Category Archives: Music

Broadway, Movie and Holiday Music all part of Ark Symphony 2014-15 Acxiom Pops Live lineup

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ASO_2-colorMusic of the Silver Screen, Great White Way and boughs of green highlight the 2014-2015 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Acxiom Pops Live! Series.

Next year is the first of their two-year hiatus from Robinson Center Music Hall (as it gets transformed into a true music hall instead of a civic gathering room).  To entice audience members to go along for the journey of the new, temporary location, ASO Music Director Philip Mann has created a lineup of spectacular music performed by powerhouse talent as well as the phenomenal musicians of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

The Acxiom Pops Live! Series will be performed at the Pulaski Academy Connor Performing Arts Center.  (Think: Maumelle=Masterworks, PA=Pops)  The series will kick off on October 4 & 5 with Bill Conti’s Academy Awards.  Oscar and Emmy winner Bill Conti (who also is conductor of the Academy Awards orchestra) will lead the ASO in a celebration of songs from the movies. As a composer, Conti has won an Oscar for his score to The Right Stuff and was nominated for Rocky and For Your Eyes Only. Other movies and TV include Private Benjamin, “Dynasty,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Falcon Crest,” The Karate Kid, “North & South,” and Broadcast News.

The ASO Holiday Extravaganza is an Arkansas tradition in December.  In 2014 it will take place on December 19, 20 & 21.  It will feature Christmas carols, sing-alongs, and some of Arkansas’ outstanding musicians and singers. There are always traditional favorites and new surprises thrown in.  This will help audiences relax after completing their shopping – or take a break from the last minute shopping frenzy. (Tickets also make a great early-Christmas present, and it falls in the middle of Hanukkah and makes a wonderful present for that too.)

Another ASO tradition is the Broadway Valentine’s concert. It will take place on February 14 and 15.  The music of Broadway and Hollywood will be the framework for an evening of song and dance by Broadway vets Joan Hess and Kirby Ward. Their singing and dancing will remind audiences (or introduce younger audiences to the mastery) of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly and Eleanor Powell.

The classic songs of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin have stood the test of time and are definitely timeless. The great vocalist Sylvia McNair will offer her take on these standards while accompanied by Jeffrey Biegel on piano.  This concert promises to be a feast for the eyes as well as the ears because it will also feature rare video clips, family photos and state-of-the art visuals to help share the story of the Gershwins and their music.

The Pops Live! Series for 2014-2015 will conclude with Ashley Brown’s Broadway.  Miss Brown was the original Mary Poppins when the eponymously entitled musical opened on Broadway.  For her work in the production, she received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League nominations. She made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.  Backed by the ASO, she will sing Broadway favorites such as “Nothing Like a Dame,” “People,” and “Tonight” as well as Disney classics such as “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

All Acxiom Pops Live! concerts will be performed at 7:30pm on Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sunday evenings.

Dizzy 7 Kick Off Jazz in the Park 2014

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jazzinparkJazz in the Park is back in Little Rock for the second season! This year, Jazz in the Park will be split into two sets, the first kicking off in April. Jazz in the Park is a free, family-friendly event featuring jazz in downtown Little Rock.

The Dizzy 7 plays music that ranges from Motown to Big Band, Latin to Dixie. It features a full rhythm section, a three-man horn section, and female and male vocalists. Dizzy 7 is composed of accomplished musicians who love what they do.

Dizzy7Logo-Small1The event is completely free, but no coolers are allowed. Beer, wine, soft drinks and water will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Sculpture at the River Market. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, and there is some seating in the natural stone amphitheater at the History Pavilion.

This event is sponsored by Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the River Market, with special thanks to Arkansas Sounds Music Festival and the Central Arkansas Library System.

Jazz in the Park takes place Wednesday nights in April from 6pm to 8pm. They will take place in the History Pavilion near the Junction Bridge and the River Market.

 

Starlifter – US Air Force Band of Mid-America in free concert tonight in MacArthur Park

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Starlifter“The best music I’ve ever heard” is how one young listener described the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America’s group, Starlifter.

This seven-piece group of talented musicians performs in virtually every musical idiom, from Rock and Pop to Jazz and Country, to great contemporary and traditional patriotic songs. They feature the best in popular music from the 1970’s to the most current sounds at the top of today’s charts.

Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, picnic dinner and beverages and join us for the free concert behind the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History on Tuesday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will take place in the Children’s Theater of the Arkansas Arts Center.

Half-Price Passes for Riverfest on sale today

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logoRiverfest_bigHalf-price weekend passes ($20) go on sale April 1 at Walgreens nationwide.

Times and locations will be announced closer to Riverfest, as well as many other artists who will perform.  But here is a summary of the major acts which were announced by Riverfest in March.

 

FRIDAY, MAY 23

  • Lee Brice
  • Chicago
  • Easton Corbin

 

SATURDAY, MAY 24

  • Buckcherry
  • CeeLo Green
  • Robert Randolph & the Family Band
  • Salt-N-Pepa
  • Three Days Grace

 

SUNDAY, MAY 25

  • The Fray
  • Jamey Johnson
  • The Wallflowers
  • Hank Williams Jr.

No Place in Particular – A Celebration of Southern Poetry and Music

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2e6b4_1320267846-oxa_logoCome join The Oxford American magazine at South on Main for “No Place In Particular: A Celebration of Southern Poetry and Music.” Jimbo Mathus will round out the evening with a set of music, following readings from five poets!

This event is general admission, with a $7 cover payable at the door. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 5 pm with poetry reading beginning at 6 and music at 7:45.

Poets Carter Monroe, Justin Booth, Verless Doran, R.J. Looney, and Ayara Stein will read from selections of their work.

 

Music of Franz Schubert highlighted tonight

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Kiril and CoArkansas Symphony Orchestra co-concertmaster Kiril Laskarov and friends will play an all-Franz Schubert concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4106 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock.

Laskarov, violin, and Tatiana Roitman, piano, will play Schubert’s Sonatina in D major, and join Kate Weeks, viola, Brett Andrews, cello, and Barron Weir, bass, for the “Trout” Quintet.

Admission is free.

Kiril Laskarov is currently Co-Concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Director at the Episcopal Collegiate School. A native of Bulgaria, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State Academy of Music in Sofia and Master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. A winner of the 1995 Bulgarian National Competition, Laskarov has appeared as a soloist with the Arkansas Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Southern Illinois Symphony, Abilene (TX) Philharmonic, and Texarkana (TX) Symphony, and also presented recitals in Little Rock, Memphis, Kansas City, and Dallas.

Pianist Tatiana Roitman has appeared as a soloist and recitalist across North America and Europe. The BBC hailed her performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as “formidable…both accurate and with rarely seen joy.” As a versatile artist whose engagements include solo, concerto and chamber repertoire, she believes strongly the only way that “art music” can remain pertinent in the 21st century is by conveying and elevating its emotional quintessence. As a performer of contemporary works, she’s premiered works at the American Composer’s Forum and performed For Don by Milton Babbitt, with the composer in attendance in celebration of his 90th birthday at Tanglewood’s Contemporary Music Festival. She’s performed regularly with the San Diego Symphony, and has been featured as a soloist in Stravinsky’s Petrushka, and on SDSO’s innovative Symphony Exposed Series.

A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory, Kate Weeks currently resides in Little Rock, AR where she maintains her private massage therapy studio and performs orchestral and chamber music regularly with the Arkansas Symphony, the Shreveport Symphony, and the Texarkana Symphony.

Brett Andrews received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 2010. At age 15, he was an inaugural member of the Honor Orchestra of America. As a soloist, he has performed with the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and placed second in the 2012 LMTA Young Artist Competition. He frequently plays as a member of the Emerald Piano Quartet in recitals across east Texas and north Louisiana and performs as a section cello member in many area symphonies including Longview, Texarkana, South Arkansas and Shreveport Symphonies.

Barron Weir began studying the double bass at age 10 at the Music Arts Institute in Independence Missouri with the former Kansas City Symphony Bassist Steven Peters. He attended The UMKC Conservatory of Music for his undergraduate studies where he was finalist in the Midwest ASTA Young Artist Competition. He then continued his studies at Juilliard where he received a performance diploma and the UMKC Music Conservatory. Barron has played as freelance musician in New York, and through the Midwest, has previously been a member of the Des Moines Symphony, and Springfield Symphony.

Dublin Guitar Quartet today at 3:30 at Christ Church

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DublinGuitarQuartetDescribed as a “quartet with a difference” by the Irish Times, the Dublin Guitar Quartet is a one-of-a-kind classical guitar ensemble that occupies a unique space in the wider chamber music world. It is the first classical guitar quartet devoted to new music. Since its formation at the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama, DGQ has worked to expand the limited repertoire by commissioning new works and adapting modern masterpieces from outside of the guitar repertoire. Audiences can expect an explosive, entertaining, and completely novel concert experience.

With the help of eight and eleven-string guitars the quartet has created an original catalogue of arrangements by composers such Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Part, and Gyorgy Ligeti. DGQ’s work has brought the attention of some of the world’s leading composers. Recent activity includes a forthcoming release on Philip Glass’s Orange Mountain Music label, and a new 25-minute commission by New York’s Michael Gordon. The ensemble is also included on a recent recording performing Arvo Part’s Summa. The quartet worked with the composer in making the arrangement and received guidance during the recording process. The arrangement will be published by the composer’s own publisher Universal Edition.

In 2010 the quartet were involved in a very special performance of Repentance for cello, guitar trio and double bass by celebrated Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. The composer was present as they joined the amazing Russian cellist Ivan Monighetti in a concert in St. Peter’s Church, Drogheda. DGQ’s recording of this work was released on the LCMS label in March 2012. In 2008, the quartet was honored to share the stage with legendary American composer Philip Glass in St. Patrick’s Cathederal, Dundalk. After hearing the quartet’s arrangements of two of his string quartets, the composer described them as “quite beautiful.” In 2010, DGQ performed the entire set of Philip Glass quartets to great acclaim.

Other performance highlights include the opening concert at the inaugural Guitar Festival of Ireland in 2004, which included performances by John Williams and Louis Stewart. In 2004, the premiere of Four Guitars by internationally acclaimed composer Kevin Volans was broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM, Ireland’s leading classical music and arts radio station. A premiere of Tilt by Donnacha Dennehy at the National Concert Hall as part of the 2006 Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (D.E.A.F.) was also broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.

Dublin Guitar Quartet has been successful in bringing new music to new audiences. It has played alongside rock groups such as The Redneck Manifesto (Dublin) and Final Fantasy (Canada); performing in venues such as Vicar St., Whelan’s of Wexford Street, Project Arts Centre, Crawdaddy, and the Roisin Dubh in Galway. The quartet was also invited to perform at the Crash Ensemble’s ten-year anniversary concert in 2010.

The DGQ are also developing the electric side of the guitar quartet repertoire with works like Nagoya Guitars and Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich, and a forthcoming commission for electric guitar quartet by Michael Gordon.

The Dublin Guitar Quartet is supported by Music Network and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Tickets are $15, $10 for students.

The concert starts at 3:30pm at Christ Episcopal Church, Scott and Capital Streets in downtown Little Rock.