A NIGHT WITH THE CHANCELLOR: THE UA LITTLE ROCK CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT

On April 13, 2023, the School of Literary and Performing Arts presented the Second Annual Chancellor’s Concert.

This concert is a collective presentation of the talents of the music program here at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The first group to perform is the UA Little Rock Concert Choir. The group started with the song, “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners,” a triumphant song that surely awakened the waiting audience. It was a powerful start to the concert.

After, the group performed “Modimo,” a lively South African song. Both of these songs had their debut at the Voces Omnes Concert earlier this semester, however, the artistic capability of the UA Little Rock Concert Choir will never fail to make a song feel like it is the first time you heard it.

Once again, Omar Delgado joined them on stage for percussion, adding to the lively atmosphere.

Vocalist Christian Waldron took the stage next with the song “Johanna” from the musical “Sweeney Todd.” Waldron filled the auditorium with his magnificent voice plus a vow to “Johanna” that one day she will be his. The song is romantic and filled with a yearning the baritone soloist captured perfectly.

Next in this concert lineup was a piano ensemble with Carmen Ramirez and Waldron on Piano I and Stephen Graham and Professor Leann Jones on Piano II.

They played “Fantasy on Themes” from Bizet’s “Carmen.” It was quite a charming piece. Full of drama and mischief, maybe even betrayal.

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Naoki Hakutani about why he chose this particular piece.

He replied, “At the outset of each semester, we assess personnel and ability and come up with a plan. We also asked the students what pieces/composers they may be interested in and so we came up with a plan this semester to work on an exciting original work for four pianists (eight hands) based on Bizet’s Carmen. Each individual part is challenging so it takes quite a while to gain speed. We started with very slow tempos at the beginning!”

As said in the title, this piece was simply a magical fantasy.

When asked what the creative process for this performance looked like he said, “At first, it’s not so creative because it takes the first month for the students to learn the notes. Even though everyone is eager to put it all together, each piece has its own growing pains and this semester was no different. Once each student has put enough practice on their own and they are able to play coherently at a slow tempo, we start to crank it up and find so many musical choices we need to consider - ultimately coming up with an interpretation that hopefully is effective.”

There is clear thoughtfulness and hard work put into these performances and it is amazing to see the end result.

Following the piano ensemble was soloist Analiese McKenzie. McKenzie is truly an impressive soprano and another Arkansas Intercollegiate Choir Representative and National Association of Teachers of Singing finalist. She sang “Take, O Take those Lips Away” by Amy Beach.

It was absolutely stunning. Her tone is pure and she has such beautiful vocal color. Her voice never ceases to amaze the audience.

In this next piece, we see a collaboration between the UA Little Rock Chamber Singers and the Flute Ensemble. It was a perfect combination. It sounded like the soundtrack of a Disney princess movie. You could not help but let the notes carry you. This performance was refreshing like a cool breeze on a warm spring day.

Next was pianist and Arkansas Intercollegiate Choir Representative Graham playing “Mazurka” in G minor, Op. 67 No. 2 and “Mazurka” in C major, Op. 67 No. 3 by Frederic Chopin.

The performance was simply stunning and Graham plays the piano with such passion and care for music.

The Jazz Ensemble took the stage next with a tune by David Mann, “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.”

Joined by singer Waldron, the piece was smooth, comforting and romantic. Kaleb Hatley also delivered a stunning trumpet solo.

The UA Little Rock Jazz Ensemble is an incredibly talented group of instrumentalists and you do not want to miss out on any of their performances in upcoming semesters.

After a short intermission, the Chamber Singers delighted us with their presence on stage. They started with the song “Hear My Prayer” which was a tearjerker.

It was an emotional song, a song of pleading. It was beautiful. Then, as the song came to a close, it seamlessly transitioned into their next piece, “Invictus.”

For this song, they are joined by cellist Joanna Klett. “Invictus” is a song with so much drama and darkness.

It is so complex and filled with a lot of emotions and a story that needs to be told. The Chamber Singers are an elite group of singers who have been placed as national semi-finalists in two categories.

One for The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music in the college/university ensemble and conductor division for 2023.

The second category is The American Prize in Choral Performance in the college/ university divisions for 2023. The vocalists in all three choral ensembles not only outperform in school concerts and events, but at every competition they represent UA Little Rock at.

Kaitlyn Kendrick, an Arkansas Intercollegiate Choir Representative and National Association of Teachers of Singing finalist, graces us with her beautiful voice next. She sang, “L’huere exquise” from 7 Chansons grises.

Kendrick’s voice is soft and delicate which was perfect for this song. Her voice is like a meadow of flowers and she delivered yet outstanding performance.

Next was the UA Little Rock Percussion Ensemble led by Dr. Justin Bunting, the newly appointed Director of Instrumental Activities.

The performance was unique and filled with moving parts that all came together to create one delightful sound. Something interesting about this performance is that the members performing do not have a specialty in percussion.

In an interview I had with Dr. Bunting, I asked him what the creative process was like to prepare for this performance. He answered, “The biggest challenge is not so much in programming repertoire for non-percussionists, but programming repertoire for non-Music majors if I do not know them already. I have students that I do not already know come in and discuss their musical background and maybe even go through some exercises on a snare drum or something so I can see how they read music and how their hands move. Most of the nonpercussionists in my ensembles are Music majors that have a wind instrument, piano or voice as their primary instrument. Additionally, the percussion studio is growing rapidly and so is the foundation of non-percussionist Music majors that have been in my ensembles for a number of semesters. Therefore, we have plenty of leaders and role models in the group.”

The percussionists performed on a marimba. While the marimba may seem like a simple instrument to play, it requires coordination and attention to detail to get the desired sound.

An extraordinary amount of detail went into this performance. Even with a variety of performers from different groups from choir to band, they came together to create and perform beautiful music.

Next was Andrew Battie singing, “Sure on This Shining Night” from Four Songs, Op. 13. Battie is a skillful baritone who was able to fill a room with his voice and delivered an astonishing solo performance.

Battie was yet another Arkansas Intercollegiate Choir Representative and a National Association of Teachers of Singing finalist.

After an amazing performance from Battie was the UA Little Rock Women’s Choir. They began with the song “Vichten,” a lively and animated acapella piece written in a similar style to Acadian folk music. It is an exciting song to listen to and watch perform.

Dorian Izzo joined them to play the spoons, a unique addition to the performance. Their next song, “Sing, Wearing the Sky” was perfect.

Joined by Delgado for percussion accompaniment and Meredith Hicks on violin this performance was full of life. It was wonderful and made you feel like there were fairies flying about. It was an ethereal performance.

Last but certainly not least, the UA Little Rock Wind Ensemble ended the concert with Selections from “Porgy and Bess.”

The music would grow in volume combined with sudden and suspenseful stops. The song had a grandiose feel to it and was a great finish to a marvelous night of performances.

The UA Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts has a staff full of talented musicians and professors that help students achieve their goals. With their help, performances like these are able to happen.

One of them is Professor Jones, who is the collaborative pianist of the music program and played as accompaniment for a majority of the performances.

I had the pleasure of interviewing her about the work she does as a collaborative pianist, asking how she delivers flawless performances each time. She answered, “My goal with every performance is to bring as musical a presentation as I possibly can. I want the audience to experience the joy we feel on stage when collaborating as musicians. It’s definitely a joint effort between all the performers.

Sometimes mistakes happen, but we keep going!”

I followed by asking what her creative process looks like when working with such a wide variety of musical artists. She answered, “I spend a lot of time rehearsing with each soloist and group before a performance. But before meeting with the other performers, I take quite a bit of time working on my individual part, so that when we come together, it’s a seamless process.”

I then asked what her part is in doing all of this. She responded, “My favorite part is the variety of music selections the individual performers and groups present. It’s a great deal of fun and a challenge to play a modern musical theater piece followed by a Baroque style piece or perhaps a rhythmically challenging choral piece.”

Such passion and care for her craft are what make the staff and faculty of the School of Literary and Performing Arts stand out. With such a talented music program, reach and exposure are important. In an interview with Dr. Bunting, I asked him as Director of Instrumental Activities if he has any plans or hopes of making the Music Program more visible on campus.

His response was, “All those involved in creative endeavors (be it visual art, music, theater, poetry readings..) have discussions about how to maximize visibility, as well as interaction and participation in what we do. The Music Program’s growth began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For a time, we could not have live performances. We, as a faculty, could not visit high school band and choir rooms. Coming out of that period, we are able to think creatively about how to ‘get the word out’ even more about what we are doing in the Fine Arts Building and across the metro area.”

With the help and expertise of all the staff and faculty of the UA Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts, they were able to put together a remarkable show of performances.

Please continue to show love and support for the UA Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts by attending performances and sharing them on social media. The Music Program is ever-growing with more and more talented musicians joining every year. You do not want to miss out.

BY RIAN NEWMAN