Photo: Stephen Ironside
It’s almost time for another season of performances by Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and in addition to their concert hall shows, SoNA officials announced plans to continue their series designed to bring classical music to more unexpected places.
The series, called “SoNA Beyond,” will include performances at Fayetteville Public Library, Highlands Oncology, Crystal Bridges, Murphy Park, and other venues around the region.
The idea behind the series is to “including organizational partnerships, special pop-up appearances, innovative artistic experiences, educational events, and more” to the region in places, with the hope to bring the music to a wider audience in the region.
“It is imperative that we move beyond the traditional boundaries of what a symphony can do, with the ultimate aim of being a force for good in our community,” says D. Riley Nicholson, SoNA Executive Director. “As a leader in the NWA arts sector, SoNA has a responsibility to break the mold and dismantle perceptions that an orchestra only exists to serve an elite few.”
The SoNA Beyond series will kick off this month with Voces Latinas at the Fayetteville Public Library (FPL) at 2 p.m. on Sept. 18. The show, curated by SoNA musician Raul Munguia takes listeners “on a musical journey from Mexico through the Andes, highlighting the richness and diversity of classical and traditional repertoire written by Latin-American composers.” The performance will feature SoNA musicians Duo Capriccioso, South American performing artist and composer Amado Espinoza, and others.
A full list of SoNA Beyond performances scheduled this season is below.
For more information about the series, visit sonamusic.org/sona-beyond.
Main stage shows this year begin Oct. 29 at Walton Arts Center. For more information about those visit sonamusic.org.
2022-23 “SoNA Beyond” Music Series
More events and appearances will be announced as the season progresses. Descriptions below provided by SoNA.
- An ongoing partnership with Highlands Oncology Group: On September 12, 28, October 10, 25, and more dates TBA, SoNA will provide a solo violinist for free performances at Highlands Oncology’s Springdale clinic. SoNA aims to uplift the spirits of patients and healthcare workers by providing free performances in the infusion room and lobby. Highlands Oncology is a longtime corporate partner of SoNA, and now the organizations are thrilled to collaborate further to provide a therapeutic and uplifting experience for cancer patients.
- On October 1 at 3pm at Murphy Park, SoNA Beyond and the Springdale Public Library celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a special performance by Duo Capriccioso and salsa band Son Sin Gnero. This event is free and open to the public.
- On November 6 at 3pm at the Fayetteville Public Library, SoNA Beyond and FPL co-present the classic symphonic fairy tale for children, Peter & The Wolf / Pedro y el lobo, which introduces listeners to the colorful instruments of the orchestra with a story that highlights vigilance, bravery, and resourcefulness. This will be a bi-lingual performance of the classic children’s tale set to the timeless music of Sergei Prokofiev. This performance provides an opportunity for young people to experience this familiar tale and iconic music with narration in English and Spanish. Free and open to the public.
- On November 12, SoNA Beyond will make a special appearance at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art during the Interform Fashion event celebrating the museum’s “Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour” exhibition. SoNA’s special musical appearance will connect with the themes in Crystal Bridges’ exhibition dedicated to fashion, exploring American fashion as a powerful emblem of global visual culture, amplified by movies, television, red carpets, and social media.
- On November 19, SoNA Beyond presents Latin Traces at 214 CACHE in Springdale. Curated by Fernando Valencia, this concert will explore the cultural elements that shape “Latin American sound.” The program celebrates Latin music and its particular “Latin sound” as a positive and unifying element amidst the clash of cultures during colonization. This concert will include a world premiere by Carolina Noguera and is supported by the CACHE Creative Exchange Fund. This event is free and open to the public, with donations encouraged.
- On January 14, 2023, SoNA Beyond will have a special appearance at the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Council Banquet, performing the string quartet music of Florence Price. Time and tickets for this event TBA.
- On March 15, 2023, at 4pm, SoNA Beyond collaborates with the Ra-Ve Cultural Foundation at the Fayetteville Public Library. SoNA, Ra-Ve, and FPL co-present a youth-centered interactive and educational experience – part book reading, part performance, and part demonstration. Featuring a classic Indian story alongside a presentation between symphony and Ra-Ve musicians traversing the boundaries between western and Indian musical styles, this event is free and open to the public.
- On May 7, 2023, at 2pm, SoNA Beyond: Transcending Words will feature the SoNA Singers in celebration of Poetry Month at the Fayetteville Public Library. SoNA Singers, a chorus of 60 beautiful voices, will sing powerful poems, and spoken word artists will share poems inspired by the music and poetry of the event. Through this program we celebrate the transcendent ability of the written word, as well as the ability of music to transcend words by providing color, context, and emotion. This event is free and open to the public.
- On June 30, 2023, SoNA continues its partnership with Crystal Bridges to co-present a concert in the museum’s Great Hall. Inspired by the temporary visual art exhibition titled Diego Rivera’s America, SoNA will collaborate with Crystal Bridges curators to explore themes in the visual exhibit to create a musical program that sonically brings the artwork to life and deepens cultural connections across artforms, identities, and geographies. SoNA’s appearance at Crystal Bridges is supported by Greenwood Gearhart Investments. Ticketing details and event time TBA.
- SoNA Beyond will also present its annual Cooper Chapel concert in the summer of 2023, sponsored by the North Arkansas Symphony Guild and made possible by a gift from the late Elin J. Stene. This event will be free and open to the public; event date and time TBA.
