Retiring Ron Bond to lead Columbia Falls Community Choir one last time next week

The Columbia Falls Community Choir will perform for one final time under the direction of Ron Bond as part of a “May Music Spectacular” Wednesday, May 3 at Flathead High School, taking the stage alongside the Flathead Valley Community Band.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free to attend, although donations will be accepted.

Bond has led the choir for 43 years and announced his retirement last month. For this final show, he will share the directing duties with Allen Slater, who helms the community band.

The show begins with a choir performance featuring selections from its recent spring concert. The band will follow with three songs, “Espana Cani” by Pascual Marquina, “A Childhood Remembered” by Rossano Galante and the Swedish medley “Varmland,” arranged for band by Dave Miller.

The finale will feature both the band and the choir as they will perform Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “A Concert Celebration.” This arrangement by Calvin Custer contains music from many of Webber’s popular musicals including “Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Don’t Cry for me Argentina,” “Memory” from “Cats” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

The two community groups feature adults of all ages from all walks of life who come together and create music for the communities they live in. This is the third time the groups have combined for this special concert.

For more information on the Flathead Valley Community Band, visit www.fvcband.org. More on the choir is available at www.cfcommunitychoir.org.