Odessa Clear during an oral history interview with Matthew Herren

Author: Odessa Clear | Major: International and Global Studies

During the spring of 2022, my freshman year, I worked with an Honors College research team that analyzed the history of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. I was initially intrigued by this project, as a Northwest Arkansas native. Prior to this project, I wasn’t too familiar with SoNA. I wanted to learn more about my community while also working with the Honors faculty. As a part of the research group, students coordinated interviews with notable contributors to SoNA’s success. The project was led by Dr. Chelsea Hodge, Director of Grants and Research Innovation and Dr. Louise Hancox, Director of Career Innovation within the Honors College. Our team worked with the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History. I am studying International and Global Studies and I am minoring in Economics. I was incredibly excited to participate in this project and discover my interest in historical research.

From its grassroots beginnings to its success today, we gained an understanding of SoNA’s role in the community. Since 1954, the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas nearly collapsed due to financial troubles, yet rebounded and today is experiencing great success. This created an interesting narrative to analyze, and we interviewed those who were involved over the years. Our team conducted interviews with a variety of individuals from board members, musicians, to directors. Each interview contributed different perspectives that ultimately created a comprehensive narrative. We were given a general background of the symphony’s history by long time supporter, Mary Benjamin and current executive director, Riley Nicholson. This was our starting point for determining the narrative we wanted to explore.

Through the questions we wrote and interviews we conducted, we explored the partnership between SoNA and the Walton Arts Center, the turnaround from financial troubles, and present day success. Students were the main contact point for reaching out to a suggested list of interviewees. Dr. Hodge was in charge of organizing team meetings and helping guide the team, but the project was primarily student-led. Working in a team environment, sometimes is challenging to get at college, where everything seems so independent. I improved on my communication skills while contacting important people. Our team formatted questions, analyzed history, and took what we learned from other interviews into the next. At times, it was difficult to stay in contact with potential interviewees, but each team member was persistent to reach out.

For my oral interview, I conducted a virtual interview with Matthew Herren, former SoNA director and principal cellist. His involvement began in 2010’s and he recently departed the organization in 2020. Herren assumed the role of executive director following Karen Kapella’s resignation. He took his comradery into his new role with trust from the orchestra, which contributed to his success. Under his leadership, the symphony’s endowment and audience grew significantly. During his interview, I learned about how the atmosphere of SoNA became stable after the efforts of Kapella to save the symphony from collapse. Herren attributed the community’s support and the ability for SoNA to fill a niche in the culture of Northwest Arkansas. As one of the fastest growing areas in the country, Northwest Arkansas has been creating a unique space for the arts. Museums such as Crystal Bridges and the Walton Arts Center for performances have contributed to an increased presence of the arts.

Ultimately, this project allowed me to gain an understanding of oral history and of my community. During this research project, we gave people the space to talk about what they are passionate about. I now understand the importance of storytelling and how complex it can be. The Honors College Grant enabled me to explore my interest in discovering cultural history. From this project, I was able to find my interest in historical and cultural research that I intend to continue to pursue while on campus.