Trinidad Music Association Winter Concert Draws Community, Continues Tradition
The Trinidad Music Association presented its Winter Concert Saturday evening and continues with a matinee Sunday at First United Methodist Church. The free program featuring the Community Chorale, the Trinidad Handbell Choir and the Children’s Choir provided accessible cultural programming and a social reception that matters to local families and small venues.
Saturday evening, the Trinidad Music Association staged its Winter Concert at First United Methodist Church, 216 Broom Street, with a second performance scheduled for Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The program brought together the Community Chorale, the Trinidad Handbell Choir and the Children’s Choir under the direction of music director Vinnie Gumlich, and a reception followed the Saturday show. Admission to both performances is free to the public and the reception is sponsored by the Methodist Church.
The two performances offer a mix of choral and instrumental music geared toward a broad local audience. The inclusion of a children’s choir signals an emphasis on intergenerational participation and arts education, while the handbell ensemble adds a distinctive seasonal texture that draws families and longtime residents alike. Free admission lowers the cost barrier for households and encourages attendance from all parts of Las Animas County.
Beyond the artistic value, small scale cultural events such as these play a practical role in community life. They create opportunities for social connection through post concert gatherings, reinforce volunteer networks that sustain local arts groups and help maintain the viability of community venues. The reception at the church extends economic activity by keeping patrons on site for a refreshment period and by strengthening ties between faith based institutions and civic organizations.
From a policy perspective, events like the Winter Concert underscore the importance of modest, steady support for rural arts infrastructure. Continued access to low cost performance spaces, reliable administrative support for volunteer driven groups and simple operating assistance can multiply returns in social capital and local spending. For a county with dispersed population centers, regular cultural programming contributes to placemaking and can make downtown Trinidad more attractive to visitors and potential residents.
As the Sunday matinee proceeds, residents have one more opportunity to attend without charge, hear local ensembles, and participate in a community reception. Sustaining this kind of programming will rely on ongoing coordination among music directors, faith based partners and local officials to preserve affordable, high quality cultural offerings in Las Animas County.
