Arkansas’ Benton Symphony Orchestra in a recent holiday concert.
In Tuesday’s (12/10) Benton Courier (Benton, Arkansas), Tiffany Hays writes, “ ‘A Classical Christmas,’ this year’s holiday concert by the Saline Symphony Orchestra, will be held on Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. in Bryant High School Love Auditorium. The group will perform a mix of familiar Christmas hits as well as classics such as Vivaldi, Handel’s “Gloria,” and John Rutter’s The Wexford Carol. Benton High School’s choir will be on hand to provide vocal backing … as will students from Parkway Elementary in Bryant. Lisa Hightower, who serves as president of the organization, said that working with students lies at the heart of the Saline Symphony Orchestra. ‘We don’t care if they’re public school, private school, home-schooled—we just want them to be exposed to the music,’ she said. ‘Our mission really is to provide an avenue for our musicians to perform as well as opportunities for people in the community to be introduced to orchestra. That’s really our crux: we want to be an integral part of the community and try to keep the orchestra alive.’ The mission began eleven years ago with a small group of performers. It has now grown to incorporate over 50 [volunteer] musicians across the central Arkansas area.”
