SoNA / Courtesy
It is time for another season of SoNA performances at the Walton Arts Center.
Symphony of Northwest Arkansas will return for the first show in the 2022-23 season with a new show called Imagine Big on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Walton Arts Center.
The show features the orchestra performing modern composer Jessica Meyer’s Go BIG or Go HOME, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring cellist Julian Schwarz, and Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
From the description of the show:
Jessica Meyer is swiftly becoming one of the most-performed orchestral composers of her generation, and with good reason. Her Go BIG or Go HOME is an orchestral tour de force and it’s only a matter of time before she becomes a household name.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 is a dark, witty, and brooding piece that erupts into incredible virtuoso fireworks, and Julian Schwarz is just the young cellist for it. Passionate and with to-die-for technique, he’s a perennial audience favorite and an exciting stage presence. (CLICK HERE for featured artist bio.)
Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which started out as a set of piano miniatures, is transformed here by Maurice Ravel’s orchestration into an enormous, colorful, iconic masterpiece, beloved by listeners everywhere.
The performance is the first in a SoNA season that officials said will showcase the wide possibilities of orchestral music.
“We represent the past and present of our artform through time-honored works by Shostakovich and Mussorgsky, and so much more,” said SoNA music director Paul Haas. “We also show the powerful future of our artform through works by contemporary visionaries like Jessica Meyer, and through collaborations with guest artists like Julian Schwarz that also point to our artform’s bright future.”
Before the show on Oct. 29, ticket holders can come early for a pre-show creative conversation with Haas along with principal tuba Ryan Robinson to hear some insights into the music, and details on the lives of the artists.
After the season debut, SoNA will perform their popular holiday shows A Very SoNA Christmas and The Snowman: A Family Concert on Dec. 10-11, followed by Mother and Child on Jan. 7, New Canons on March 11, a ‘Battle of the Bands’ show featuring the Fayetteville Jazz Collective on April 8, and a show titled Evoking Folklore on April 29.
Tickets to the show range from $36-$60. To purchase, or for more information about upcoming performances, visit sonamusic.org.
