Before kicking off the festivities, School Board Member and Vice President of the Auditorium Foundation Board Bonnie Lowry said a few words.

“What I’d like to say is that in all of the hats that I’ve worn and that I wear currently and in the past, the community of Marshalltown has just been awesome in supporting students as well as every activity that happens here in the community,” Lowry said. “As far as the fine arts, as well as athletics, when we’re called upon, we seem to rise to the occasion and because we’ve risen to the occasion and we’ve had so many community partners who have donated to allow us to erect this lovely piece of sculpture here, just to say, the arts are important here in Marshalltown.”

School Board President Sean Heitmann also spoke briefly, thanking everyone for attending the event, before MHS Vocal Music Director and Auditorium Foundation Board Member Amy Ose stepped up to the mic.

Ose said that the idea for a new sculpture was conceived about five or six years ago when the Auditorium Foundation Board was trying to figure out a way to stand out next to the large roundhouse building.

From left to right, School Board member Bonnie Lowry, School Board President Sean Heitmann, Marshalltown High School Vocal Music Director Amy Ose, Marshalltown Arts and Culture Alliance Executive Director Amber Danielson and Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Hall each took a brief moment to talk about the “Scherzo” sculpture prior to a ribbon cutting to celebrate the art piece.

“I can remember sitting in a special meeting on a Tuesday during spring break to start talking about ‘What can we do to draw people to the front entrance of the auditorium if we’re going to have this really large structure right next to it,'” Ose said. “Artwork was discussed. Landscaping was discussed. There were a lot of different things that we talked about at that time, and so, that was kind of the beginning of ‘Scherzo.'”

Ose said that seeing the result of all the hard work and planning was an honor, and she was glad to have been a part of it.

Marshalltown Arts and Culture Alliance Executive Director Amber Danielson said that when the Auditorium Foundation reached out to her about the project, she was eager to help in any way she could. They quickly formed a selection committee after the Auditorium Foundation raised money for the sculpture.

The committee included a wide range of community members including students, school board members, Marshalltown Community School District staff and others, and they all worked toward selecting the perfect piece of art.

“This project took a lot of hands on deck. I think a lot of times, we think these things just appear out of thin air, and I can promise you, there were a lot of people and a lot of time dedicated to this project. We’re so proud of the continued growth of arts and culture in this community, the support of the community at large, and great partners like the Auditorium Foundation and the Marshalltown Community School District,” Danielson said.

The “Scherzo” reveal celebration hosted several Marshalltown High School performers, including recently graduated violinist Veronica Herrera.

After Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Hall thanked those in attendance for coming, a ribbon cutting was held to celebrate “Scherzo.”

With the speeches and ribbon cutting complete, the audience pulled up their lawn chairs to enjoy the warm evening and the music provided by both MHS performers and the Marshalltown Municipal Band.

Violinist and recent MHS graduate Veronica Herrera started it off with a Bach concierto, and then vocalist and MHS senior Avery Bolar performed a solo. Later in the evening, Bolar partnered up with fellow MHS senior Ellie Seberger and MHS graduate Taylor Hoffman to perform another song.

The evening was concluded by the Marshalltown Municipal Band, who played several songs for the gathered audience. To view the newly installed sculpture, visit the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center.

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From left to right, Marshalltown High School seniors Avery Bolar, Ellie Seberger and MHS graduate Taylor Hoffman performed a song for those attending the reveal celebration Thursday evening, and Bolar performed several solos.

Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.

A large group of people, including several school board members, celebrated the installation of “Scherzo” with a ribbon cutting on Thursday evening.

The Marshalltown Municipal Band closed out the Thursday evening “Scherzo” reveal celebration and performed several songs for the audience.