hazlett, of Lawrence, have volunteered at the event since the it debuted seven years ago.
“It’s gotten a little neater, cleaner and tighter,” said Hazlett, who helps direct members of the media during the event. “We’ve learned through the years how to do this thing.”
Vail noted the surreal experience of listening to a symphony perform in a natural setting.
“You don’t often get the chance to listen to a concert outdoors, and the fact that this event is out in the Flint Hills is even better,” Vail said. “After the busy-ness of the day with the carts driving around and the bustle of the people, the concert starts and sun sets and the night hawks come out, and it’s a neat experience.”
Hazlett said she and Vail attend each year because they believe it is important to preserve the natural resource of the Flint Hills.
“We thought the whole concept was really intriguing,” she said. “It’s a nice way to educate people about the Flint Hills.”
Education is a large part of the Symphony in the Flint Hills organization’s mission. Brandon Cole, Symphony in the Flint Hills’ site manager, said he hopes no one leaves without a greater appreciation for the land and its history.
“The Symphony in the Flint Hills’ main objective is to heighten the appreciation and awareness for the Flint Hills of Kansas,” Cole said. “What we do is use the Symphony from Kansas City as an attraction to see the real attraction, and that is the Flint Hills.”
Much of the remaining 3 percent of what was once millions of acres of tallgrass prairie lies in Kansas.
Early in the day Saturday, people’s biggest concern was the robust wind that swept the concert site throughout the afternoon.
Alan Van Loenen, of Lawrence, has worked at the symphony for five or six years with the Third Kansas Battery B Light Artillery Civil War re-enactment group, which uses the event as a fundraiser by selling beverages. Because Van Loenen has to work throughout the concert, he listens to the music from a tent.
“The Flint Hills is part of Kansas history, and for the symphony to come out here and do this is fantastic,” Van Loenen said. “But if the wind keeps blowing like this, we aren’t going to be able to hear it up here.”
Symphony in the Flint Hills Board Member George Terbovich of Kansas City, Kan., was pleased with this year’s site and the way staff and volunteers worked to get it to all come together.
“The success of this venue is due to the fact that everyone puts such great effort into respecting the reverence of the Flint Hills,” he said, “and that ultimately speaks in how well the event is carried off.”
— The Flint Hills Media Project is a class project at the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University. To see more of the members’ work, visit
Comments
blindrabbit 5 years, 1 month ago
I have tried each of the 7 years to get tickets to this event. Calls to the Kansas City Symphony have either not been returned or when contacted not followed-up on. I spend quite a bit of time in Morris, Chase and Lyon counties and did quite a bit of volunteer work early on at the Z-Bar (Later to become the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve) near Strong City. I guess my frustration is related to acquisition of tickets. Would appreciate some insight on how to accomplish this!
SPQ 5 years, 1 month ago
I've attended 4 concerts including this year's event. My method of purchase for the first was to call the Symphony office, get on a waiting list and then I received an email from someone willing to sell his 2 tickets. he and I then negotiated the purchase and transfer of tickets/money. It worked well. The following 3 times, we have stood in line - each year arriving earlier at the only in-person location in Wichita that sells the tickets - Dillards, Towne East. We arrived this year at 7 am and were one of the first in line. Ticket sales opened at 10 am. Because it is so popular, we knew we had to arrive early - Luckily, we've always been able to do so. I have always noticed since FB that there are individuals buying and selling tickets till the last through that site as well. Good Luck......
tomatogrower 5 years, 1 month ago
Here is a link to their website. I understand that the tickets sell out within a half hour after going on sale. If you have the money, I think you can make a large donation, and are guaranteed tickets.
http://www.symphonyintheflinthills.org/
yowzaphil 5 years, 1 month ago
My wife and I have been able to secure tickets the past four years, yet we will never be considered among the "Kansas elite". Some fast mouse-clicking and phone re-dialing has been our method for success. You just have to make it your top priority during those first minutes the tickets go on sale.
SallyW 5 years, 1 month ago
I am also not of member of any "elite" club, and I have been able to get tickets for the last 6 years. I didn't hear about this event until the second year, so missed the first one. You just have to be quick, this year sold out in less than 5 minutes. Also watch their Facebook page, and Craigslist, etc. for last minute personal ticket sales. Sign up for emails from the Symphony in the Flint Hills. You can always volunteer. This is such a great event, you need to be pro-active beforehand. This year's event was wonderful, but I thought the layout was not as good. Panoramic view was not as dramatic as in previous years. I plan on attending every year in the future, because yes, you can get tickets.
SPQ 5 years, 1 month ago
Although I am also not "elite", we have been able to not only make it an annual financial priority due to our love for the event, but also have used the event as a Christmas present for our children.......the ticket prices seem to be similar to those of a concert by some iconic musician as well, so comparable to going to one of those in costs, but offer a priceless, incomparable event for the cost........... I feel like I'm sitting among 5000 friends who come for the simple purpose of seeing and hearing "beauty in beautiful surroundings" - sort of like the news article mentioned.
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