Prime Time For Singing

Schola Cantorum joins SoNA for Christmas concerts

Sona Snowman
Sona Snowman

Stephen Caldwell is excited about Christmas -- not just because he and wife Maura have a new baby boy to share it with. The holiday season, says Caldwell, is prime time for groups like Schola Cantorum, the premiere choral ensemble he directs at the University of Arkansas.

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Courtesy Photo

Schola Cantorum, the University of Arkansas’ premiere choral group, will join the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas for two Christmas concerts on Saturday.

"Sometimes it's hard to get people to show up to hear a choir in June," he says. "But December is our month -- the month when everybody wants to hear a choir sing."

FAQ

‘A Very SoNA Christmas’

WHEN — 2 & 7:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

COST — $30-$52; season tickets are offered at $125, $185 & $235

INFO — 443-5600 or sonamusic.org

FYI

‘The Snowman’

WHEN — 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

COST — $8

INFO — 443-5600 or sonamusic.org

Given the opportunity to perform Saturday with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Caldwell is going to use it to best advantage.

"We can't pigeonhole ourselves into only the expected," he says, explaining his choice of "There Is No Rose of Such Virtue," "a very old Christmas text" dating to the 15th century and reimagined by California composer Kevin Memley. "It's a quiet, instrument-free moment, a nice contrast to the rest of the concert, which is more bombastic. It's also a very good example of what modern 21st century choral music sounds like -- and that's very much not Handel, Bach or Mozart. The 21st century choral sound is unaccompanied, with lots of internal dissonances and slow-moving, complex harmonies on arcane texts.

"But it's also very easy to listen to for an audience not necessarily up to speed on what's going on in the world of choral music. And it's pretty, that's the big thing."

This is the second year in a row that Schola Cantorum will join the SoNA Singers for two choruses from "The Messiah" in addition to its acapella piece led by Caldwell. SoNA music director Paul Haas calls the SoNA Singers "fantastically talented" and adds that the program also includes the Bentonville High School Chamber Singers, "and pianist Kyle Jiang, an astonishing young talent from this region, will be playing a solo turn with the orchestra. We'll also have a special guest narrator for 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,'" he says, "but I think we'll leave that one a surprise."

Haas says choosing the holiday menu isn't as easy as one might think.

"For this concert, the audience comes with a lot of expectations as to what they'll be hearing, and I find programming for it entails walking a fine line between satisfying the audience's expectations and giving them new and unexpected surprises," he says. "I also view it as a community-building opportunity, so I include young soloists and choruses from the region, as a point of Northwest Arkansas pride."

In addition to "A Very SoNA Christmas" -- which has expanded to two shows this year -- the orchestra also presents "The Snowman: A Family Concert," featuring a special screening of the award-winning holiday film "The Snowman" complete with live orchestral soundtrack performed by SoNA musicians.

""All of us remember what it was like as a child to wish that our favorite toys or stuffed animals would come to life," Haas says. "This silent film, accompanied by an extraordinary score for virtuosic orchestra, brings that magical thought alive in a way that captivates both young people and adults alike.

"'The Snowman' concert is designed to be a fun and welcoming experience for children -- and adults -- new to symphonic concerts, but many in our audience are repeat attendees from other SoNA concerts," he says. By the same token, he adds, "I know there are plenty of people in the ['A Very SoNA Christmas'] audience for whom this might be their first orchestra concert ever, which is really exciting for me and for the orchestra musicians.

"For many reasons, this is my favorite concert of the year," Haas concludes. "It's become a popular Northwest Arkansas tradition, and I think the reason is that we bring together so many different parts of the community, celebrating this joyous season through music."

And, Caldwell adds, "we get to show them in a Christmas setting what a fantastic choir sounds like!"

NAN What's Up on 12/02/2016

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