Saturday, March 8 at Walton Arts Center
Featuring guest vocal soloists, SoNA Singers & JBU Cathedral Choir
The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) proudly presents its Masterworks II Concert, under the baton of Music Director Paul Haas, on Saturday, March 8 at Walton Arts Center’s Baum Walker Hall in Fayetteville.
The fourth performance of SoNA’s 2013-14 Season, Masterworks II will feature Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (A German Requiem), along with guest vocal soloists Sarah Wolfson and Mischa Bouvier; the SoNA Singers; and the John Brown University Cathedral Choir.
Acclaimed Maestro Paul Haas continues SoNA’s season-long exploration of Viennese music with Masterworks II. For the season kick-off in November, Haas chose Beethoven and Schubert to represent Vienna, and he’ll conclude the season later this spring with Mozart and Mahler. For Masterworks II, Haas turns to Brahms’ choral masterpiece, A German Requiem.
“This is one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever had the chance to conduct,” Haas explains. “It’s emotionally-charged music, and it never fails to leave me a changed person, whether I’m listening to it or conducting it. It’s powerful, brilliant, and exquisitely beautiful. Add the region’s best choral singers, two incredible solo voices and our stellar orchestra to the mix, and you have the ingredients for one explosive performance.”
SoNA is pleased to welcome lyric soprano Sarah Wolfson, praised by The New York Times for a “luminous sound and impressively focused high notes,” and first-prize winner of the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, as well as Mischa Bouvier – a baritone with “rich timbre” and “refined artistry,” and winner of the 2010 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition.
Also joining SoNA musicians onstage will be some of the region’s best choral singers: the SoNA Singers, with 57 vocalist members, led by Terry Hicks; and the 62-member John Brown University Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Paul Smith.
The Masterworks II concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and is sponsored by Highlands Oncology Group. Ticket holders are also invited to attend a Creative Conversation with Maestro Paul Haas prior to the concert at 6:45 p.m. in Starr Theater.
To purchase single tickets ($28, $38, $48), please call the Walton Arts Center box office at 479.443.5600 or visit www.sonamusic.org for online ticketing options.
For more information, including the lineup for Masterworks III on May 10, visit www.sonamusic.org.