The concert is titled "Broadway, Beatles and Beyond."
No surprises, right?
FAQ
ACO Chorale
In Concert
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — Arts Center of the Ozarks, 214 S. Main St. in Springdale
COST — $9-$16
INFO —751-5441 or acozarks.org
The event, set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale, does in fact include a Lerner & Loewe medley of songs from "My Fair Lady," "Paint Your Wagon" and "Camelot." And "Beyond" means American folk songs, spirituals and "of course" "America the Beautiful."
But Denice Parkhurst, director of the ACO Chorale, thinks the Beatles segment will be the most interesting. It includes not only a classic -- "Long and Winding Road" -- but sections of an oratorio written in 1991 by Sir Paul McCartney.
"As opposed to an opera, which has secular text, oratorio usually means something religious," Parkhurst says. "But not this. It's a work in different movements -- like an opera -- and tells a story -- like an opera. The text is from Sir Paul's own writing, drawing from the events of his life in Liverpool, from his birth during wartime, his school days, youthful aspirations and meeting his future wife Linda."
The music came to Parkhurst's attention because it was in the collection at ACO, where it was performed by the Chorale a decade or so ago, directed by Gail Hocott. Marta Holt, an alto, has been singing with the group since 1993 and likes Liverpool Oratorio as much now as she did then.
"You will hear excerpts from some of the Beatles music, things that sound like the Beatles but aren't the Beatles," she says. "It's like there's a tip of the hat to different songs. So that's kind of cool. For the choir, it's technically challenging -- not your normal choir piece.
"We all loved it then, and we do now," Holt adds. The first section remembers McCartney's Spanish lessons as a child and is sung in Spanish, and "the guys even get to sing a drinking song at the end."
"It's very interesting, and I think people will really enjoy it," Parkhurst says. "I was thinking when I came up with the billing, I wouldn't be disappointed if I came to the concert and it wasn't a full program of Beatles music. I would be intrigued to find this work.
"I think -- I hope -- our audience will feel the same way."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
bmartin@nwadg.com
NAN What's Up on 04/29/2016