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SoNA Continues “Biggest and Boldest” Season Yet
Featuring Contemporary Programs Reflecting the Powerful Future of Orchestral Music
Fresh on the heels of three sold-out holiday performances in December and a bold kickoff to 2023 with Mother and Child in January, the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) continues its 2022-23 mainstage season at Walton Arts Center with more performances in March and April.
The symphony is releasing a groundbreaking debut album with music that artfully blends virtual and “real life” performances by SoNA musicians, special guest soloists and ensembles from around the world. They will be celebrating this release and performing new works from the album on March 11 with New Canons. Under the baton of Musical Director Paul Haas, SoNA will feature music from the album including Trevor New’s Cohere I, with virtual tieins to multiple international locations, and Paul Haas’ In saecula saeculorum. Following intermission, the orchestra will perform the joyously beautiful Symphony No. 3 in F Major by Johannes Brahms.
Next, on April 8, Battle of the Bands brings SoNA and the Fayetteville Jazz Collective together, alternating between pieces played by the jazz band, pieces played by the orchestra, and then pieces played together, for an evening of genre-defying music that will be enjoyed by a wide variety of music lovers.
And later that same month, SoNA will close the season on April 29 with Evoking Folklore. This program speaks to SoNA’s wide view of orchestral music and its commitment to uncover music that has been historically and unjustifiably ignored by the classical industry. Each of the works are captivating storytelling of folklore: starting with Chickasaw Nation tales through Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Chokfi (Rabbit), then traditional Spanish stories with Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain featuring pianist Angela Cheng, and lastly classic Americana evocations with Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3
“This season, we imagine big and present music that reflects our bold vision for our orchestra and the wide possibilities of orchestral music,” says Haas. “We represent the past and present of our artform through time-honored works by Copland, William Grant Still, Brahms, and so much more. But we also show the powerful future of our artform through works by contemporary visionaries, and through collaborations with guest artists that also point to our artform’s bright future.”
Single ticket prices for SoNA’s mainstage performances range from $36 to $60, based on seating preferences. Discount student tickets are available with a student photo I.D. Children under 18 are free with the purchase of an adult ticket (limited quantities). To purchase tickets, visit sonamusic.org, or call the Walton Arts Center Box Office at 479.443.5600.
