The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) this week announced several virtual holiday performances, including a new collaboration with Ballet Arkansas.

The collaboration, called Sleighride Together, will be released Dec. 21 and will feature the full SoNA orchestra alongside a series of ballet solos and duets. SoNA musicians will perform from their homes, while Ballet Arkansas dancers will perform from the UA-PTC CHARTS Theater in North Little Rock.

“This collaboration [with Ballet Arkansas] created an opportunity to find new ways to come together, despite the unique challenges of modern-day life,” said D. Riley Nicholson, SoNA’s executive director. “We’re bringing Central and Northwest Arkansas together in a cultural conversation, and we’re bringing two art forms together to deepen the experience of both. We hope this is a beginning of a rich organizational partnership that will continue for years to come.”

Also for the holidays, the SoNA Singers will release a series of free video performances on SoNA’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and website, two of which will feature drone videography by Kevin Dooley.

For more information about SoNA and its 2020-21 Reimagined Season, visit sonamusic.org.

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SoNA virtual performances in December

Dec. 4 – Shalom

Performed by SoNA Singers and Bentonville High School Chamber Choir
By Dan Forrest

Dec. 10 – Brightest and Best

Performed by SoNA Singers
Arr. by Shawn Kirchner
Featuring collaborative pianist Lisa Auten
Paired with drone photography of seasonal Arkansas landscapes by Kevin Dooley

Dec. 16 – Deck the Halls

Performed by SoNA Singers
Arr. by Mack Wilberg
Paired with drone photography of holiday lights in downtown Fayetteville and Bentonville by Kevin Dooley

Dec. 21 – Sleighride Together

Hallelujah chorus arr. Mozart
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson
Performed by SoNA and Ballet Arkansas
Choreography by Michael Fothergill and Madison Hicks