Familiar But Fresh

Longtime friends converge for Arkansas Philharmonic’s Christmas event

Although they enjoy separate careers, vocalists Steve Amerson and Laurie Gayle Stephenson often join forces in concert, particularly at Christmastime. The duo will perform with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday.

Although they enjoy separate careers, vocalists Steve Amerson and Laurie Gayle Stephenson often join forces in concert, particularly at Christmastime. The duo will perform with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Sometimes, the best thing a vocalist can do is get out of a song’s way. That may be even more true during the holiday season, says noted singer Steve Amerson by phone from his office in Los Angeles.

“I firmly believe in the power of a song. Especially during the Christmas season, I think a song has a chance to take you somewhere. … I love to get out of the way. It’s not about me. It’s about the song,” he says.

Amerson and singing partner Laurie Gayle Stephenson have assembled, in conjunction with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, a selection of familiar Christmas songs. The groups, with some assistance from the McNair Middle School Glee Club, will present the tunes during the Christmas With the APO concert event on Sunday at the Arend Arts Center in Bentonville.

Amerson may be trying to let the songs shine, but fans and employers have long noticed his talents. Amerson frequently performs with symphonies and in church settings. He also lends his voice to television, video games and can be heard in more than 160 feature films.

He performs many Christmas concerts each year.

Likewise, fellow vocalist Laurie Gayle Stephenson brings years of experience with her to the stage. She madeher Broadway debut as Lily in “The Secret Garden” and later performed the role of Christine Daae in “Phantom of the Opera” before taking that role on the road when the musical went on tour.

The featured vocalists will arrive in Bentonville today after various gigs in other parts of the country; both maintain busy solo schedules. They’ll rehearse with the orchestra twice before Sunday’s performance.

Amerson and Stephenson have been singing together for about dozen years, and it was at a concert where the duo met Steven Byess, music director of the Arkansas Philharmonic.

They’ve all maintained a friendship throughout the years, one that led to Byess inviting them to Bentonville forSunday’s show.

“He’s a great musician,” Amerson says of Byess. “He’s there to serve the music and to serve the singer.”

Among the three of them, they came up with a program that provides Christmas classics and several newer tunes as well. It also incorporates the McNair Glee Club and, during the end of the concert, a bit of audience participation. On the agenda for Christmas With the APOare “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Silver Bells,” “Mary, Did you Know?” and “Silent Night,” among others.

Finding the right combination of songs is a difficult proposition at Christmastime, Amerson says, particularly because patrons arrive with expectations about what songs they want to hear and how they should sound.

Amerson and Stephenson have about 50 or 60 songs they canperform together.

Amerson says selections on Sunday’s program will be warm and familiar.

“All of us are there to serve the music and the audience,” he says. “I’m not really looking to just sing a concert. I’m looking to create an experience.”

Maybe in the future, a concertgoer will hear this song and remember the night it was performed by Amerson, Stephenson and the APO, he says.

Whats Up, Pages 15 on 12/14/2012