Conway Women’s Chorus makes plans for fall season
CONWAY — The Conway Women’s Chorus is gearing up for another season.
Organized by Joan Hanna in 2005, the chorus meets during the spring and fall, dismissing during the summer. Hanna said performances vary from year to year, but always concentrate on sharing music with community and civic organizations. Each season concludes with a concert that is open to the public and is an eclectic blend of styles and genres.
“New members are welcomed at the beginning of each season,” Hanna said. “Our first open rehearsal date this fall will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday and at the same time Sept. 12 and 19. We meet at Faulkner Academy of Arts, 2201 Washington Ave., here in Conway.”
Hanna said the chorus presents a variety of music.
“Music may be reminiscent of USO tours of World War II or country/folk from the hills of Appalachia,” she said. “We even did a year-long salute to the winners of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.”
Hanna said the chorus started a four-year educational project celebrating the music and stories of the Civil War in 2011.
“That project was so successful, we decided to honor the music, dress and events associated with World War I,” she said. “We started performances of this ensemble in March. Membership in this group is optional for chorus members.”
Hanna said this year’s Christmas show will be A Night of Joy!
“To commemorate that first Christmas night, two of the songs we will perform are the folk-favorite ‘I Wonder as I Wander’ and the touching ‘The Hands That First Held Mary’s Child.’ Then we’ll burst into songs of celebration with Handel’s ‘Sing for Joy.’ We even have a calypso arrangement, ‘Let Heaven and Nature Sing,’ that gives nod to one of the most beloved carols of the season — ‘Joy to the World.’”
Hanna said the World War I Ensemble has scheduled several performances at events this fall, including Living History Day at the Vilonia Military Museum on Oct. 14 [time to be announced]; Faulkner County Museum Open House, 11:15 a. m. Nov. 4; and Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 1:15 p.m., also on Nov. 4. The ensemble will also perform at a meeting of Cadron Post Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, on Dec. 16.
Hanna is also director of Faulkner Academy of Arts, which offers voice and piano lessons for the fall session.
“We accept new students at any time and will pro-rate for the semester,” she said.
For more information on the Conway Women’s Chorus or Faulkner Academy of Arts, call Hanna at (501) 339-7401.