Singing Around the World with the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra Chorus
I recently joined the reformed Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra Chorus (SASOC). Having earned a BA in music, I always jump at the chance to sing different styles of choral repertoire. At first, I assumed our choir would simply sing a few selections during SASO’s orchestral concerts. However, the chorus has its very own concert season!
Our fall concerts featured minimal instrumental accompaniment, which meant a good number of pieces were sung a cappella (and we didn’t lose pitch!).
The chorus ended up with around 40 singers, and I was thoroughly impressed with the talent across the risers. Usually, the soprano section is the largest in any choir, but our section dwindled down to just eight singers—sometimes tasked with covering four separate soprano parts! The only section with fewer singers was the basses at seven. Despite our small numbers, the parts balanced out beautifully.
[SASO Chorus performance. I’m over on the left!]
A Reptile Show Reunion
The brave director of the chorus is Robin Lopez-Hanshaw: composer, linguist, and SASO bass player. Amusingly enough, I became reacquainted with Robin at the Tucson Reptile Show. A mutual friend, AJ, introduced Robin as her wife. Wife?! I hadn’t seen any wedding photos on Facebook!
Something about Robin struck me as instantly familiar, but it wasn’t until we started rehearsing that the musical connection was revealed. Several years ago, I sang in a community chorus that premiered Robin’s Chanukah Cantata. I hadn’t gotten to know her well at the time because the final touches were still being added to the score as we rehearsed, and I tended to sit way at the end of the row. That premier was spectacular, and I thoroughly enjoyed singing in Hebrew.
Singing in foreign languages has never intimidated me. For my music degree, I had to take courses in three languages, choosing German, French, and Italian. Choral singers encounter Latin all the time, of course, but over the years, I have even performed in Swahili and Mandarin.
[Robin Lopez-Hanshaw conducting]
Let All Nations Sing
The theme for our debut SASOC concert was “Let All Nations Sing,” featuring folk and classical music from across the globe. We ended up performing in the widest variety of languages I have ever sung in a single concert—and that is saying something, because I’ve been around!
Our program took us through languages and musical traditions from Iceland, the Republic of Georgia, East Prussia, Lithuania, Sardinia, England, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States (featuring works in English and Lakota). We also showcased fantastic pieces by local Tucson composers. The concert explored diverse conducting and singing styles, with themes ranging from love and murder to the mechanical rhythm of respirators in a hospital room. Diverse, to say the least! The repertoire was challenging, intricate, and deeply engaging, and I commend Robin for her steadfast belief in us.
I especially want to highlight our featured Tucson composers:
- Miranda Blakeslee – “Prayers of Death”
- Aurora Bass – “Lull to the Array”
- Laura Kepner-Adney – “Everchanging Trail”
- Robin Lopez-Hanshaw – “Tacciono i boschi e i fiumi”
Want a peek behind the music? You can check out several live clips from our performance:
- Watch Concert Video Clip 1
- Watch Concert Video Clip 2
- Watch Concert Video Clip 3
- Watch Concert Video Clip 4
- Watch Concert Video Clip 5
Now, we are on to preparing the next concert in a mere six weeks. I am having a wonderful time tackling the challenge. Thank you, SASO!
If you love supporting live, local performances in Southern Arizona, visit the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra Concert Calendar to see our upcoming schedule and reserve tickets for our next performance!
