EDWARDSVILLE – A new collaboration between Edwardsville Community Symphony and the Watershed Nature Center will take place on Sunday, July 26 from 7-8 p.m. The ‘Water is Life’ concert brings together music and the outdoors – the two legacies of community leaders John and Kay Kendall.
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The event will feature Edwardsville Community Symphony’s concertmaster and a quartet of string section principals, performing nature-inspired chamber music accompanied by the evening sounds of a Watershed sunset. The site was selected as a tribute to John Kendall, a long-time Edwardsville resident and SIUE professor who is credited with introducing Americans to the Suzuki method more than 50 years ago. In addition to music, Kendall and his wife Kay shared a deep love for nature, transforming an abandoned sewage lagoon into a vibrant, open-to-the-public reserve known today as the Watershed Nature Center.
“It is a perfect site for us,” said Angelina McLoughlin-Heil, artistic director of the Edwardsville Community Symphony. “It’s a simple way that we can celebrate the Kendalls’ love of music and nature, at a time when we all probably need more beauty and hope. All of us – and the Center itself – are living proof of their impact.”
Prior to COVID-driven changes to large events, the Edwardsville Community Symphony had been scheduled to perform a summer concert series in Edwardsville’s City Park. The shift led McLoughlin-Heil to look for creative, socially distant ways to perform that also shone a light on positive places worth celebrating in the community.
“The origin story of the Watershed Nature Center is the stuff of legend,” said Sheila Voss, president of the Board of Directors for the non-profit Nature Preservation Foundation, which operates the Center in partnership with the City of Edwardsville’s Parks and Recreation Department. “But the real legacy is what this place has grown into, not just as a refuge for wildlife but for people as well. These past few months have really brought a lot more people here, seeking out safe, nearby places to enjoy nature and the outdoors. We’re incredibly proud and grateful to partner with the Edwardsville Community Symphony to co-host this tribute performance.”
Concert organizers encourage viewers to save the date and time, pick a relaxing spot in their home or backyard, and enjoy the concert remotely. The one-hour event will be streamed live via the Watershed Nature Center’s Facebook page and made available afterwards for viewing by all on YouTube and other platforms. The event is free for all to experience, but viewers will have the opportunity to donate directly online during or after the event. All donations received will support the Center and its 45 acres of wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and trails.
About the Edwardsville Community Symphony: The Edwardsville Community Symphony was established in 2018 and is the only professional union symphony orchestra in Southern Illinois. Employing lead musicians from Edwardsville and surrounding towns with program intentions to include diverse composers and styles of music, as multiculturalism is important to represent our community. The ECS's goal is to foster cultural enrichment in the arts through concert performances that grow and collaborate with the community while promoting a greater appreciation of live music.
About Watershed Nature Center: The mission of the Watershed Nature Center is to promote stewardship and sustainability via equitable access to nature, environmental education, and ecological restoration. The Center is a unique partnership between the City of Edwardsville and the Nature Preserve Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1991 by local community members who worked to transform an abandoned sewage lagoon into an open-to-the-public nature reserve. Regarded today as the “outdoor gem” of the City of Edwardsville’s park system, the 45+ acre site and its programming are managed by the Foundation and its team of staff, interns, and volunteers, with the generous support of community partners.
