Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- David Littrell's creation has been striking the right note for 25 years -- and that's something worth celebrating, according to the state's highest elected leader.

Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a proclamation making Thursday, Nov. 21, Gold Orchestra Day in the state of Kansas. The orchestra, founded in 1989 by Littrell, university distinguished professor of music at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University, will celebrate its special day with a 25th anniversary concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 in the university's McCain Auditorium. Also performing will be the Silver Orchestra, which is under direction of Kristin Mortenson, university instructor of music.

Admission to the concert is free and the public is invited.

Littrell founded the Gold Orchestra to give young string musicians in the Manhattan area an opportunity to perform and gain a love for classical music. The orchestra membership has expanded from its beginning with 10 students in the third through sixth grades. Today's three orchestras -- Gold Orchestra, Silver Orchestra and Bronze Training Orchestra -- have more than 80 string students in kindergarten through the 12th grades from all over northeast Kansas.

Since 1989, this auditioned ensemble has played a vital role in the lives of more than 400 youth musicians in Kansas. Along with annual performances at area schools, the Gold Orchestra also has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, as well as internationally in England, Mexico and in Canada. In summer 2014, the orchestra will perform in Stillwater and Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Nov. 21 concert will feature pieces by Telemann, Hovhaness, Copland, Grieg and others.

For more information on the orchestra, visit http://www.goldorchestra.org.