Grammy Award-winning group to perform at UCA

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

CONWAY — The Grammy award-winning group The King’s Singers will bring their vast repertoire of music to the University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of UCA’s Public Appearances and Artist in Residence programs.

“The King’s Singers are absolutely the best choral group of their sort in the world. I have heard them before, and I am very excited at the prospect of hearing them in Reynolds Performance Hall,” said Jerry Biebesheimer, director of UCA Public Appearances.

The King’s Singers have been performing since 1968 when they formed at King’s College Cambridge in England. They took their career international in the 1970s.

Although no original singers remain in the group, there have only been 20 members to trickle through since its creation nearly 40 years ago.

On Monday as Artists in Residence, The King’s Singers will conduct private workshops with UCA’s Concert Choir at 1 p.m. and its Chamber Choir at 4 p.m. After ward, The King’s Singers will work privately with high school choral groups, including Little Rock Central High School’s Madrigal Choir, Bentonville High School’s Chamber Choir, Har-Ber High School’s choir from Springdale and Fayetteville High School’s choir.

John Erwin, associate professor and head of choral music in UCA’s Department of Music, is the faculty sponsor for the residency.

“They are one of the best male choral groups in the world, so I wanted my students to hear and benefit from their expertise in their field,” Erwin said. “We’re all looking forward to their arrival and can’t wait to hear them sing.” The group performs more than 120 shows annually across the world in leading concert halls and European cathedrals, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and Windsor Castle for the Royal Family.

The 2009-2010 season will take them across the United States and to Europe where they will perform in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Poland and Switzerland, among other countries.

Tickets for the performances are available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office. Tickets are $30, $32 and $35 for the general public, $27, $29 and $32 for seniors, $25, $27 and $30 for UCA alumni, $23, $25 and $28 for UCA faculty and staff, and $10 for all student tickets. UCA students are admitted free with a current student I.D. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at 1-866-810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.

For more information, call UCA Public Appearances at (501) 450-3682 or e-mail jerryb@uca.edu.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 64 on 11/05/2009

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