Singers to go 'light-hearted'

The Arkansas Choral Society's normal repertoire is heavy, challenging fare: Mendelssohn's Elijah, Haydn's The Creation, a performance every Christmas of all or parts of Handel's Messiah. Clark Gesner's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown doesn't exactly fit right in.

But that's the point, really. They're turning to traditional Broadway and hoping to attract new and established fans alike to "An Evening on Broadway."

"We just decided, we've done quite a bit of heavier-type music," says society president Camille Ostergren. "We wanted to do something real light-hearted."

Director Kent Skinner, who is also the conductor of choral activities for the University of Arkansas at Monticello, had already chosen the spring concert music, so this program became an idea for a new fundraiser.

The decades-old society is a nonprofit performing group that relies on fundraisers and ticket sales to pay for musicians, venues, programs and publicity. Usually, the group's main fundraiser is a silent auction and a spring concert that doesn't stray much from its traditional path.

"This is a lot different," Ostergren says. "It's going to be a light, casual evening."

The event is being held at The Studio Theatre, so the atmosphere, she explains, "is going to be like an old bistro or an old nightclub setting, where people would go have hors d'oeuvres and a drink and relax for a couple of hours. And there's going to be entertainment."

Society members are providing food and there will be a cash bar courtesy of the theater's Lobby Bar.

As for the entertainment, there will be numbers from Broadway shows including "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from Gypsy, "Maria" from West Side Story, "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors and "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof performed by several soloists. An ensemble will perform medleys from Oliver! and Les Miserables.

"We had real good auditions," Ostergren says. "We've got people that we didn't imagine would even audition."

If the evening works out, Ostergren says, it might go on the society's schedule as an annual event.

Fundraisers like this are vital to keeping the organization going and providing concerts of challenging choral music. The society also has an educational component. The UAM choir frequently participates in concerts, and efforts are being made to reach out to students in central Arkansas.

The fundraiser's proximity to Valentine's Day could be a selling point, says Ostergren, who stresses it would make a great pre-holiday date night: "If you're looking for a special night for your valentine, get a jump-start on it and bring her to 'An Evening on Broadway.'"

Weekend on 02/05/2015