Share on FacebookWhether you are Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Agnostic, Jewish, Amish, Atheist, Wiccan, Catholic or 'Spiritual' Safonia wishes for you the joy of times with your friends and family, the delight of the return of the light of Solstice and glad tidings from loved ones well met with true love and companionship.
The past year has been both challenging and joyful for Safonia and our extended family. Our second cd recording Taking Flight was released in May and we couldn't be more proud of the music on the disc. We performed a collaborative concert with Jeff Jenkins and 5280 A Capella in October, our first collaboration with a group outside of the choral world and had an absolutely wonderful time. Last but not least our most recent concerts "Joy, Delight & Good Tidings" celebrated the season with holiday and non-holiday music. All of these concerts were wonderful, and the cd, is definitely worth owning. We also celebrated the life and mourned the passing of our dear member and friend, Diane Carabello, in June. She left us with hearts full of warmth and continued inspiration.
With the return of the light comes the excitement of planning for the future, particularly plans for our Spring concert. One portion of Diane's legacy is the premier of our first commissioned work entitled "When I Sing". Our former accompanist, Chappell Kingsland, currently a Doctoral candidate in composition at Indiana State University, has written a work that promises to honor both Diane and Safonia. Text for the work is sourced from the Rosary as well as poetry from Safonia members. The concerts, also entitled "When I Sing", are scheduled for April 16th, 17th, and 18th, and will also feature the complete cycle of the seasons by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis. There will be plenty of love songs and dances to honor the woodland sprites as they awaken from their long winter sleep. We hope you can join us in the celebration of this concert.
Thank you for your support throughout the year. We look forward to many more concerts together.
--Safonia
Safonia's Artistic Staff
Ms. Wasson has been an active participant in music from an early age. With two musical parents that required involvement in the arts as a requisite to athletic involvement, Marla has been involved in music as a family medium as well as community theatre, choirs and bands.
Marla received a Master of Music from the University of Northern Colorado and holds a BA in Business Management from the small liberal arts college in Kansas, McPherson College.
Having grown up in a musical family, Marla sees her participation in music as a natural outgrowth of her early musical life. Marla joined the chorus as a singing member in the Spring of 1989. Shortly thereafter she joined a small ensemble within the chorus called ‘Take Note!’. Successive seasons saw her responsibilities and participation in the chorus grow until she was chosen as Acting Artistic Director in the Fall of 1995. The chorus selected Ms. Wasson as permanent Artistic Director in the Spring of 1996.
Marla says this about her choral music philosophy, “Music is an integral part of the human experience. Each of us holds a cherished memory of a certain song from some place in our life that reflects our very existence in a given moment. From a very basic a capella lullaby to the grandest opera or Mass, choral music has a power that few art forms can match. For me, that power lies in the ability of our choir to give our lives, however briefly, to our art. We use music to inform not only our own experiences, but those of our audience members. Choral music, reflects the ability of each member of the ensemble to let go and participate in the greater power available to us all within the act of creation.”
As a dynamic conductor, Marla believes that choral music is more than just notes on a page, and works to help the choruses she conducts better at communicating the full intent of the musical work.
Eric French, a native of Southwest Kansas, graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After graduation, Eric relocated to Detroit, Michigan where he served as a performing arts faculty member of Rochester College, Michigan Opera Theater’s Learning @ the Opera House and Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School. While living in Detroit, Eric performed as an accompanist and pianist in New York, New Orleans, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Orlando, London, Paris, Palermo, Sicily and Ghana, West Africa as well as being actively involved with local community theaters as a pianist, actor and director.
In 2006 Eric moved to Denver where he currently is the pianist and accompanist for Arvada Presbyterian Church and most of all the ladies of Safonia. Eric will also be performing with Empire Lyric Players for their A Gilbert and Sullivan Christmas Carol this holiday season.
Coincidentally, Eric & Marla both grew up in Southwestern Kansas ~ adding another bit of Kansas flavor to the Safonia mix!
Call for Singers
Safonia is auditioning new singers January 3rd. Send Marla an email if you'd like to audition!
Buy A CD!
Safonia's latest CD "Taking Flight!" is now available for purchase online