On Friday, Feb. 12, the Auburn Knights Orchestra held their annual Valentine's Day concert at the Bottling Plant Event Center in downtown Opelika.
The Auburn Knights are a jazz band that formed at Auburn in 1930. The band consists of 19 musicians including a horn section, guitar, drums, bass and piano, as well as two vocalists.
The concert began at 8 p.m. with a short swing dancing lesson from Chris and Laura Olds, founders of the Auburn Swing Dance Association.
Members of the group regularly attend Auburn Knights concerts, including the knight's homecoming concert, which takes place in October.
Rachel Abbett, senior in chemistry and a member of the Auburn Swing Dancing Association, attends Auburn Knights concerts regularly and said she is a big fan.
"I really like the Auburn Knights," Abbett said. "I'm with the Swing Dancing Association, and we partner with them on a lot of things."
The Knights hold a reunion double concert every year with two days of concerts where alumni bands can come back to play.
These alumni bands consist of musicians that played in the band each decade from the group's inception.
The Auburn Knights usually hold their concerts on Fridays rather than Thursdays to encourage larger attendance.
Though the Knights traditionally hold two public concerts per year with countless private engagements, they hope to hold more concerts should the attendance at these events improve.
The band includes many Auburn students, and they also feature local musicians including several local Auburn music teachers.
The band is going through a transitional period since they only have one official female vocalist, Shanna Stoker, while Clark Williams, the male vocalist, is a guest who commutes from Atlanta.
Stoker said she enjoys getting to sing with Williams.
"Clark Williams, he's been singing with the band for years and years, and it's so much fun," Stoker said. "I love performing with him."
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