"Watch my hands," Sonia Larson shouts over the din of singing voices.

Monday, November 27, 2000

"Watch my hands," Sonia Larson shouts over the din of singing voices.

Before Larson has the attention of the young people, she must resort to the universal attention-getter. She claps her hands and keeps clapping them until the children are also clapping their hands.

At last, she has their attention.

It is another Monday night at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin and not many more are left until Dec. 10, when music history is made.

The first-ever choir of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students will premier a new work composed by Dan Kallman commissioned for the choir by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The youths will perform alone as well as with the adult chorus at the Dec. 10 concert by the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

Entitled "A Choral Christmas," Stephen J. Ramsey, musical director and conductor, will put the orchestra through their paces. Works such as John Philip Sousa’s "A Christmas Garland," Sammartini’s "Christmas Concerto" and Ramsey’s own "Children’s Choir Suite" will fill Knowlton Auditorium at Austin High School with the second installment this season.

This time, the Absolutely Austin-theme brings a familiar name to the forefront when Kallman’s original "An American Christmas Suite" is performed at the 2 p.m. Dec. 10 concert.

All of the featured musicians in the 44th concert season have Austin connections. Kallman is a 1974 graduate of AHS, who composes and arranges music from his home at Northfield.

Since September, when auditions were held, the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders have been practicing with their director, Larson, each Monday evening and the capable accompaniment on piano of Janet Gilbertson.

Kallman has three brothers and two sisters. His father, David, is a retired long-time elementary music director in the Austin Independent School District. Donna Kallman is his mother.

The composer has visited the rehearsals at Westminster Presbyterian Church to assess the progress the students have made and he is pleased.

"It’s so exciting," is all he can say at the sound of the boys and girls singing his composition.

Kallman’s wife Christine is a writer of poetry and plays. They have two daughters, Laurel, a sixth-grader, and Brittany, a high school junior.

Kallman has visited the adult chorus at their rehearsal, but seems especially eager to hear the children sing at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

"I’m very pleased with what I’m hearing," he said, "and Sonia is an excellent director."

Larson also is pleased with the students’ efforts.

"It’s absolutely thrilling to hear them sing at their best," she said of the 56 voices. "They have worked so hard and from the first time they assembled to the last rehearsal, they are doing so well."

Among the 56 children are many who are being introduced to classical music for the first time. Kallman’s composition is a fine test both for Larson’s tutorial skills and the children’s learning abilities.

"The greatest challenge is, of course, just to get the children to pay attention to the time signatures," she said. "Some of the children read music, but many don’t, so each Monday night I try to reinforce what I can in their minds about Dan’s music and not only what they are singing, but how to sing it."

On this Monday evening in November, Kallman is visiting the rehearsal session and he has high praise for the students, which, in turn, elicits a compliment from Larson.

"We couldn’t be this great if it weren’t for a wonderful piece of music. Let’s give Dan a hand," she exhorts the choir members, who respond with an enthusiastic ovation for the composer.

Dec. 4 will be the last rehearsal at Westminster Presbyterian Church before dress rehearsals take place at Knowlton Auditorium on Dec. 8 and 9 and the concert on Dec. 10.

Kallman said he wants his original composition "An American Christmas Suite" to demonstrate the "joy of children, music and hearing children singing during the Christmas season."