Category Archives: Music

ASO River Rhapsodies Tonight: Artist of Distinction Inbal Segev

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Inbal Segev, celloThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra River Rhapsodies concert series continues tonight with cellist Inbal Segev.

The concert takes place at 7pm at the Clinton Presidential Center. A limited number of tickets are available at the door. But the concerts usually sell out.

The program includes:

Prokofiev – String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50
Villa Lobos – Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1
Enescu – Octet in C Major, Op. 7

Israeli-American cellist Inbal Segev’s playing has been described as “characterized by a strong and warm tone . . . delivered with impressive fluency and style,” by The Strad and “richly inspired” by Gramophone. Equally committed to new repertoire and known masterworks, Segev brings interpretations that are both unreservedly natural and insightful to the vast range of music that she performs.

Artspree features Nikita Mndoyants

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Coming from the family of professional musicians, pianist Nikita Mndoyants began to play piano and compose music at a very young age. He entered Central Music School in Moscow in 1995, and gave his first public recital two years later, when he was eight years old. In March of 1999, the ten-year old Nikita appeared at the Sibelius Academy Concert Hall in Helsinki. His extraordinary performance there was recorded and issued on a CD in 2001.
Nikita Mndoyants graduated from the Moscow Central Music School with honors as a pianist and composer in 2006.

In 2011 Nikita graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire where he studied with Professor Alexander Tchaykovsky (composition), Prof. Alexander Mndoyants and Prof. Nikolay Petrov (piano).
During his studies at school, he won several national and international piano and composition competitions.
He took part in master-classes in Verbier Festival and Academy (2004).

In summer of 2005 N. Mndoyants studied in the Tel-Hai Piano Master-classes in Israel. He won the 1st prize of The Concerto competition, that took place there. In November of 2007 he won the First prize of The VII International Paderewski Piano Competition in Poland and also special prize for the best semi-final recital. Following his successful recital in Helsinki, during the last decade Nikita toured throughout Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latvia, Estonia, China, Switzerland, Israel, France, and the United States.

Nikita took part in numerous music festivals, including “Musical Kremlin”, “Moscow Autumn”, 14th Piano Festival in Liepae (Latvia), International Keyboard Institute & Festival (New York) and the 63rd Chopin Festival in Duszniki-Zdroj (Poland), festival dedicated to World Economic Forum in Davos, (Switzerland).

Nikita appears with recitals in the best concert halls in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Cortot Hall and Louvre Auditorium in Paris, Warsaw Philharmonic. In 2004, he appeared with the famous Borodin Quartet, performing Quintet by Shostakovich.

Beethoven, Blue Jeans, Beer, Brats all with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra this weekend

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mw3_largeThis weekend: Maestro Philip Mann and the ASO are joined by talented cellist Inbal Segev for the ASO’s most popular Masterworks concert, featuring Strauss’s Die Fledermaus: Overture, Gulda’s rollicking Cello Concerto, and, of course, the mighty Beethoven with his Symphony No. 4. Wear jeans to this casual concert and be sure to come early for the 3rd Annual Beer and Brats Street Party!

Beethoven and Blue Jeans presents a thoroughly Viennese affair with sounds of court, nature, and even the city’s downtown clubs. Opening the performance in quintessential fashion is Johann Strauss’s Overture to Die Fledermaus, which is infused with the excitement of nighttime Vienna and its grand waltzes and intoxicating flair. A personal favorite, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 is one of the most perfect works of the classical Viennese symphony genre. His brilliance and wit is particularly sharp is one of his finest and most joyful works, whose only shortcoming is that it was a middle child -falling between Eroica and the mighty 5th Symphony.

Outrageous personality Friedrich Gulda crossed genres between jazz and classical as a pianist, but as a composer he left all labels behind. His Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra is an altogether Viennese work citing everything from Haydn to rock and roll as inspiration. It could easily have been kitsch, but Gulda’s genius engenders a work of style, fun, and panache. Bringing the unforgettable concerto to the Robinson stage is critically acclaimed cellist, Inbal Segev, making her ASO debut.

This casual concert kicks off with the Beer & Brats Street Party at 6 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday. Concert ticket holders can enjoy free brats, $2 Diamond Bear beer, the sounds of the Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band, and maybe a few surprises! Concert goers can follow @ARsymphony and the hashtag #BeethovenAndBlueJeans via Twitter to get the inside scoop about the Street Party and to learn insights about the concert in progress.

Tickets for this casual concert and street party start at $14 – click here to get your tickets now!

Beethoven & Blue Jeans attendees can also support the Arkansas Foodbank by dropping off a frozen turkey or other bird at the BBJ Street Party. And as a thank you, turkey donors will receive a pair of free tickets to any concert from the ASO’s 2013-2014 Season.

2nd Friday Art Night Tonight

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http://www.littlerock.com/!UserFiles/calendar/Events/2ndFriday.jpgThe monthly 2nd Friday Art Night is tonight at various locations in downtown Little Rock.

Among the participating sites are Historic Arkansas Museum, the Old State House Museum, Christ Episcopal Church, studioMain, Hearne Fine Art, and the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

Art, music, food, drinks and its all free from 5pm to 8pm.  Transportation from the various sites is provided by a free shuttle as well.

5 Time Tony Winner Audra McDonald in Concert Tonight at UCA

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audraTony winning actor and singer Audra McDonald will be in performance tonight at 7:30 at the UCA Reynolds Performance Hall.

Audra Ann McDonald didn’t waste any time starting her career. She made her Broadway debut as a replacement in The Secret Garden while she was still in school at Juilliard, won three Tony awards in five years, and, at age 27, became the first person to win three before the age of 30.

She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, including leading roles in Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, Master Class and Carousel. Her first starring role on Broadway was in Marie Christine, written specifically for her by Michael John LaChiusa after he saw her audition for Carousel. In 2007 she starred in 110 in the Shade on Broadway and joined the cast of Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett, and spent the first 9 months of 2012 singing Bess in Porgy and Bess on Broadway. She has won five Tony Awards, sharing the record for most Tonys won by an actor with Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury.

McDonald has released five solo albums and appeared as a vocalist on many others.  In October her TV appearances ranged from Great Performances to “The Colbert Report.”  This December she will play the Mother Abbess in the live TV production of The Sound of Music.

John Willis in Concert tonight at AETN – Be a part of a Free Taping

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jqw aetnWhat do you get when you combine equal parts chamber pop, folk and jazz? If new release “King of the Cocktail Party EP” can serve as evidence, we take the answer to be singer-songwriter John Willis.

A music lover of eclectic tastes, ranging from Motown, gospel and 60s-70s songwriters to classical, jazz and world music, Willis creates a lush pop mix with piano and vocal harmonies that’s drawn comparisons to Harry Nilsson, Rufus Wainwright and Feist. Come experience the show for your self at the free “AETN Presents: On the Front Row” concert on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 pm

The performance will feature Willis on lead vocals, piano and guitar; Chris Atwood on bass; Evan Barr on drums; Sarah Sticklin on backup vocals and additional keyboards; and Sydney Hunsicker on backup vocals, accordion, harmonica and additional percussion.
The show will air later in the year as part of the “AETN Presents” 10th Anniversary Season, celebrating the wide variety of arts and cultural subjects from across the Natural State. Learn more about our previous guests and specials on the AETN Presents program page.
“AETN Presents: On the Front Row With John Willis” Concert Taping
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2013, 6:30 pm (doors open). Concert taping from 7pm to 8pm.
AETN Studios, 350 S. Donaghey Ave., Conway

New theater in Arcade Building to be named for Ron Robinson

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Ron Robinson TheaterLast week the Central Arkansas Library System announced that the new theater in the Arcade Building would be named in honor of Ron Robinson.

If Arkansas was included in a piece of music or a film, Ron Robinson wanted it represented in his collection. The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will house and begin to catalog Robinson’s vast collection of sheet music, film posters, and other memorabilia connecting those industries with Arkansas’s history and culture.

The Ron Robinson Theater in the Arcade Building on the Main Library campus, the newest performance space in the River Market district will bear Robinson’s name. Programming in the 325-seat multi-purpose event venue will be designed for all ages and will include films, music performances, plays, readings, lectures, speakers, and children’s activities. Equipped with a state-of-the-art projection system for films and a separate sound system for spoken word and music, the theater will receive the highest rating from the Digital Cinema Institute.

The Ron Robinson Collection includes a large number of pieces of sheet music of songs about Arkansas or with the state’s name in the song’s title, containing everything from Tin Pan Alley tunes describing the state to hits by Arkansas musicians such as Patsy Montana and the Browns to would-be state songs. The collection also includes a number of vintage recordings-including Edison disks of the “Arkansas Traveler”-and other materials depicting the state’s music. It will include Robinson’s huge collection of Arkansas-related movie posters, from which the Butler Center co-produced with him an exhibition last year called “Ark in the Dark,” as well as a vast number of pieces of Arkansas political memorabilia.

A native of Little Rock, Robinson has been an avid collector of all things Arkansas for the past fifty years. He is past chairman and chief executive officer of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, a full-service advertising, marketing, and public relations firm. He has served on numerous boards and committees including the Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries (FOCAL), Arthritis Foundation, United Way,American Red Cross Public Information Committee, Arkansas Arts Center, and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Other organizations using the theater space include the Clinton School for Public Service and the Little Rock Film Festival. As with other CALS meeting space, the theater may be used by the public, based on availability.

Little Rock voters approved a bond issue in 2012 that provided funding for the Arcade Building. Through a public-private partnership between CALS, Clinton-Commerce LLC (which includes Moses Tucker Real Estate), and Monroe Cache, retail stores, offices, and a restaurant will fill the Arcade Building, a three-story, 60,000 square foot structure.