Category Archives: Music

Youth Orchestra and Ballet Collaborate This Weekend

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asyo baydMusicians from the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra program will provide the musical score for dancers from Ballet Arkansas’ Youth Division tonight and Saturday evening.

The performances are tonight at 7:30 and Saturday at 7:30 at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple, located at 712 Scott Street.

Geoffrey Robson, the Associate Conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will lead the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra – the premier youth ensemble partner of the ASO.  The pieces have been choreographed by Marla Edwards of Ballet Arkansas.

The program consists of:

MOZART      Overture to The Magic Flute
VERDI      La Traviata Prelude to Act I
BORODIN      Excerpts from Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor
VERDI      Excerpts from Birthday Variations
TCHAIKOVSKY      Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
HUMPERDINCK      Evening Prayer and Pantomime from Hansel and Gretel
BIZET      L’Arlessiene: Suite No. 2 IV. Farandole

“Join us for a performance of overtures and ballet highlights from great operas and works of incidental music. From Mozart to Tchaikovsky, this program includes music from operas that has become famous outside the opera house. Some of the beloved favorites include excerpts from The Magic Flute, and Hansel and Gretel. These performances feature the Ballet Arkansas Youth Division, with choreography by Marla Edwards, as well as Ballet Arkansas professional company members, and professional singers.” – Geoffrey Robson, ASO Associate Conductor and ASYO Conductor

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and active military.

A #ThrowBackThursday Party with Big John Miller at the River Market this evening

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TBT WJC10Combining the concept of #ThrowbackThursday and the Clinton Library 10th anniversary, the Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering a Throwback Thursday party this evening.

Join the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau for a “Big Downtown Thursdays“-style party in the River Market Ottenheimer Hall.  The fun runs from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

This Throwback Thursday event will be free and open to the public, and like “Big Downtown Thursdays,” which took place in the mid-to-late 90’s while President Clinton was in office, this will be a fun networking and social event, and will feature music by the Big John Miller Band. Food and beverages available for purchase.

Originally planned for the outdoor pavilions (which were the final location of the Big Downtown Thursdays), due to the colder weather, tonight’s event has been relocated to the Ottenheimer Market Hall of the River Market.

 

Beethoven & Corigliano highlight tonight’s ASO River Rhapsodies Chamber Concert: Italian Serenade

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ASO_2-colorThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the next concert of its 2014-2015 Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series: Italian Serenade.

ASO’s Quapaw and Rockefeller Quartets present music from Beethoven, Wolf, and ASO Composer in Residence John Corigliano in the beautiful Grand Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center, November 11th, 2014 at 7:00 PM, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, AR. A cash bar is open at 6 PM and at intermission, and patrons are invited to carry drinks into the hall. Media sponsor for the Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series is KUAR/KLRE.

Tickets are $23; active duty military and student tickets are $10 are can be purchased online atwww.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Clinton Presidential Center box office beginning 60 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100.

ARTISTS

Quapaw Quartet: Eric Hayward, Meredith Maddox Hicks, Ryan Mooney, David Gerstein

Rockefeller Quartet: Katherine Williamson, Trisha McGovern, Katherine Reynolds, Daniel Cline

 

PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet in C, Op. 59, No. 3

CORIGLIANO: String Quartet No. 1

WOLF: Italian Serenade in G

 

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 49th season in 2014-2015, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts performed around the state of Arkansas, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 26,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Beethoven & Blue Jeans this weekend with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

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isbin_sony_soho_11The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the third concert in the 2014-2015 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series: Beethoven and Blue Jeans. Beethoven’s iconic masterpiece, Symphony No. 5, is joined by returning virtuoso guitarist, Sharon Isbin. Ms. Isbin will perform ASO Composer of the Year John Corigliano’s Troubadors – Variations for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra. The concert takes place Saturday, November 8th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 9th at 3:00 p.m. at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center, 100 Victory Lane, Maumelle. The Masterworks Series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust.

American Airlines Concert Conversations – All concert ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert lecture an hour before each Masterworks concert. These talks feature insights from the Maestro and guest artists, and feature musical examples to enrich the concert experience.

Tickets are $19, $35, $49, and $58; active duty military and student tickets are $10 are can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100. All Arkansas students grades K-12 are admitted to Sunday’s matinee free of charge with the purchase of an adult ticket using the Entergy Kids’ Ticket, downloadable at the ASO website.

PROGRAM:
CORIGLIANO: Three Hallucinations from Altered States
CORIGLIANO: Troubadors – Variations for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C minor

Corigliano’s Troubadours was premiered by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with soloist Sharon Isbin. With perhaps the most familiar opening of any piece of classical orchestra music, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5  is intense, obsessive, dramatic, and powerful. The revolutionary opening tempest is followed by a relaxed and traditional-feeling second movement, which leads to a dark and dramatic scherzo. In  an act of symphonic innovation, Beethoven heads attaca into the finale, which introduces piccolo, trombones, and contrabassoon into the symphony orchestra for the first time.

 

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 49th season in 2014-2015, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts performed around the state of Arkansas, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 26,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Noon today – Grammy winner Sharon Isbin speaks at Clinton School; performs with ASO this weekend

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isbin_sony_soho_11This weekend, Grammy winning guitarist Sharon Isbin will be performing with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  Prior to those performances, she is speaking today at noon at the Clinton School.

Isbin is a Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist and the founder of the Guitar department at the Juilliard School in New York City. She is the author of “Classical Guitar Answer Book” and the director of the guitar department at the Aspen Music Festival. She is also the winner of the Guitar Player magazine’s Best Classical Guitarist award, First Prize winner of the Toronto Guitar 75 competition, and has received numerous other awards. Isbin has appeared as a soloist with over 170 orchestras and has commissioned more concerti than any other guitarist.

She is a multi-Grammy Award-winning artist and has performed for the memorial tribute at Ground Zero, was featured on the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese’s film “The Departed,” and has performed at the White House by invitation of President Obama and the First Lady. Isbin will speak and perform with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Beethoven & Blue Jeans Week continues with 4th Annual Beer & Brats Street Party tonight

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Beethoven Blue JeansTonight from 5:30pm to 7pm, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be hosting its 4th annual Beer & Brats Street Party.  This year it will be at 500 Main Street in front of the site which will soon be home to the ASO offices and rehearsal space.  Enjoy free brats, Diamond Bear beer, and the sounds of the Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band. The event is free to ticket holders of this weekend’s upcoming Beethoven & Blue Jeans concert. Tickets for the event can also be purchased for $19.

Support the Arkansas Food Bank! – Bring a turkey (or other bird!) to the Street Party or to the Beethoven & Blue Jeans concerts to support the Arkansas Foodbank. The ASO will give each bird donor a pair of free tickets to a future ASO concert!

This year marks the fourth year that Diamond Bear beer has supplied the local beer for the ASO Beer and Brats Street Party.

An addition this year is Beethoven Yoga on Thursday evening.  Barefoot Studio on Old Cantrell for Beethoven Yoga! Barefoot offers classes for all levels, and yogis attending Beethoven Yoga may win Beethoven & Blue Jeans t-shirts or free tickets to an upcoming ASO performance!

LR Cultural Touchstone: Mary Fletcher Worthen

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JJLR-MaryWorthen-MayMary Fletcher Worthen has cultivated history and music with the same grace and skill as she has cultivated gardens.

Born outside of Scott, she attended Vassar and Little Rock Junior College. After marrying banker Booker Worthen, she has devoted her life to improving Little Rock. Together with Stella Boyle and George Smith, she and Booker helped found the precursor to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  Through its many iterations, she has been a steadfast supporter and is now a life member of the ASO Board.  She has also been a supporter of many other music organizations in Little Rock including the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, of which she was a founder.

Another hallmark of her involvement is Mount Holly Cemetery Association.  For over 50 years she has served on the board of this body.  Without notes, she can recite the history of practically every resident buried there.  The tours she would lead with the late Peg Newton Smith were hot commodities when auctioned at fundraisers.  These two loving and lifelong friends would sometimes remember things differently. They playfully prodded and needled each other as they wended and winded their way through the headstones and history regaling rapt audiences with yarns of yore, quips and quotes, plus an anecdote or two.  In the decade since Peg passed, Mary has continued to entertain and engage visitors to the cemetery, especially at the annual Mount Holly Rest in Perpetuity (RIP) picnic.

She has also served on the Old State House Museum Board and the Pulaski County Historical Society Board.  As a historian, she literally wrote the book on Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.  She combined her interest in herb gardening and history with the creation of the Medicinal Garden at Historic Arkansas Museum, which is now named in her honor.

Born in 1917, Mary Worthen continues to learn new facts, share her love of history and music, and works to cultivate the next generations of cultural enthusiasts.