Monthly Archives: December 2012

Festivus for the Best of Us

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Festivus for the Best of UsAn organization dedicated to historic preservation continues to make history by hosting the second ever official Festivus party in Little Rock.

Festivus is a festival for the rest of us.

No Festivus is complete without the airing of grievences or the feats of strength.  There will also be the official ceremonial pole which has no decorations because “tinsel is too distracting.”

When: Tuesday, December 11 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

Tickets are $35 for QQA members and $40 for non members.  Tickets and QQA memberships are available at the door.  The price includes food and open bar.

Proceeds benefit the preservation programs of the Quapaw Quarter Association.

Oxford American Music Issue!

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14th Annual Music IssueThe Oxford American’s holiday gift to readers and music lovers is the annual music issue.  This year (the 14th edition) is dedicated to Louisiana.  Reading this and listening to the cd is the perfect way to unwind after shopping or holiday parties — or the perfect escape from pesky relatives.

Little Rock is fortunate to have the Oxford American located here.  Kudos to publisher Warwick Sabin and the OA staff and board for creating another great issue and cultural experience.

The Oxford American’s 2012 Southern Music Issue showcases the rich musical heritage of the state of Louisiana, where sounds emanating from the swamps of Acadiana, the cotton fields of North Louisiana, and the streets and barrelhouses of New Orleans percolated into America’s national consciousness and left a profound mark on modern music.

As always, the issue includes a CD featuring an exciting mix of music and artists. Handpicked by the staff of The Oxford American and guest editor Alex Rawls, creator of Myspiltmilk.com and a longtime fixture of the Louisiana music scene, this year’s 21-track compilation showcases the great variety of styles and genres that have emerged from the creole state—from Cajun to funk, country, jazz, New Orleans bounce, zydeco, r&b, gospel, blues, rock & roll, and everything in between.

In 152 pages of insightful writing and stunning artwork,The Oxford American delves deep into Louisiana’s musical landscape—its past, present, and future.

Highlights include:

  • Jason Berry, author of Up From the Cradle of Jazz, on the life and legacy of Professor Longhair, the “Bach of Rock”
  • Jazz critic Stanley Crouch with a definitive exposition on the jazz aesthetic and the fundamental innovations of New Orleans’s greatest jazz artists
  • Three new poems by Louisiana’s own Yusef Komunyakaa, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who evokes the region’s blues and jazz traditions in his verse and vernacular
  • Amanda Petrusich on the emotional power of the singing and playing of Amédé Ardoin, the great Creole accordionist
  • Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Rose on Louisiana’s role as the cradle of American music
  • Duncan Murrell explores the paradoxes of the quest for authenticity and originality in American roots music and the conflicts that have arisen between New Orleans’s musical communities and political authorities

PLUS: Interviews, profiles, remembrances, and special features devoted to an array of artists and institutions, including Johnny Adams, Rev. Utah Smith, Margaret Lewis, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, Robert Pete Williams, The Meters, Barbara Reid, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Shreveport’s Louisiana Hayride, Terrance Simien, New Orleans brass bands, Bourbon Street, Tony Joe White, Zydeco hip-hop, and more.

Arkansas Chamber Singers: Singing for Joy

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ACSThe Arkansas Chamber Singers present their annual holiday concert this weekend.  Singing for Joy will feature many treasured carols and songs of the season.

The performances are tonight (December 7) at 7:30pm; Saturday, December 8 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, December 9 at 3:00pm. This year the concert will take place at the historic Old State House museum.  There is no charge for admission to the concert.

The Arkansas Chamber Singers were formed in 1979.  It is an auditioned vocal ensemble dedicated to enriching the lives of the people of Arkansas by performing and promoting the finest of classical and contemporary choral repertoire.  The Arkansas Chamber Singers are under the direction of John M. Erwin, who is also a professor of choral music at the University of Central Arkansas.  He has led the group since 1999.

LR Wind Symphony Christmas Celebration

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The Little Rock Wind Symphony will present its annual Christmas concert this evening at 7:30 pm.

To celebrate the season, the concert features an extravaganza of favorite Christmas carols performed by the Little Rock Wind Symphony and fabulous guest artists. Join the fun as Suzanne Hamilton, the winner of the Christmas baton, takes the podium to lead the LRWC in Leroy Anderson’s classic “Sleigh Ride.” And of course, don’t miss your chance to sing-along with the LRWS!

The concert features Suzanne Loerch, mezzo soprano as well as the Don Roberts Elementary School Children’s Choir.

The Little Rock Wind Symphony is under the baton of Karen Fannin.  The concert will take place at Second Presbyterian Church.

 

Ballet Arkansas presents THE NUTCRACKER

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One of the sure signs of the Christmas season is the return of The Nutcracker to ballet companies across America.  Ballet Arkansas presents the annual production this weekend on December 7, 8 and 9 at Robinson Center Music Hall.  (School performances are going on throughout the week.)

Celebrate the season with your professional ballet company as we continue a favorite Christmas tradition performing The Nutcracker accompanied by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Geoffrey Robson. Every year this fun field production creates lifelong memories for hundreds of Arkansas families. With gorgeous scenery, enchanting costumes and original choreography, Ballet Arkansas will present The Nutcracker at Robinson Center Music Hall on December 7th – 9th.

The Nutcracker tells the story of Clara and her magical nutcracker doll and their wondrous journey to the Land of Snow and Kingdom of Sweets. This year’s production boasts new choreography from Ballet Mistress, Marla Edwards, new to the company this season, as well as co-director Allison Stodola Wilson. These directors along with choreographers Traci Presley and Jana Beard have taken this much loved holiday favorite to new heights creating an enchanting production that will delight audience members of all ages.

This year’s production will feature the nine professional company members of Ballet Arkansas, comprised of Anna Maris (Arabian/Dew Drop), Sean Porter (Arabian/Russian/Rat King), Lauren McCarty Horak (Spanish/Marzipan), Paul Tillman (Snow King/Russian), Katchiri Tillman (Snow Queen/Marzipan), Amanda Sewell (Doll/Marzipan), Laurel Dix (Chinese), Toby Lewellen (Nutcracker Prince/Russian/Spanish) and Leslie Dodge (Sugar Plum Fairy). In addition to these nine company members, Ballet West Principal Artist and Ballet Arkansas Artistic Advisor, Michael Bearden, will grace the stage, dancing the roll of the Cavalier. Other corps rolls will be danced by Ballet Arkansas II company members Akiko Kyong-McClain, Mysti Kirkpatrick, Rachael Schwartz, Haley Jones, Laura Russell and Elizabeth Wing in addition to 175 other Arkansas students and performers.

The Nutcracker is the perfect yuletide gift, the ideal means of introducing children to the power and beauty of classical dance, and a delightful way for the entire family to ring in the holiday season. Make Ballet Arkansas’ Nutcracker part of your holiday celebration this December! To purchase tickets for the December 7th, 8th or 9th public shows to The Nutcracker, visit www.balletarkansas.org or call 501-666-1761. Tickets range from $20-$45.

Ballet Arkansas performances of The Nutcracker are generously sponsored by: Orthodontic Associates, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Pleasant Ridge Towne Center, The Dance & More Store, Arkansas Times along with support from the Arkansas Arts Council.

Legacies & Lunch: Annie Abrams

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The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host Annie Abrams as the speaker for Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, December 5, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.  Abrams has been involved in Arkansas politics for over 60 years and will discuss experiences gained with her many civic and political duties.

Abrams has served as a consultant to many Arkansas governors, including Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton, Jim Guy Tucker, and Mike Beebe. She currently serves on the board of directors for Our House and as commissioner for the Fair Housing Commission.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free and open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System. It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

Art of Architecture – Artists, Architects and Community: The Public Art Equation

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Jack Becker,  who has a long and distinguished career in the field of  public art, is scheduled to speak tonight at the Arkansas Arts Center. His talk, “Artists, Architects and Community: The Public Art Equation”, is the third in the Architecture and Design Network’s Art of Architecture lecture series, now in its ninth season.

Founder and executive  director of Forecast Public Art,  a non-profit headquartered in St. Paul Minnesota, that provides consulting services to artists, communities  and government agencies, Becker is the publisher of Public Art Review, an award-winning journal that covers developments in the field worldwide.
In his talk, Becker will draw on his 35 years of experience as  artist and administrator to convey public art’s role  in meaningful place-making and  economic development. According to Becker,  “Art that engages the public can catalyze and sustain the revitalization of our shared environments, helping to create culturally vibrant and livable communities.”
While public art can be as simple as an object selected for placement in a public space, it can also come about through the collaborative efforts  of artists, design professionals and engineers. Many bridges,  bikeways and  trails, all  important elements of  infrastructure, have been produced by such joint efforts. Increasingly interdisciplinary, the field, according to Becker,  is also growing digital and ephemeral in its accommodation  to developments  in technology.
According to another professional, public art…”is about a city investing in itself. When done well it helps engender pride in place, adding meaning and a sense of history to the public realm.” The role of the community is key to a successful public art program.
Free and open to the public, Becker’s lecture  is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network with the support of the University of Arkansas’s Fay Jones School of Architecture, the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Arkansas Arts Center. The 6:00 p.m. lecture is preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m.
For additional information contact June Freeman at  projects4pi@mac.com