Texarkana chorale season lineup; new art exhibits; blues festival; more,
The Texarkana Regional Chorale has another season of fine choral music ahead with rehearsals starting in August and a first concert in October.
Music director and conductor MarcAndré Bougie and piano accompanist Mary Scott Goode are both headed into their 15th season with the longtime community chorus, and they’ll be celebrating this milestone. Once again, the season reflects an eclectic sensibility when it comes to the repertoire.
“As far as planning and putting a season together, it will be a year of celebration,” Bougie said, adding that the professional partnership with Goode has
been a highlight of his life. Of course, they’ve also worked together in the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and other projects.
The 2018-2019 season opener is 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, with an outdoors concert at the CHRISTUS St. Michael Imaging Center. This “Al Fresco Concert” is one they did last year and it proved very successful.
“It was packed,” Bougie said, noting how beautiful it was to be outdoors singing, giving the audience something different.
The night’s repertoire will have a variety from classical to popular and religious music. “It’s a 45-minute choral medley, basically, of great pieces,” Bougie said.
Up next is the “Mistletoe Fair Showcase” at the Four States Fairgrounds, a half-hour concert starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. The conductor thought it would be good to do this sort of outreach there, where entertainment often consists of dance troupes.
“It’s a different segment of the community,” Bougie said about the audience.
Just a couple weeks later, the TRC returns with “Christmas Choral Splendor” at St. Edward’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The concert starts at 7 p.m. and a post-concert reception is included. Much of this music will be Baroque. “We’re going to do music by Bach,” Bougie said. Look for Handel to be heard, too.
It will be the TRC’s first independent Christmas concert in several years. Also, St. Edward’s is under renovation with the sanctuary being redone. “This should be the first official concert or community event, if you will, in that new sanctuary,” Bougie said. “We’re very excited about it. It looks fantastic in there.”
On Sunday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m., the TRC presents “SoulFest” at the Sullivan Performing Arts Center. This a Black History Month program with gospel, spirituals and more music by black composers.
“And we will partner with different groups for that concert,” Bougie said. Among those partners will be a choir from Grambling State University. “They’ll do a residency in Texarkana the whole weekend.”
With the TRC model, Bougie explained, they want to reach out and have programs that are engaging for the audience and enticing for the singers.
The TRC presents its “Mardi Gras Fundraiser” for the second year on Tuesday, March 5, start time at 6 p.m. That’s Fat Tuesday night. Last year was a Broadway-themed repertoire. “We’re going to kick it up a notch,” Bougie promised about this new TRC tradition.
To round out the season, the Chorale presents “Alzheimer Stories & Carmina Burana” at the Perot Theatre, a unique program, Bougie said. This is Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m.
“Our big return in the big house, the main room,” Bougie said. The first piece explores Alzheimer’s in a musical way through a piece composed by Robert Cohen. “The text is a reflection on the disease … through the eyes of two soloists, a mother and a son mostly, and the choir, which basically reinforces the narrative.”
Then, in “Carmina Burana,” it’s the famous Carl Orff vocal work, a cantata. “This is a favorite of singers … and a favorite of the audience,” Bougie said.
Also, the TRC holds a workshop with Dr. Wallace Long at Texarkana College from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, where rehearsals will be followed by a brief public performance. Weekly rehearsals are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Stilwell Humanities Building Music Hall at Texarkana College. Rehearsals for the fall semester start Aug. 21. Contact the TRC at txkregionalchorale@gmail.com for more information. New singers will need to schedule a vocal placement audition. Tuition is $120 for a year or $70 per semester. TRC registration through the college is possible.
“This (“Christmas
Choral Splendor”) should be the first official concert or community event, if you will, in that new sanctuary (St. Edward’s Catholic Church). We’re very excited about it. It looks fantastic in
there.” —Marc-André
Bougie