The Ars Nova Singers annual fundraising Gala – ORIGINS – is just around the corner! On the evening of September 11 we will be serving up a rustic, yet refined, evening of fine food, craft beer, wine, and cultivated song. We’ll nourish you with a light supper, quench your thirst with an array of craft beer, wine, and other refreshments, and host a silent auction interspersed with musical selections by the choir and guest instrumentalists. We’ll also introduce the newest member of the Ars Nova staff – Associate Conductor Elizabeth Swanson! The evening will culminate with an emceed live auction and paddle raiser. Of course this event is designed not only to introduce our season and celebrate our patrons and donors, but also to raise funds to support Ars Nova’s work.
Ars Nova Singers Opens Its 37th Season with Gala 2022: ORIGINS
Special guests for ORIGINS include Sandra Wong, violin and nyckelharpa; Margot Krimmel, celtic harp; and Divya Maus, composer. Sandra will perform the Colorado premiere of an arrangement of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, for violin and voices, as well as entertain guests on the little-known Swedish folk instrument, the nyckelharpa. Artistic Director Tom Morgan has also chosen a work by Ars Nova audience favorite Bill Douglas, and we’ll give guests a glimpse into the composing process and a taste of our exciting Spring 2023 project, Ascent: A Boulder Soundwalk, with composer Divya Maus.
Sandra Wong began studying the violin at age seven with the intention of becoming a concert violinist. This remained her sole focus for fifteen years, until she discovered fiddling…and her musical world was turned upside down! Since then, Sandra’s focus with her music has shifted to connecting other people and cultures through music as a way to build community and express our common humanity. In 1999, Sandra discovered a 14th-century Swedish folk instrument called the nyckelharpa and fell in love. This is a 16-string, keyed instrument played with a bow. It has become an integral part of her musical expression. Sandra has toured nationally and internationally as a solo artist and in collaboration with various musicians.
Harpist Margot Krimmel brings creative musicianship to her work as a performer, teacher, composer, and freelancer in the Boulder and Denver area. As a solo performer, Krimmel has won diverse awards ranging from first place in jazz (Pop and Jazzfest; Tucson, AZ), first place in traditional music (Scottish Highland Festival; Estes Park), and third place in composition for Celtic harp (Rencontres Harpe Celtique, Dinan, France).
A native of Denver, Krimmel sang and played guitar in swing bands before taking up the harp. She began her harp career entertaining guests six nights a week at the Sonnenalp Resort in Vail before moving to Boulder and expanding into teaching and composing. She has appeared from elegant venues like the Brown Palace in Denver, to down-to-earth folk music stages like Denver’s Swallow Hill Music Hall, the Radio Room in Grand Junction, CO and The Black Rose Acoustic Society in Colorado Springs. She has traveled and played internationally in Germany, France, Ireland, and England.
Divya Maus is a composer and singer-songwriter whose pieces have been performed at jazz and choral festivals across the country, as well as major venues that include the Lincoln Center’s Appel Room and Feinstein’s 54 Below in NYC, and the Grammy Museum, Rockwell Table & Stage, and the Ricardo Montalbàn Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2013, Divya released her debut album, BIGGER, which led to an opening performance for the Beach Boys in Los Angeles, and earned her song “Salty Water” a finalist placement in the Great American Song Contest. Divya’s compositions have been performed by such notable singers as Shoshana Bean, Carrie Manolakos, and Luke Edgemon. Divya was an original cast member of Heather Christian’s ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS in New York and received a Lucille Lortel Award for her performance. She is also a member of the contemporary chamber choir, L.A. Choral Lab, an ensemble of professional singers and musicians in Los Angeles, which champions new composers and ground-breaking contemporary choral work along with its traditional classical repertoire. Before Divya moved to the U.S. in 2004, her family lived alternately between Germany, India, and England. The cultures and places that influenced her youth shape her identity as a composer today. Her work is driven by story-telling in all its different shapes; not exclusively pop songwriting or musical theatre, but all the forms in which music can be used to tell a story.
Along with this festive evening there will be fun and enticing silent auction items to bid on as well as a live auction and paddle raiser, with emcee Jim Brody from the CU College of Music. The silent auction begins online on September 4 and culminates at the event on the 11th. It’s a great way to celebrate a return to live music and support Ars Nova Singers!
Come enjoy a late summer evening on the Farm, be entertained, and find out what a nyckelharpa and a Soundwalk are! As always, Ars Nova delights, inspires, and enlightens!
Tickets for Gala 2022: ORIGINS are $75 per person and may be purchased here.