Northwestern Oklahoma State University will play host to the two remaining acts for the Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series (NWOCS) in March and April.
NWOCS, an organization that seeks to bring cultural performances and entertainment to northwest Oklahoma, will finish off the second-half of the season with Enid Symphony Orchestra and the NWOSU Chorale on Tuesday, March 7, and Bella Donna on Tuesday, April 25. All performances start at 7 p.m. and take place in Northwestern’s Herod Hall Auditorium.
Enid Symphony Orchestra and NWOSU Chorale
The Enid Symphony Association was established in 1971 to foster the Enid Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1906. In 1983 Douglas Newell became the first full-time music and executive director of the Enid Symphony Association.
The mission of the Enid Symphony Association is to maintain a symphonic ensemble that will enrich the quality of life in the Greater Enid area and serve as a cultural ambassador to the region and state. This is to be accomplished through the presentation of predominately classical symphonic music to an ever increasing audience representative of the diverse population of the constituent community.
Performing with the Enid Symphony will be members of NWOSU’s Chorale, the premiere large choir on campus. The Chorale performs a wide variety of masterworks and contemporary choral works of many styles and genres. Although many of the students in the ensemble are not music majors, all student singers in the ensemble benefit from a generous participation scholarship created from Alva sales tax and the University’s dedication to the arts.
On special occasion, alumni and community members are invited to perform as members of the Chorale. Concert traditions include the Holiday Gala Concerts with the Northwestern Concert Band, and spring masterworks concerts. Members of the Chorale and University Singers will be touring Austria and the Czech Republic this summer.
Bella Donna
Bella Donna is influenced by the Ozarks, the creak of tree limbs in the winter, and the summer sounds of cicadas. The traditional music that flows through the hills and hollows of the area the group was raised in helped them form their sound called “Ozark Jazz.”
“As one may expect from the namesake, Bella Donna comes to your ears with a mysteriously intriguing and seductive sound. Rooted in jazz, the ensemble plays with a beauty and darkness that melodically winds itself around your ear drums and sensually sways you into submission,” stated one review from feedbands.com.
Bella Donna has been busy playing shows through the midwest and parts of the east and west coast over the past six years. Members currently are recording their second full-length album that will be available in early 2017. Bella Donna is composed of Liz Carney on vocals and guitar; Matt Guinn as lead guitarist; Mike Williamson on bass and cornet; B.J. Lowrance on drums; and Jeremy Chapman on the mandolin.
Individual performance tickets for these two remaining shows are priced at $5 for students and seniors 65+ and $10 for general admission. Tickets may be purchased online at https://nwocs.ticketbud.com or in person at Holder Drug or Graceful Arts Center in Alva. Tickets also may be purchased at the door the night of the performance.
The reserved seating section at each concert will be held until five minutes prior to the performance.
Stay up-to-date with NWOCS by liking the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NorthwestOkCS/ or on Twitter at @NorthwestOkCS. Keep an eye out for the hashtag #NWOCS.
The Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series is supported by Northwestern, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Charles Morton Share Trust.
For more information about NWOCS, contact Kimberly Weast, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, at kkweast@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8462.