New “SoNA Beyond” Music Series Announced
Kicks off Saturday, Oct. 2 at Fayetteville Public Library
SoNA and FPL Present:
SoNA Beyond: Voces Latinas
Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
SEPT 9, 2021 — The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) is launching a new music series to showcase the vast spectrum of possibilities for classical music, and to reach audiences and the community at large in new and innovative ways.
SoNA Beyond will present a variety of concerts, programs, and other creative arts experiences that go beyond the symphony’s annual mainstage season of concerts. The new series will feature symphony musicians in creative ways, including chamber music performances, outdoor educational concerts, community partnerships, groundbreaking contemporary experiences, and more. With an eye on accessibility, many of the programs will be low cost or free of charge.
SoNA Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson said the new series seeks to rethink the boundaries of what a symphony can do to innovate the artform, include new voices, and immerse SoNA in the Northwest Arkansas community – and to give audiences an expansive view of what classical music is and who it serves.
“SoNA Beyond is a valuable vehicle for us to push beyond traditional concepts of what a symphony should be, and instead refocus on who our artform serves, what voices are presented, and how we connect with our community,” Nicholson said. “Inclusion and innovation can and must work together to push our artform forward in synergistic ways.”
SoNA Music Director Paul Haas said the new series combines two of his greatest loves: artistic exploration and connecting with people.
“SoNA Beyond is by far one of the most exciting initiatives SoNA has undertaken,” Haas said. “With it — and really across the board with our programming — we’re empowering a wide range of important voices and looking to embed ourselves deep within the communities that make Northwest Arkansas such a singularly beautiful place to live.”
The new series will kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, with the free performance SoNA Beyond: Voces Latinas (Latinx Voices) at the Fayetteville Public Library Event Center. A celebration of the vibrant impact Latinx artists have in culture and the community, Voces Latinas is curated by four, NWA-area symphony musicians: Lia Uribe (Colombia/USA), Fernando Valencia (Columbia/USA), Raul Munguia (Honduras/USA), and Cristian Martinez Vega (Mexico/USA).
The concert is presented by SoNA and Fayetteville Public Library in celebration of national Latinx Heritage Month. Voces Latinas will traverse a kaleidoscope of Latinx voices past and present, including time-honored classics from across Latin America, as well as contemporary Latinx voices of today that push beyond the traditional boundaries of what classical music can be.
Prior to the indoor concert, a free outdoor event will be held at 4:30 p.m. on the library’s Gathering Glade. Attendees can enjoy culinary offerings by local Latinx chefs and live salsa music by Son Sin Gnero, plus a chance to mix and mingle with the artists and local Latinx leaders in the community. The concerts at the Event Center and on the Gathering Glade are free, with online registration requested here. For the safety of guests, masks and social distancing will be required when indoors at this event.
Currently, two more concerts are planned for the new SoNA Beyond series at Fayetteville Public Library. World-renowned tabla artist Sandeep Das will perform in February of 2022. Then, in April 2022, in celebration of National Poetry Month, the SoNA Singers led by Music Director Terry Hicks, will present a concert highlighting music’s ability to transform words from page to sound.
Both concerts, and Voces Latinas, are presented with generous support from the Walmart Foundation.
Additional programming at other venues throughout the region is also in the works for SoNA Beyond, including a creative concert experience as part of a Spring 2022 exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. SoNA Beyond will also present a free concert in partnership with Springdale Public Schools, among others to be announced on an ongoing basis.
To learn more about the new SoNA Beyond series, including programming dates and details as they are announced, visit sonamusic.org/sona-beyond.
To learn about SoNA’s 2021-22 mainstage season spanning Nov. 5, 2021 through April 30, 2022 at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, click here, or call the arts center’s box office at (479) 443-5600.