Over 1,400 locals came out to Shangri La on Sunday, Oct. 18 to see art and nature come together in a concert by the Symphony of Southeast Texas. The artistic collaboration, which has been in the works for over a year, was put on by the Shangri La Botanical Gardens and the Lutcher Theater.

“The event was a huge success,” Lutcher Theater employee Wendy Elliott said. “I was proud to be a part of it.”

The concert started at 5:30 pm just as the day started to cool off. Guest brought lawn chairs, blankets, and even food and drinks to Shangri La’s Great Lawn and listened to the many songs the symphony had to offer.

“I thought that is was the perfect day for an outdoor concert,” student Ethan Martin said. “It was a very relaxed night and the music was great.”

The symphony, headed by conductor Chelsea Tipton, performed a wide array of popular music which included selections from The Pirates of the Caribbean, West Side Story, Spider Man, Moon River, and much more.

“A survey was sent out following the event and all the feed back was overwhelmingly positive with hopes of more of the same types of events in the future,” Elliott said.

The scarecrow festival was also held in conjunction with the concert. Prior to the concert starting, guests strolled through the gardens and viewed the scarecrows made by the community out of recycled materials. The scarecrow festival will continue until Nov. 7 when the winner will be announced.

“It’s great that the concert brought so many people to view the scarecrows that different groups with in the community have worked so hard on,” Elliott said.

Many people left the concert hoping to attend similar events in the future.

“There was such an overwhelming response this event,” Elliott said. “Plans are already in the works for future collaboration to bring arts and nature together in this very special way.”