Tucson, AZ, March, 2025 — From the dawn of civilization, people have gazed skyward at the vast unknown and pondered our place in it. The universe — as an idea and a reality — conjures both boundless possibility as well as the limits of human knowledge. This spring, the Arizona Repertory Singers (ARS) consider this poetic paradox in Sun, Moon, and Stars, a globe-spanning program drawing from a wide array of lullabies, evening songs, sacred music, and contemporary classics. 

Covering more than six centuries and including over a dozen choral pieces, Sun, Moon, and Stars explores and contemplates our relationship with the cosmos from early times through today. The oldest piece is Monteverdi’s Ecco Mormorar L’onde, a Renaissance madrigal that navigates various moods from serene to bright, as enjoyable today as when it was written in 1590. 

More recent compositions will be more readily recognizable to audience members. Light of a Clear Blue Morning by Dolly Parton, arranged here in seven parts by Craig Hella Johnson and performed with recorder accompaniment, creates a layered tapestry of sound that honors the original while charting a new choral direction. Fly Me to the Moon — familiar to Tony Bennett fans and also covered by Miss Piggy — is sure to have listeners singing along and swaying in their seats; this modern standard was composed by Bart Howard and arranged by Robert Page.

Moving through musical history, two German pieces evoke a nineteenth-century world of retiring with the sun and appreciating the splendor of the night sky. Josef Rheinberger’s sacred motet, Abendlied (or “Evening Song”), borrows New Testament text to welcome the darkness as a time of peace and rest. On the other hand, O Schöne Nacht! (Oh Lovely Night!) by Johannes Brahms with text from poet Georg Friedrich Daumer and accompanied by piano, captures the romance of the night — the moon’s luminosity, the stippled stars, the nightingale’s song — when lovers meet under cover of darkness.

The program also features two selections from American composer, conductor, and ARS favorite Eric Whitacre. The Seal Lullaby, composed to a poem by Rudyard Kipling, is a rhythmic incantation, summoning slumber with its soothing sounds. The simply titled Sleep, with lyrics by American poet and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri, recognizes the obstacles to seeking rest — namely, incessant thoughts — and somehow tucks them in and puts them to bed in a single song. 

Also among the selections is Canadian composer Sarah Quartel’s Sing, My Child, a mixed-meter piece accompanied by djembe and originally composed for a choir of 700; it calls on us to embrace all children, every new generation, as a promise for a new day. A longer, more atmospheric work, “Nocturne” by Black American composer Adolphus Hailstork, immerses listeners in the wondrous sights and sounds of nature, each line an inquiry and invitation to share in “the beauty of a summer night.”

Combining the traditional and contemporary, light and dark, collective experience and personal impression, Sun, Moon, and Stars offers a multi-faceted choral journey through the universe. Says ARS music director Ryan Phillips, “This is a performance inspired not only by musical beauty, but by poetry as well. It promises to be an enriching and captivating afternoon for all.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 26
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Saturday, May 3
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Sunday, May 4
4:00 pm
St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley

Tickets are available in advance at arsingers.org. Prices are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID. 

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Founded in 1984, the Arizona Repertory Singers is an ensemble of nearly 50 singers from greater Tucson. Over the decades, the choir has developed an extensive musical archive and prides itself on presenting high-quality performances of both standard repertoire and new music. Its singers, selected through a rigorous audition process, represent a variety of work life careers in business, education, engineering, information technology, law, medicine, social service, science, and the arts.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tucson, AZ, October, 2024 — This December, join the Arizona Repertory Singers (ARS) to celebrate winter’s arrival with Oh, Wondrous Night!, a musical tour of familiar carols and choral classics. Wrapping up its 40^th anniversary year, ARS draws on an extensive catalog as well as new additions for this program of 16 well-known songs, spirituals, revels, and treasured masterpieces.

Audience members will recognize songs from childhood, seasonal standards, and moving choral works. Six pieces feature piano accompaniment, and a string quartet backs four of the compositions. Of this walk down memory lane, music director Ryan Phillips observed, “ARS is delighted to present a repertoire of popular and beloved music to spark joy and set the tone for a festive holiday season.”

The singers are equally excited to share their enduring passion for choral singing with the wider Tucson community. Many have sung in choral groups throughout their lives or have returned to ensemble singing after a hiatus. Some are accomplished musicians in instruments apart from voice—piano, drums, clarinet, and more­­—often performing professionally, teaching, or directing. Their long tenures in ARS are a measure of their devotion to the transformative power of choral singing—one singer has been with ARS since its inception.

Program highlights are:

• the resonant Carol of the Bells, capturing the cadence and urgency of hand bells ringing and arranged by Peter Joseph Wilhousky;
• the Tomás Luis de Victoria version of O Magnum Mysterium, a Renaissance motet with imitative polyphony;
• two compositions by renowned English composer and conductor John Rutter—Candlelight Carol, a tribute to the beauty of nature and a mother’s love, and Angels’ Carol, its sweet harmonies conveying a message of peace and joy;
• a Hebrew folk favorite at concerts and Shabbat feasts, Hine Ma Tov, proclaiming the pleasures of coming together and arranged by Neil Ginsberg with flute and piano accompaniment;
• and the rousing Go Where I Send Thee!, a Black spiritual arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, its fast tempo encompassing 15 key changes!

As ever, the ARS annual winter concerts are celebrations of choral music’s extraordinary beauty shared in community. Oh, Wondrous Night! indeed promises to be an occasion for both lifted voices and hearts. Please join Arizona Repertory Singers in the revelry; sing along to your favorite carols; and welcome the season with merriment and music.

CONCERT SCHEDULE

Saturday, December 7
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Sunday, December 8
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Sunday, December 15
4:00 pm
St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley

Tickets are available in advance at arsingers.org/buytickets. Prices are $22 online and $25 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID.

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Founded in 1984, the Arizona Repertory Singers is an ensemble of nearly 50 singers from greater Tucson. Over the decades, the choir has developed an extensive musical archive and prides itself on presenting high-quality performances of both standard repertoire and new music. Its singers, selected through a rigorous audition process, represent a variety of work life careers in business, education, engineering, information technology, law, medicine, social service, science, and the arts. For more details, see arsingers.org.

Contact: Julie Ray, Communications Consultant
julie@julieraycreative.com
(520) 891-8098
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Tucson, AZ, March, 2022 — This spring, the Arizona Repertory Singers present KidSong, a celebration of children’s songs, ballads, games, and lullabies. With a repertoire of over a dozen pieces in six languages, the program encompasses not only the playfulness and enchantment of childhood, but also its complexities.

ARS music director Ryan Phillips decided on the theme soon after he his wife welcomed twins, on the heels of an ARS rehearsal. “These songs hold a warm place in my heart,” explains Phillips, “and flow organically from the joys and wonders we’ve experienced watching them grow this past year.” In their honor, he prepared his own arrangement of “All Through the Night,” a centuries-old cradlesong he has sung countless times for his little ones as his mother did for him.

These deep connections we feel to our early years — from generation to generation and across cultures — is a through line for the entire concert, and many songs will stir wistful memories, longing, or even sorrow. The plaintive “Only in Sleep,” by Ēriks Ešenvalds, proposes that our childhood friendships live on in dreams (something of a consolation) while Eric Whitacre’s beseeching “Child of Wonder” invokes solace after devastating loss. Watching over all is “Sudraba Meness (the Silver Moon),” its reassuring presence captured in a stirring ode by composer Laura Jēkabsone and sung by ARS in the original Latvian.

The program includes many feisty and fun pieces as well, kicking off with “Hela Rotan,” a rousing tug-of-war tune from the island of Maluku, arranged by Ken Steven and sung with percussive panache in Indonesian; its lyrics extol the benefits of both healthy competition and necessary cooperation. “KidSong,” an energizing medley from Stephen Caldwell (the tempo marking is simply “as fast as possible”), revives treasured children’s classics, accompanied by claps and stomps, and may well prompt listeners to sing along.

Other traditional selections include the frolicking “Bó na Leathadharice,” arranged by Desmond Earley and sung in Irish with bodhrán accompaniment, and “We Rise Again,” an uplifting coalminer’s ballad of children carrying their forebears’ legacies forward, from darkness to light; it’s composed by Leon Dubinsky, arranged by Stephen Smith, and accompanied by piano.

In a similar vein, “Prayer of the Children” by Kurt Bestor and featuring tenors and basses, calls for hope and peace. The altos and sopranos take center stage for “On Children,” composed by Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Ysaye Barnwell with lyrics by Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. Its message to parents and elders urges them to champion the independence and individuality of children.

Finally, ARS will reprise last year’s ever-popular “I Love You/What a Wonderful World,” the well-known lyrics harkening to the beauty around us, a gift to our children. Like the rest of the program, the piece invites audience members to travel down “memory lane” or encounter a familiar feeling in a new song. KidSong sets the charms and challenges of childhood to music and captures our shared experience. This universality is central to the endeavor. As Phillips says, “There’s something for everyone.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE
Sunday, April 16 3:00 pm Desert Skies United Methodist Church, 3255 N. Houghton Road, Tucson
Friday, April 21 7:30 pm St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley
Sunday, April 23 3:00 pm Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Tickets are $18 in advance at https://arsingers.org/buy-tickets/ and $20 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID.

Covid Policy: As a performing arts organization, our audiences come first. All ARS Singers are vaccinated and have had a booster shot. We recommend that patrons attending our concerts wear a mask.

Celebrating their 39th season, the Arizona Repertory Singers is an auditioned ensemble of nearly 50 singers from greater Tucson. Since 1984 this choir has developed an extensive repertory and prides itself on presenting high quality performances of the standard repertoire and new music. Our community of singers, selected through a rigorous audition process, represent a variety of work life careers in business, education, engineering, information technology, law, medicine, social service, science, and the arts. For more details, see arsingers.org.

Contact: Julie Ray, Communications Consultant
julie@julieraycreative.com
(520) 891-8098
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 21, 2022
 
Tucson, AZ, October, 2022 — The Arizona Repertory Singers (ARS) present Women in Winter, a holiday program of familiar standards, new compositions, and fresh arrangements by women. “This is a first for us,” ARS music director Ryan Phillips explains. “We were inspired by a suggestion from one of our singers to focus on female composers and arrangers, a rare endeavor within the realm of holiday choral music which, like many subgenres, has been dominated over the centuries by men. We’re excited to expand our music library, diversify our repertoire, and perform these engaging works for our Tucson community.”

Encompassing both the secular and the sacred, the program is bookended by works from Sarah Quartel, a Canadian composer, educator and conductor. The concert commences with “This Endris Night,” a lilting piece that reimagines a 15th-century text for modern audiences and culminates with “Snow Angel.”

A departure from the shorter pieces in the program, “Snow Angel” allows both the singers and audience members to experience a range of moods and rhythms over its 18-minute span. Its five movements evoke the beauty of the season through children’s eyes, guided by a celestial chorus as they journey through darkness to light. This captivating work features piano, cello, and djembe.

Fourth-generation choral composer Abbie Betinis follows in her forbears’ footsteps, composing a holiday carol each year, shared on Minnesota Public Radio. Women in Winter boasts two: “Carol of the Stranger,” a call of welcome and a wish for peace, with lyrics by poet and librettist Michael Dennis Browne; and the lively “Hail, Christmas Day!” based on a medieval-style poem by Betinis’ grandfather, John H. Burt, with alternating meter and round-singing.

Other rousing selections come from Rosaphanye Powell, a prolific composer, educator, and scholar of Black spirituals. In that tradition, ARS offers “Have You Seen the Baby Jesus?” and Glory Hallelujah to Duh Newbo’n King.” The first is a new song with a foot-tapping tempo inspired by jazz and gospel rhythms, and the second, her classic arrangement recast for tenors and basses by her husband, William C. Powell.

Canadian Kim Baryluk’s “Solstice Carol,” a round of warm, modal harmonies for altos and sopranos, conjures the timeless gatherings that mark the shift in seasons. Another celebration of community, “Hiney Mah Tov,” a Hebrew folk favorite both in concerts and at Shabbat feasts throughout the world, proclaims the pleasures of coming together in its simple message from Psalm 133: “behold how good.” This version is arranged by Iris Levine.

Collective joy is also at the heart of the well-known “Gaudete” — Latin for “rejoice” — in a new, upbeat arrangement from Annabel Rooney. In addition, the jubilant “Sussex Carol,” arranged by Elaine Hagenberg and featuring a string quartet, testifies to the enduring popularity of this traditional English piece. Capturing a more reflective mood, “There Is No Rose,” by Seattle-based writer, critic, and teacher Melinda Bargreen, transports with its haunting cadence and the ebb and swell of voices.

“We’re delighted to present such a range of holiday music this season in a program that focuses on women composers working today, primarily in North America,” remarks Phillips. “The quieter pieces invite introspection while the exuberant ones gather us in celebration as we end the year and welcome the next together.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE
Friday, December 97:30 pm*St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley
Sunday, December 113:00 pm*Desert Skies United Methodist Church, 3255 N. Houghton Road, Tucson
Sunday, December 183:00 pmChrist Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Tickets are $18 in advance at arsingers.org and $20 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID.

Covid Policy: All ARS Singers are vaccinated and have had a booster shot. We encourage patrons attending our concerts to wear a mask. This policy will be reviewed closer to December concerts and updated, if necessary.

*Indicates new venues for ARS concerts. Thank you to St. Mark Catholic Church and Desert Skies United Methodist Church for sharing their spaces for our Winter 2022 concerts.

Celebrating their 39th season, the Arizona Repertory Singers is an ensemble of nearly 50 singers from greater Tucson. Since 1984, the choir has developed an extensive repertory, presenting high-quality performances of both standard repertoire and new music. Our community of singers, selected through a rigorous audition process, represents a variety of professions and life pursuits, such as business, education, engineering, information technology, law, medicine, social service, science, and the arts. For more details, see arsingers.org.