A group of people in the Sikeston area wanted to get together and make music to share with their community and that gave birth to the Bootheel River Symphony. The community performance group is open to all instruments and participants from advanced middle school level and up.
I spoke with symphony co-founders Chris Spivey and Dr. Ashley Watkins along with Malone Park Center for the Arts Director Joey Hayes to learn more about the Bootheel River Symphony.
Woods: Okay, let's start out with Chris. Give me some idea of the background on how this came to be.
Spivey: So I'm actually kind of a transplant to Southeast Missouri, originally from the Springfield-Branson area, went through the band programs over there, and we had a lot of community bands in the area where students, upper middle school, high school, they could sharpen their skills and play with other community members who had been playing for umpteen years. You know, there was no age limit, and there is no age limit to music.
So came over here, and it always kind of been an idea in the back of my head to have something like this. And I know there's other community groups within the area. I know Dexter has a community choir, and then there's a few others, and there's more professional settings, like the muny bands and the orchestras there at SEMO campus, and we just look to have a place for community members to join. So the older, the more seasoned musicians could pass on their knowledge down to the younger generations and just keep the music flowing here in southeast Missouri.
Woods: So Ashley, what is the response been so far?
Watkins: It's been so positive. There's so many people that are interested...old friends of ours, new friends, community members, people we've never met before. So we've had a really, really positive and supportive response, as well as the like local outlets like you, Mr. Woods, have reached out to us to help us get the word out, and that has been so heartwarming and so helpful in getting our message out about having no barriers to perform music together.
Woods: So Joey, you that you said the Malone Park Center for the Arts is your baby. So how are you plugged into this project?
Hayes: Well, I planted a couple of seeds about 18 months ago or so. I went and spoke at the Sikeston High School about Malone Park Center for the Arts, which we provide a place for different programming, you know, musical programming, artistic, fine art, programming, and all kinds of cultural, different crafts, those kinds of things. And I met Dr. Ash there, and kind of wanted to see that, hey, I have this facility. I would love for the community to have a place, a focal point, you know, of creativity, an outlet for those things that they're passionate about. And, you know, I guess he got contact with me about a month ago, and was like, Hey, I have this friend, a friend of mine, and I are thinking of starting this orchestra. And I was like, yes, let's do this thing. So ever since then, we kind of got it worked out, and we've had them at the facility, and we're just so excited about what they're doing. They, you know, have a great purpose, and we're really excited to be working with them in any way we can. They are definitely the talented members of this trio. I'm just the wheel man, but they're doing all the hard work and everything. But anything I can do to, you know, further artistic pursuits in Sikeston and the surrounding area, you know, I'm all about it. So anything I can do, I'm just excited.
Woods: I've been watching your Facebook page, so you're still looking for instruments, and folks to get involved, right?
Spivey: Absolutely. And we are open to all instruments. You know, we said I don't care if it's a jaw harp or if you bring a hurdy gurdy, it could be the electric washboard. We don't care. Just bring it and we'll find a part for you, because this is music being created by the community, for the community. So you know, definitely we're not being gatekeepers. It is all open. It is welcome. You never know what you're going to be playing, but we will definitely make a spot for you, if you're interested. And you know you might have played in high school or college, and then you went off and did your career, and maybe the instrument has been sitting in the closet for 20 years collecting dust. Get it out, clean it up, get back on that bicycle and come see us.
Woods: So Ashley, you said you're sort of the conductor up to this point. What kind of vision do you have for maybe the types of music you would like to eventually grow into playing there with this group? Any ideas?
Watkins: Yeah, so we want to play a little bit of everything, so everything from our traditional classical like our Beethoven and Mozart and our Bach all the way through. Right now we're working on some polka music, which has been so so fun, it's hard to be in any other mood other than happy and jolly after listening and playing polka. But that's what we're working on right now. And then we'll hopefully be doing some holiday music. We're super into like modernist music and like modernism lends itself to very flexible instrumentation, so that will honestly be a lot of the music that we will be playing. But everything pop music, we love a good pop tune. So everything, everything is up for grabs and what we want to play.
Woods: Let's talk about and any of you can answer this one, just the power of music to bring people together. It's powerful tool.
Watkins: I'm really similar to Chris. I'm also a transplant, and Joey, if you couldn't tell. I moved here from Wisconsin, and because of music, because of music school, and met my husband and all my friends and all my colleagues, and as I've, like, pursued music through, like my terminal degree, I've been able to meet the people that are, like the very nearest and dearest to my heart because of this really cool art form.
Woods: If we were to jump forward in time, and we were having this conversation a year from now...two years from now, where would you like the symphony to be? What would you like to be doing in a couple of years from now? What are some long term plans, long term visions that you might have for the group?
Spivey: The symphony is going to be, absolutely the main hub. This is where the foundation is. And if we can spur off into small group, ensembles, performance groups, at least there's that network, there's that third space that everybody's been talking about, all the scientists and you know, the psychologists and never you know sociologists and all those they're saying our third places are being deleted or they're going away, especially after Covid. So if you're not going outside of home and work, we're missing that third space of community. So the more groups we have that that create that communal bond really bridges the gap for whatever you need. You know, socially, social, economical, political, whatever, at least we have a common ground that we can come together and just each other, enjoy each other's company and make something beautiful.
Woods: Joey, so tell me how this sort of fits in with other things you have planned or have going on down there at the center, at the Art Center.
Hayes: Well, I would say this, you know, I was just, I am still tickled pink that we're able to work with these great guys to with this project, because I think it just fits into a wider Kaleidoscope program. And we have there, we rotate our programming. But in a time, we've been in operation about two years or so now, we've had summer camps and introduction to ukulele, piano, guitar. So we've got some, you know, younger kids, and actually, we're about to start some adult classes too. So that's pretty great. But, you know, just introducing people to the art form, so it's really exciting to have that. And then we've done a couple of intermediate classes in guitar. So, you know, we're just, I think this just adds an additional aspect to the musical component of the center. But you know, I just, I'm hoping that we can continue to grow and add these kinds of opportunities for the community, because our programming for kids is a no charge for them or their families, and our adult program is subsidized, so it's a pretty good rate that they get to go and do these things. And I just think this creates an outlet, and that's really what I want this, this program to be, as an outlet for the community to come together and just enjoy whatever the passion is, whether it's, you know, fine arts or music or dancing, whatever it is. Like, I just want us to be a place where we can do that, because, you know, we don't always have those places that are super evident. So, yeah, I'm just like, I say this has been my most exciting project that we've had so far. We just had us miss on an exhibit, come to town and leave. We had that for six weeks. So I'm hoping we can continue to just add these multiple different things. So yeah, I'm excited.
Woods: Would you all say there's a growing sense of more arts and kinds of cultural things happening in the Sikeston area? Is that a fair thing to say?
Spivey: Absolutely. I know years ago that, you know, they had community groups such as the community band, community choirs, and you know, for whatever reason, could be multiple reasons, they just kind of faded off for a little bit, but there were still musicians here, still doing their thing, still jamming, and we're just trying to revitalize and bring some of that back. And, yeah, I really think through and we've always had a rich history here in southeast Missouri for musicians with all genres. A lot of folks got their start here along the I-55 corridor, you know, traveling from Chicago down the Memphis back up, you know. So so we've got lots of musical connections here, and that sometimes is overlooked because, you know, but we're here to bring it out. So it's all good.
Woods: I've said for a long time that I think there's just so many talented people in Southeast Missouri, and so this would be a venue. I'm going to guess here, Ashley, for some of those folks to use those talents and share them with the community, right?
Watkins: Absolutely. With the like core of music education and the local music educators, they absolutely knock it out of the park. We have some really incredible musicians coming out of just the school systems, and then with the college right there, multiple colleges with multiple music programs that are also really, really great. So we have some really strong people within just music itself, that's not even counting dance and like the visual arts.
So it's been really cool to kind of find each other, or like Chris and I went to SEMO and we have old colleagues that we saw way, way back, like a decade ago, that we're now, like, reconnecting with, and we get to play with again after when we had our, like, Chris and I had our last band concert together, like eight years ago. I think so this upcoming October, we're going to be performing again together, and that's really cool, because at the time it was a definitive end. And now it doesn't seem like there has to be a definitive end.
Woods: The music goes on.
Watkins: It does absolutely.
Woods: As we wrap up here, tell us how folks can get involved in the Bootheel River Symphony. Chris, what do they need to do and how do they get plugged in?
Spivey: Sure, so you can reach out to us. We do have a social media presence through Facebook and Instagram. You can find us at the Bootheel River Symphony. Just type that in and it'll pop up. They'll have our little logo there. You can also reach out to us by email (bootheelriversymphony@gmail.com).
Woods: Okay, is there anything else that we need to tell folks...,we need to share with them.
Watkins: Do we need to talk about the Oktoberfest thing?
Spivey: So our first performance is going to be October 11, and this is us giving back to the community. This is the day Oktoberfest in downtown Sikeston will be performing, I believe, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., but that might change a little bit depending on this time. And so they are graciously giving their facilities. We're soaking up their electric, electricity and air conditioning, and which is desperately needed right now, and we're just giving back to perform with them. And that's that's where you'll get to hear some good Polka
Hayes: Come down and see him in action. I mean, it can't get better than that, right? So it'd be for a good cause. And I think it starts at 5:00 p.m., and we'll be on to about 11:00 p.m.. So yeah, just, there'll be plenty of craft German beers and you know, different German foods for people to try. So, you know, people are interested in tickets, they can always reach out to me. My number is (573) 233-6993 and I will get into the people they need to speak to.
