Choral group keeps pushing forward

Aug. 16—Despite a small hiccup with a funding measure last week members of a Garvin County choral group are pushing forward preparing for a couple of big shows coming soon to a Pauls Valley stage.

For the Garvin County Choral Society and Sinfonietta one show next month centers on the iconic Mozart, while the other is set to bring the headliner power of The Gatlin Brothers in late October.

The group's artistic director, Jack Bowman, says there was just a little confusion last week when he was not in attendance at a Pauls Valley City Council meeting.

He was not there to talk about a recommendation from the PV Tourism Board to provide a total of $5,000 in tourism funds to the choral group for each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

In the end no motion or action was taken on the request as Bowman says it's now expected to be reconsidered at the next regular council meeting.

"I always appreciate it when tourism steps in to help us," Bowman said, adding he believes the local tourism funds should also be used to promote local arts.

"It's not just focused on tourists and getting people to come stay in the hotels," he said, referring to a portion of a similar tourism tax in Norman that goes to arts related activities there.

"Tourists come if there's a reason to come, and we have two big concerts designed to attract people to Pauls Valley."

One of those shows is Larry, Steve and Rudy, better known as The Gatlin Brothers, coming in concert on Oct. 28 at the Pauls Valley High School auditorium.

With the group getting some help with ticket sales Bowman says this one event represents what's possible here in Pauls Valley.

In fact, Bowman said a recent stop at an Oklahoma City restaurant not only gave him a pleasant surprise but shows the word is definitely spreading in a good way.

"I heard the people at the next table talking about the Gatlin Brothers playing a concert in Pauls Valley and they were planning to go," he said.

"I told them I did know about it and how to get tickets online. I've also had a university president call and order tickets for a whole table up front.

"I'm proud of Pauls Valley that we're able to do that."

He says another surprise came with the news a former Oklahoma governor, George Nigh, and his wife Donna, have plans to make the trip to Pauls Valley for the October concert.

As for those tickets, seats in the back of the school auditorium are $50, while many of the others are $100 and seats at "special" tables up front are $250 each.

Apparently ticket sales are coming at a nice clip as about 40 percent of them are from out-of-town people.

The prices compare to $300 a seat to watch the Gatlin Brothers in a recent performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

By the way, Bowman says there are a little over 1,100 seats available in the school auditorium, which got some good news last week as Pauls Valley school officials announced plans to get the air conditioning system working possibly by early September.

The next performance by the local choral group is actually Mozart's comic opera "The Marriage of Figaro on the Ranch" set for a 7 p.m. start Sept. 16 at the same PV school auditorium. It will also be performed two days later at East Central University in Ada.

"We have over 140 people involved in the cast," Bowman said. "We have local people and have attracted singers from four different universities.

"There's also a surprise in the show. It's a comedy, so we'll have a couple of surprises."