A Very SoNA Christmas 2022-23 Bios

SoNA

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas

A Very SoNA Christmas Bios

Saturday, December 10, 2022 — 2PM & 7:30 PM Baum Walker Hall / Walton Arts Center Paul Haas, Conductor

Sarah Pearson Assistant Conductor

Symphony Chamber Orchestra among numerous others. Sarah currently serves as the music director and founder for the

An internationally recognized conductor,

Cleveland Orchestra in Tennessee, music

Sarah Pearson has won a number of

director of the Chorus of Tennessee,

awards. She is recognized as a talented

music director for The Cleveland Pops

young arts leader in Chattanooga and

in Tennessee, assistant conductor

Cleveland, Tennessee. During the 2022-

for Symphony of Northwest Arkansas,

23 season, Sarah has numerous guest

assistant conductor for Tabernacle

conducting engagements in addition

Symphony Orchestra, music professor

to her regular responsibilities. In the

at Cleveland State Community College,

past, she has conducted the Buffalo

and professor/department chair for Fine

Philharmonic, the Lviv Philharmonic

Arts at Chattanooga Girls Leadership

Orchestra, the Juilliard Symphony

Academy. A champion for new music,

Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra

she has conducted several world and

of Bulgaria, the Bohuslav Martinu

American premieres. She is committed to

Philharmonic Orchestra of Czech

arts education and frequently serves as a

Republic, the Blue Ash Montgomery

teacher, guest lecturer, and adjudicator.

Symphony Orchestra, and the Gwinnett

Terry Hicks SoNA Singers Director

Terry Hicks is in his twenty-ninth year as choral director for the Bentonville Public School System. The first three were spent teaching middle school general music classes and conducting the Sam M. Walton Junior High choirs. He is currently in his nineteenth year as Head Choral Director at Bentonville High School (B.H.S.). Terry holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York and a Masters in Music Education degree from the University of Arkansas. He has had the opportunity to observe Robert Shaw at the Robert Shaw Choral Institute at Furman University in Greenville, SC and to sing in the Robert Shaw Choral Workshop in New York City under the baton of Charles Dutoit in Carnegie Hall. He has also worked with René Clausen through the René Clausen Choral School.

Under Terry’s direction, the choirs at B.H.S. have consistently earned superior ratings at Arkansas Region and State Festivals. The Chamber Choir has won “Best in Class” and “Grand Champion” awards at Musicfest Orlando. His choirs have been invited to sing at the Arkansas

All-State Music Conference sponsored

by ArkCDA three times. The Chamber Choir was invited to perform at the ACDA Southwest Division Convention twice, was requested to perform for Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, as a cultural representative of Arkansas, and performed for the ACDA National Convention twice. In 2007 the Chamber Choir was one of four choirs from across the United States invited to perform in Carnegie Hall with Craig Jessop conducting. The Chamber Choir also received a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall for their individual performance.

The B.H.S. choirs have toured New York, Minnesota, Texas, as well as Germany and Austria this past summer. The tours have provided the choirs with opportunities to appear on “Café USA Live,” “The Today Show,” and on NPR’s “Weekend Edition.”

Among others, B.H.S. Choirs have also participated in workshops with René Clausen, Anton Armstrong, Stan McGill, and Jerry McCoy. In addition to his other duties, Terry teaches AP Music Theory and is the lead teacher of International Baccalaureate Music offered at B.H.S. He was awarded the Distinguished Director Award for the state of Arkansas by ArkCDA in 2001 and received this award again in 2005. Terry is a past president of Arkansas ACDA and past chairperson for the Northwest Region of ArkCDA. His professional memberships and affiliations include ACDA and Phi Mu Alpha. Terry and his wife Peggy reside in Bella Vista with their children Katie and John Thomas.

performed at the Arkansas All-State Conference and the Southwestern Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association. In addition to being an accomplished conductor of western choral music, Dr. Murdock is also a skilled gospel musician and conductor.

He has served on the conducting staff of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., has collaborated with numerous world-renown Gospel recording artists.

Dr. Jeffrey Murdock

UA Inspirational Chorale Director Dr. Jeffrey Allen Murdock is internationally known as a conductor and clinician. He currently serves as Director of Choral Activities, Vocal Area Coordinator and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas. He is the 2016 Connor Endowed Faculty Fellow in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Science, and 2019 Most Outstanding Faculty at the University of Arkansas. He is the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year.

Dr. Murdock has conducted regional and state honor choirs, and headlined conferences in 26 states and 5 countries.

With research interests including of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in the Choral Classroom, Music in Urban Schools, and Social Justice in Music Education, he has presented at state, regional and national conferences of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the International Society for Music Education (ISME), and the American Choral Director’s Association, where he serves as president of the Southwestern Division, past-president of Arkansas ACDA, and serves on the national diversity subcommittee. Choirs under Dr. Murdock’s direction have

Dr. Murdock holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting, both from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Music Education from the University of Memphis.

UA Inspirational Chorale Guest Ensemble

The mission of the Inspirational Chorale is to keep the Black sacred music tradition alive. The ensemble provides a forum where university students, regardless of ethnicity, can perform the various genres of the tradition. The Inspirational Chorale – as an integrated part of the University of Arkansas Department of Music, the academic community, and the community at large – has enjoyed an illustrious reputation while performing for dignitaries and heads of state. The ensemble has made appearances at state and regional conferences, including the 2020 Regional Conference of the American Choral Directors Association. The Chorale regularly tours both domestically and internationally, recently traveling to Ireland, China, and Jamaica. The Chorale performs under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Murdock.

Founder and CEO of Green Room Studios, LLC; a private vocal studio that helps singers find their authentic creativity and on the distinguished music faculty at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR.

Lenora Green-Turner Guest Soprano

American Soprano, Lenora Green-Turner, a native of Macon, GA has been hailed

by Opera News as an impressive vocalist and NYTimes as a most expressive singer. She has sung such roles as Mimi (La Boheme); Mary (Highway 1, U. S. A.); Countess Susanna (Il Segreto di Susanna); First Lady (The Magic Flute), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), title role Suor Angelica, Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), High Priestess (Aida), Antonia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann).

Holding many awards namely Jane Willson Emerging Artist award, Leo Rogers Scholarship/Sarasota Opera Guild; MONC Encouragement Award, regional NATS, William Knight Competition, MTNA Young Artist Program, Former Artist-In-Residence for Stax Music Academy, LeMoyne-Owen College, and Opera Memphis (2013-2017); Dr. Green-Turner has earned her DMA (Dr. Louise Toppin) and MM from University of Michigan and Performance Diploma (Carol Vaness) from Indiana University. She is a member of Exigence under the baton of Dr. Eugene Rogers partnering with Sphinx Organization, a non-profit building diversity in classical music. Dr. Green-Turner is the

Rivers Wiseman Guest Cello

Rivers Wiseman, a local cellist, attends Bentonville High School under the instruction of Jesse Collett and takes private teaching from Dr. Dominic Na. Wiseman has received teaching from John Finch as well as members of SoNA and the Symphony of Kansas City. He is a four-time All-Region and one-time All-State participant. He has recently performed as soloist with the Bentonville High School choir. Most notably, he took part in the masterclass with the Escher Quartet violist, Pierre Lapointe, and received Bentonville High School’s second place performance at the National Orchestra Cup in New York City. Outside of orchestra, Wiseman is a starting athlete on his high school track and football teams. In addition to the cello, he enjoys composing music and playing the piano.