BURLINGTON, Vt., March 11 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Saturday evening held a youth choral concert and town meeting on the importance of arts education. Held at the Dibden Center for the Arts on Vermont State University’s campus in Johnson, the concert featured nine Vermont elementary, middle, high school, and college choirs singing songs that ranged from traditional to spiritual to pop. The evening concluded with all 184 student performers coming together on stage to perform the Vermont state song, “These Green Mountains.”

Find photos of the event here, and the concert program here.

Sanders opened the concert by thanking all of those who made the day possible and saying, “Tonight is a chance for us to come together and celebrate the arts, which are so important in our lives. Your students have worked very hard and I think we’re all in for a great performance this evening. I look forward to a day when we no longer spend $900 billion on the military and just $200 million on the arts.”

This is the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that Vermont students gathered to participate in this once-annual event. The following Vermont schools performed: Bellows Free Academy Fairfax High School, Lamoille Union Middle/High School, Lyndon Institute, Main Street Middle School in Montpelier, Montpelier High School, Shelburne Community School, Vermont State University Castleton, Spaulding High School, and Winooski Middle High School.

During the day ahead of the concert, the students rehearsed their songs in a workshop with guest conductor Stefanie Weigand, the Executive Director of Music-COMP and Director of the University of Vermont’s Catamount Singers. They also attended a music education workshop led by Vermont State University-Johnson professor, Isaac Eddy, where the student performers from across Vermont had the opportunity to learn from one another and sing together. Prior to the concert, the students and choral directors met with Sanders for a town meeting. Topics discussed included how communities and the government can support young artists, how the arts help to build community, how schools need more funding for the arts, as well as many questions from the students about Sanders’ favorite music and musicians.

Isaac Eddy, the music education workshop leader, said, “The workshops really inspired me about the future of the performing arts in this state. There were so many students that were so generous and caring and thoughtful about their own individual relationships to performing arts, but also how important and vital it is in each of their communities. It gave me a lot of hope for the future.”

Weigand, the guest conductor, said, “This was such a valuable experience for all of our students from across the state to come together and work with one another, to discuss the challenges and the successes of arts advocacy, to sing with one another, and build community across the state.”

After the finale song, Sanders concluded the event, saying, “There’s not a lot that I can say to top what we just heard. What is so beautiful about tonight, and I really love, is not only the great music — I love the idea that we have kids from 4th grade through university singing together. Tonight our job is to make sure that the arts flourish in the state of Vermont and throughout this country.” Sanders then addressed the student performers: “And I just want to thank all of you, you guys did a great job. I want to thank the teachers who helped you perform tonight. I want to thank the parents who nurtured their kids in the arts. And I want to thank the university here for allowing us to use this beautiful auditorium. Thank you all very, very much for a great night.”