Rolla bands welcomed the community to the Performing Arts Center on Monday, Dec. 9. Junior high and high school bands inaugurated the space with festive performances to celebrate the season, and the arts. Holiday classics and dynamic arrangements filled the room, commemorating a new chapter of Rolla High School once again housing an auditorium. 

The former gymnasium also originally served as an auditorium. As ECHO reported in 1957, the gymnasium-auditorium officially opened on Feb. 8 of that same year. According to the article, a whole-school assembly marked the moment and “the program was rounded out by the performance of the Rolla High Band under the direction of William Tutley.” Monday’s winter concerts were under the direction of John Slowensky, Michael Goldschmidt and Derek Limback.   

The current theater is still under renovation awaiting key fixtures to make it fully operational for drama productions. Upon completion, the space will once again welcome the community to RHS theatrical performances.