UA Little Rock Music Students and Faculty Perform in London as part of Ozark Festival Singers
Dr. Lorissa Mason, director of choral activities, Leann Jones, collaborative pianist, and six current and former UA Little Rock students traveled to London, England to perform in “The Music and Lineage of Paul Mealor.”
Presented by Vox Anima London, the evening of music took place at Cadogan Hall on June 2 and celebrated the work of Paul Mealor, a renowned artist who recently composed music for the coronation of King Charles III, where various groups each performed a set.
The program included High Point University Chamber Singers from North Carolina, the featured acapella group Apollo5, and a collaboration between Una Voce at Wildwood Park for the Arts and Ozark Festival Singers, which included UA Little Rock faculty and students.
Ozark Festival Singers is a community-based choir whose mission is to travel together and sing. With Mason and Gabe Lewis-O’Connor serving as the conductors and co-artistic directors, Ozark Festival Singers perform across the U.S. and abroad. UA Little Rock students who performed in London as part of the group were Cole Barber, Harris Hogue, Stacey Howard-Parchel, Kaitlyn Kendrick, Lawson Stiegelmeyer, and alumna Carmen Ramirez.
Music performed by the group included:
- “Celtic Heart” by Paul Mealor
- “Three Scottish Folk Songs” by John F. Hudson
- “Agnus Dei” by Joanna Gill
- “Ave Maria” by Henrik Dahlgren
- “Blessing” by Paul Mealor
Mason conducted the concert set performed by the Ozark Festival Singers.
“Conducting on the Cadogan Hall stage was an honor, and to share it with these singers and with the composers of each of our pieces was a special opportunity,” Mason said. “As I prepared this music, I was able to communicate with each of the composers and understand their ideas behind their work.”
The evening closed with the featured group Apollo5 and a combination of the choirs performing a world premiere of Paul Mealor’s newly commissioned piece for the festival “Three Things” with poetry by Grahame Davies.
With the Ozark Festival Singers open for others to join, Mason hopes to see UA Little Rock students seek out new musical experiences.
“The UA Little Rock music program itself has prepared our students with the skills to participate in such a group, where the music is learned largely independently with few and fast rehearsals and a short timeline for a high caliber concert,” she said.
