WEST ALTON, MO. - The Riverbend Community Orchestra will play a nature-themed concert at the Audubon Center at Riverlands.
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On Sunday, July 27, 2025, community members are invited to the Audubon Center in West Alton for two concerts at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. At 3 p.m., there will be a sound hike and instrument exploration for those in attendance to enjoy. Ann Geiler with the Riverbend Community Orchestra expressed the group’s excitement to collaborate with the Audubon Center.
“With every concert, we’re thinking, how do we connect with another organization or get more people that maybe don’t have a chance to hear classical music?” Geiler said. “All of our stuff is free, so anybody can come. We hope people just have a good time. It’s very relaxed.”
The RCO will play nature-themed music, which Geiler said is “a very common topic in classical music.” In addition to the free concerts, attendees can explore the Audubon Center at Riverlands and engage with their educational materials.
Geiler explained that she and Abigail Knoche founded the RCO as an offshoot of the Alton Symphony and Alton Youth Symphony groups. The RCO is a more “lowkey” alternative to these organizations that allow adults and high schoolers to practice and perform together.
The RCO started last September and works in sessions, with about 40 musicians in each session so far. Geiler shared that it’s “great” seeing high schoolers and adults work together and build relationships through music.
“It’s a little bit of a nurturing kind of thing,” she said. “We want them to feel comfortable and have a good time.”
She hopes to see many people come out to the Audubon Center at Riverlands on July 27 to experience the free concert and check out all of the educational opportunities at the center. The RCO is already planning additional collaborations in the future if this goes well, and Geiler is certain it will.
“I think this is going to be a really nice collaboration. I hope that people will come out,” she added. “It shows the character of the town.”
For more information about the event, visit the official Facebook event page. While it’s free to attend, registration is encouraged; click here to register. To learn more about the Audubon Center at Riverlands, visit their official Facebook page. For more about the Riverbend Community Orchestra, visit their official webpage.
