Our 39th season promises engaging repertoire for both our Winter and Spring performances. Our December concerts, Women in Winter, will be a first for ARS—a performance built entirely of repertoire by women composers. The variety of styles and perspectives related to the season, including Snow Angel by Sarah Quartel, an 18-minute, five-movement work featuring piano, cello, and djembe accompaniment, will provide an enriching holiday musical experience.
We are excited to perform in two new venues, each with personal connections to ARS. The first is St. Mark Catholic Church in Oro Valley—a gorgeous building with wonderful acoustics that can host our growing audience. We know our sound will be elevated in this stunning space that is the home church to one of our singers. The second venue is Desert Skies United Methodist Church where Ryan Phillips, ARS’ Music Director, serves as Music Director and where two of our singers attend. We look forward to bringing the ARS experience to brand new audiences in this large sanctuary.
Our Spring repertoire is inspired by the joys and wonders of children and holds a warm place in our hearts—in March, our Music Director and his wife welcomed twins into their family. This performance will feature foreign language pieces, including Bo na Leathadhairce by Desmond Earley, which uses a tune learned by Irish children in school, Hela Rotan, an arrangement of an Indonesian folk song by Ken Stevens about the game of tug-of-war, and Kidsong by Stephen Caldwell, which brings together multiple children’s songs into one cohesive piece.