Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sacred songs
Acclaimed choir visits Arkansas
Sean Sweeden is returning Oct. 23 to his old Sunday morning stomping grounds — First United Methodist Church in Morrilton — and he’ll have the William Baker Festival Singers with him.
During the morning service, the group will perform new music by Sweeden, their composer in residence, as well as a number of older standards — primarily American hymns and spirituals.
In the afternoon, they’ll sing again, this time, at Subiaco Abbey. The day before they’ll also lift their voices during the Vigil Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Altus.
The opportunity to perform in Sweeden’s home state appealed to Baker, the group’s founder.
“It gives us a chance to celebrate his music in his home areas, and gives us a new place to go,” he said.
Bill Sardin, the Morrilton congregation’s pastor, is eager to welcome them.
“We are very excited and feel blessed to have a world-class choir come to perform in our town,” he said. “We’re so thankful for Sean Sweeden.”
The church has average attendance of roughly 80 these days, but there is room for 250 in the sanctuary with more seats available in the overflow area.
Sardin foresees a sizeable turnout, “especially with Sean being a part of the choir. He’s very beloved in the community,” he said.
Since it came into existence, roughly a quarter-century ago, the singers have alternated each year between regional tours and national tours, including appearances at Washington National Cathedral, Trinity Church Wall Street in New York, St. James Cathedral in Chicago and St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.
In 2021, the 50-voice ensemble was the Second-Place National Winner of the American Prize in Choral Performance.
The singers have performed in 14 states.
“This is our first trip to Arkansas, so we’re really excited about it,” Baker said.
All three concerts are free and open to the public.
“We’ve been trying to make this happen since 2020,” Sweeden said.
“We started talking to people in Arkansas about venues and stuff and trying to get things scheduled and then the pandemic happened,” he said. “We’ve had to cancel it twice. … I’m super excited that it’s finally going to happen.”
Sweeden, a graduate of Morrilton High School, is the son of Preston Sweeden, who served as the Methodist congregation’s music director for nearly three decades.
The younger Sweeden was a longtime part of the music program as well.
“I started singing in the adult choir when I was in the fifth grade,” he said.
Initially an alto, he became a tenor as he matured. Following high school graduation, he continued singing on Sundays, even during his years as a student at Arkansas Tech University at Russellville.
After receiving a bachelor of arts in percussion and vocal performance there, he went on to earn a master of music in percussion performance from the University of Arkansas, and a doctorate of musical arts in percussion performance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
It will be nice to perform again at Subiaco Abbey and at the church in Altus, but the Morrilton stop will be a homecoming, he noted.
“It’s gonna be super, super special for me,” he said. “That’s where I learned to sing and learned to appreciate music.”