Sonoran Desert Chorale features Music of the Southwest

MESA-The Sonoran Desert Chorale presents an afternoon of Music of the Southwest with their spring concert at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 4, at the Mesa Arts Center's Ikeda Theater, 1 East Main St. Featuring songs of Native Americans and the West, the program includes American Composer Rene Clausen's "Crying For A Dream," narrated by Mary Kim Titla, as well as a performance by one of the nation's leading Native American hoop dancers, Tony Duncan. In addition, the afternoon will feature classic cowboy songs and old West stories from Arizona cowboy poet Tom Weathers.

"American Landscapes II is the continuation of our series of presenting music inspired by American heritage and experiences. This region we live in is filled with such rich cultural traditions -of art, dance, poetry and music," said Jeff Harris, music director. "The Sonoran Desert Chorale is proud to perform these incredible pieces and to collaborate with these great artists of the Southwest."

Rene Clausen's "Crying For A Dream" is written in three movements using text and language from a variety of Native American tribes such as Lakota and Teton Sioux and leaders such as Sitting Bull and Chief Seattle. During the early twentieth century, anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore (1867-1957) worked among Native Americans, collecting and transcribing their music. Rene Clausen combined many of the Native American songs found in Densmore's study to create this beautiful choral work. The last movement uses paraphrased text from Chief Seattle's speech given in 1854, a speech that casts him as an early ecological visionary.

Clausen created "Crying for a Dream" for choirs using relatively sparse accompaniment, just two pianos, a flute, narrators, and the addition of American Indian flutes at the opening. According to Clausen, the piece does not try to be specifically "Native American" music. Instead, he said, he tried to write music which used elements of American Indian musical motifs, but clothed in modern compositional techniques and language.

"The expression of the text became my primary goal, using my own compositional language," said Clausen. "There were many colorful images in the text to draw upon. So I believe the music, though really not Native American in style, does reflect the meaning and content of the mostly Lakota texts in colorful and engaging music." The Phoenix Children's Chorus will join the Sonoran Desert Chorale for the performance.

About the contributing artists:

Mary Kim Titla (Narrator) - a San Carlos Apache, is a 20-year veteran TV News Reporter who spent most of her career working for NBC affiliate stations in Arizona. Titla has won numerous awards for her reporting including First Place Awards from the Associated Press, Arizona Press Club and the Native American Journalists Association. She's also been the recipient of many awards for her work with Native American and Alaskan Native youth. Titla left her TV News job late last year to work full-time on Native Youth Magazine.com with the goal of launching to full scale printed magazine as well as plans for a Native Youth TV show. Titla is Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY). She's a member of the Native American Journalists Association, Arizona Press Women, San Carlos Gilson Wash Enterprise Board and the Point of Pines Cattle Association. She and her family are active members of Crossroads Church of the Nazarene. Her husband is John Mosley, Assiniboine/Paiute. They have three sons.

Tony Duncan "Yellow Bird Dancing" - At just 23, this accomplished young man has been recognized as one of the leading international hoop dancers in the world today. A member of the Apache/Arikara/Mandan/Hidatsa tribes, Tony Duncan and his troupe have been featured at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and perform hoop dancing around the globe. Despite being the youngest dancer in the Division, the Men's Hoop Dance World Championship recognized his talents and awarded him second place honors in numerous annual competitions: 2006, 2005, 2002 and 2001. In addition, Tony Duncan holds the title of World Champion Teen Hoop Dancer for four years: 1999, 98, 96, 95.

Tom Weathers - Cowboy Poet Tom Weathers, is a Flagstaff resident and has been performing at festivals and events for nearly 15 years. He had been a featured performer at countless poetry gatherings throughout the Southwestern United States, bringing his passion for cowboy poems and songs to thousands of individuals.

Sonoran Desert Chorale was founded in 1994 and is lead by Music Director Jeff Harris. Since its inception, the group has become a highly regarded and sophisticated choral organization, presenting musical compositions from cultures around the globe as well as important pieces from the European and American music traditions. Concerts frequently include guest performances and collaborations with distinguished artists and organizations in the community such as the Phoenix Children's Chorus, Southwest Brass, Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band and the Four Seasons Symphony. The Chorale frequently is engaged for a European concert tour, with performances throughout Europe, including Venice, Salzburg, and Prague. In 2005, the Chorale was invited to perform with Broadway superstar Michael Crawford for the inaugural concert of the $150 million Mesa Arts Center.

Tickets for Sonoran Desert Chorale's American Landscapes II - Music of the Southwest are $15 and $12 for seniors and children. Tickets are on sale now at www.mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.

Significant support is received from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Sonoran Desert Chorale gratefully acknowledges Michael A. Pollack Real Estate Investments and Phoenix Analysis Design Technologies for their generous support of the 2006-07 Season.

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