Keep ’Em Guessing

SoNA finds success in season of variations

Friday, May 17, 2013

Since its resurrection under the baton of Paul Haas, the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas has been known for surprises.

Haas made that very clear at the first concert, when he led the Razorback Fight Song as an encore.

When SoNA wraps up its second full season Saturday with a tribute to “Star Wars” composer John Williams, the surprises will be provided by Executive Director Karen Kapella.

Two are secrets. All she’ll say is that concertgoers shouldn’t miss her opening chat.

The third is the unveiling of the 2013-14 season, which includes the much-requested Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber on Nov. 16; a talent search for new voices to join in the Christmas concert Dec. 14;

a Valentine’s Day pops concert that ranges from Puccini to Rodgers and Hammerstein on Feb. 15; Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the John Brown University Cathedral Choir on March 8; and a combination of Mozart, Mahler and Fowler on May 10.

Season tickets will be available to both current and new subscribers starting Saturday evening, and Kapella says she expects many more patrons to join the SoNA “family.”

“We’re approaching our final concert of the season, and the last four concerts have been sell-outs,” she says. “We all feel so grateful to our patrons! The momentum has been building so that we’ve sold out further in advance of the concert each time. We have the best audience!”

“We’ll be lucky if they let US in the hall,” Haas quips.

Haas says he thinks theorchestra has found a formula that will ensure that success continues.

“It’s not a static recipe. We’re trying our best to be in tune with the needs and desires of our audience,” he says. “The magic ingredient in the recipe is to stay one step ahead and always keep the audience guessing. That’s really gotten our fan base excited and keepsthem coming back.

“It’s always been a big thing for me to keep the audience on their toes,” Haas adds. “The last thing you want is an audience who knows exactly what they’re getting every time.”

That, he says, builds its own momentum - from “comfort to laziness to boredom.”

“That’s not the momentum we’re looking for !”

Haas credits Northwest Arkansas audiences for their enthusiasm about music they might have once feared.

“It’s becoming very approachable,” he says.

“They’re learning what their likes and dislikes are, listening to it on their own time,” just as youngsters do when they discover a new band. “It’s really gratifying to us to see classical music becoming popular.”

Kapella credits Haas for much of SoNA’s success.

“Paul is just very intriguing to watch,” she says. “He’s such an artist. What’s just as thrilling to me is watching him behind the scenes, seeing the relationship between Paul and the orchestra, and then seeing everything just come to life on stage. He’s a great artist, but he’s a great entertainer too. He has a way about him of making it fun.”

“I love this music, I want other people to love it,” Haas says. “So I throw myself into the performance and just demonstrate my love for the music.”

Kapella says SoNA is especially happy to see young patrons, breaking age barriers that challenge orchestras nationwide.

“I don’t think in terms of ages when I program, not in New York and not in NorthwestArkansas,” Haas says. “I program in terms of the human spirit, what is going to grab a person emotionally and make him wholly invested in the concert experience.”

Besides enthusiasm, the other feedback most often received this year has been a desire for more concerts, Kapella says, and that means a need for more funding.

That’s no surprise, she adds, but she will be reminding Saturday’s audience that the deadline for a $50,000 matching grant honoring Bruce and Gene Benward is Nov. 16.

“What keeps all this alive, bottom line, is money,” Kapella says. “I hate to say it, but it’s true.”

Whats Up, Pages 14 on 05/17/2013