Category Archives: Music

ASO River Rhapsodies tonight: The Rockefeller String Quartet

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Rockefeller Quartet

Baker, Reynolds, BeDell, Cline

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra River Rhapsodies concert series continues tonight with a program to celebrate the Rockefeller String Quartet’s 10th anniversary.

They will perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1; Glass’s String Quartet No. 3 (Mishima) and Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D Major.

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 Rockefeller String Quartet consists of Christian Baker, violin; Darby BeDell, violin; Katherine Reynolds, viola; and Daniel Cline, cello.

Christian M. Baker joined the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Rockefeller Quartet in September 2004. Chris’s doctoral research resulted in the publication of a book: “Violin Artists & Pedagogues: Their Schools and Pedagogical Influences in Historical Perspective (VDM Publishing House, 2009).

Darby BeDell, a native of Illinois, is in his fifth season as a member of the Rockefeller Quartet, and he has regularly participated in summer festivals including, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Weathersfield, and Vermont.

Katherine Reynolds joined the ASO as principal violist and a member of the Rockefeller Quartet in 2000. Katherine also holds principal positions in the Conway Symphony and the Pine Bluff Symphony.

Daniel Cline is currently a member of the Rockefeller Quartet, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and the faculty at Hendrix College. He is also a pilot, skydiving enthusiast, and runner – having completed six marathons.

Philip Mann is the music director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

UALR Songs from the Heart tomorrow

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The UALR Opera Theatre will host “Songs From the Heart,” a gala in support of the university’s vocal arts program, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Governor’s Mansion at 1800 Center Street in Little Rock.

Guests will be treated to live performances by UALR students over the course of a formal dinner. Tickets are $75 per person.

The vocal arts program includes opera and choral activities.

“Bring your favorite valentine and spend an evening of food, drink, and song as presented by the UALR Opera Theatre Who knows, maybe your favorite aria will be sung just for you,” said Don Bernardini, director of opera.

To order tickets or for more information, contact the Department of Music at 501-569-3294.

Ridge Piano Trio at Artspree

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Ridge Piano TrioUALR’s Artspree series kicks off the 2013 calendar year with the Ridge Piano Trio.  They will play at UALR’s Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall this afternoon at 3pm.

The group consists of pianist Chiharu Iinuma, violinist David Gillham and cellist Tom Landschoot. They play the works of Mozart, Piazzolla and Brahms.

Much in demand as a chamber musician, Chiharu Iinuma has regularly performed across three continents. A founding member of the Ridge Trio, the Chamber Ensemble Bloomington and the Gillham-Iinuma Duo, for many years she was the studio pianist for Joseph Gingold, Janos Starker, Franco Gulli, Neli Shkolnikova, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Miriam Fried, Yuval Yaron at Indiana University’s Jacobs School. In 1993, she was invited to participate in the inaugural Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall in New York.From 2001 to 2004, Ms. Iinuma was the Director of Accompanying at the University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas.

Canadian violinist David Gillham has been described as a “violinist with a lean tone, a supple technique, and an amazing talent for sustaining a long line” (All Music Guide Magazine). Formerly on the faculties of Memorial University and the University of Central Arkansas, David was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in July 2011 and is a member of the Arianna String Quartet, in residence at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He is on the faculty of the FEMUSC Festival in Brazil, the Madeline Island Music Festival, the Illinois Chamber Music Festival and the Britt Festival String Quartet Academy.

Praised for his expressive and poetic music making, cellist Tom Landschoot enjoys an international career as a concert and recording artist and pedagogue. He has toured North America, Europe and Asia and has appeared on National Radio and Television worldwide. His solo career started after taking a top prize at the International Cello Competition ‘Jeunesse Musicales’ in 1995 in Bucharest, Romania. He recently performed with the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Frankfurt Chamber Orchestra, Prima la Musica (Belgium), Shieh Chien Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan), Tempe Symphony and the Orchestra of the United States Army Band and has appeared at the Park City, Santa Barbara, Mammoth Lakes, Utah, Red Rock, Waterloo, Killington and Texas Music Festivals.

ASO Musicians Play at Capital Hotel This Evening

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ASO at CH

Scene from a previous ASO concert in the Capital Hotel lobby

Musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be performing this evening in the lobby of the historic Capital Hotel.

In 2011, the ASO started these free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.  The marble and tile of this historic lobby provide a wonderful acoustic backdrop for the musicians.

The concert will feature short, accessible pieces along with commentary from the musicians.

Unlike concerts in music halls, guests here are encouraged to bring drinks to their seats or to stand and move around while the musicians are playing.  It is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where the audience and musicians alike are able to interact with each other.

This concert is part of the ASO’s ongoing efforts to play throughout the community under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann and Executive Director Christina Littlejohn.  In addition to the Capital Hotel concerts, they offer occasional free concerts at UAMS and have recently started the INC (Intimate Neighborhood Concerts) subscription series.

ASO and ASYO Concerts This Weekend

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20121020-054530.jpgThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performs its first Masterworks concert of 2013 this weekend with performances at Robinson Center Music Hall on Saturday, January 26 and Sunday, January 27.

Guest conductor Guillermo Figueroa takes the podium in a program featuring Beethoven’s classical masterpiece 2nd Symphony, Resphigi’s Ancient Airs and Dances, and the ASO’s own David Gerstein as he steps up from the Principal Cello chair to perform Tchaikovsky’s Mozart inspired Variations on a Rococo Theme.

David Gerstein, cello

Gerstein

David Gerstein, a devoted performer of chamber and contemporary music has played concerts all over the world, from the stage of Carnegie Hall to the Great Wall of China.

Mr. Gerstein has recently appeared in concert with the Ying Quartet, flutist Leone Buyse, clarinetist Michael Webster, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, soprano Renee Fleming, cellist Fred Sherry, violinist Jonathan Carney, and Vern Sutton of The Prairie Home Companion.

Figueroa

Guillermo Figueroa is Music Director of both the New Mexico Symphony and the Music in the Mountains Festival in Colorado as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony, with whom he performed to critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall in 2003, the Kennedy Center in 2004 and Spain in 2005.

As a Guest Conductor in the US he has appeared with the Symphony orchestras of Detroit, New Jersey, Memphis, Phoenix, Colorado, Berkeley, Tucson, Santa Fe, Toledo, Fairfax, San Jose, Juilliard Orchestra and the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center.

Immediately after the Masterworks concert on Sunday January 27, the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra under the direction of Geoffrey Robson will perform a program featuring Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 and Beethoven’s Overture from Egmont. The FREE performance starts at 5pm on January 27 right after the ASO concert!

Little Rock Central High Band Marches Today in Inaugural Parade

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LR City Manager Bruce Moore presents a check to LR Central Principal Nancy Rousseau and members of the Central High Tiger Band to help defray their costs to go to 57th Inauguration.

The Little Rock Central High School Tiger Band will be marching today in the Inaugural Parade as part of the 57 Inauguration festivities.

Under the direction of director Brice Evans, the 103 member band was selected to participate in the Inaugural Parade today which will follow the second swearing-in ceremony for Barack Obama.

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is what the band will play at the inauguration on Monday, Jan. 21.

Central was the only school in Arkansas chosen to take part at the ceremony, marking the start of President Obama’s second term.

Bands which want to participate in the parade fill out an application online. Central’s application included the honors and awards the band has received. The school also submitted a history of the band and a letter of recommendation from Governor Beebe and Senator Pryor.

They were notified that they were chosen on Dec. 17, which gave them just over a month to raise over $100,000, which include travel expenses, hotel, food, and entertainment.

The band members raised money themselves and a community wide effort also took place.  The City of Little Rock and LR Convention and Visitors Bureau together donated $5,000 toward the goal.  The band achieved the fundraising goal and departed on January 17 by bus for the trip.

 

25th Arkansas Business of the Year finalists include cultural institutions

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Arkansas Business earlier this week announced the finalists for the 25th Arkansas Business of the Year.  The winners will be announced at a ceremony presented by Centennial Bank and Arkansas Business on Tuesday, February 26 at the Statehouse Convention Center.

As is often the case several of the finalists in the business and business leader categories are supporters of cultural life in their communities.  In addition, two of the finalists in the Non-Profit categories are connected to Little Rock’s cultural scene.

christinalittlejohnChristina Littlejohn is a finalist for Non-Profit Executive of the Year.  Since 2009 she has been Executive Director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  Since coming to the ASO, she has not only led it through the current recession, she also worked with the selection of Philip Mann as the Music Director.  Whereas many symphony orchestras are cutting musicians, concerts and series, the ASO has been embarking on new outreach concerts including the new Intimate Neighborhood Concert series..

Prior to joining ASO, she served as Executive Director of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Director of Residencies for the Cleveland Orchestra, and Executive Director of the Mobile Symphony.  She is also a cellist.

The Museum of Discovery is a finalist for Non-Profit of the Year. Established in 1927 as the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities, the Museum of Discovery is the oldest museum in Little Rock.  It has been housed in a storefront, the third floor of Little Rock City Hall, the Arsenal Tower in MacArthur Park, and since 1998 has called the Museum Center in the River Market its home.

The new facility provided more hands-on, interactive exhibits and programs, and the museum began to focus more intensely on science, technology, engineering and math. In 2003, the museum merged with the Children’s Museum of Arkansas and assumed responsibility for addressing the needs of preschool children. Also in 2003, the museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate.

In 2011, the museum closed for nine months in order to add a new entrance and undergo a total renovation. This project, funded by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, also provided funding for new, interactive science exhibits, completing the museum’s transformation from a collecting museum to a science center.  Nan Selz led the Museum as Executive Director from 2004 through 2012.  Kelley Bass, a former member of the museum’s board, became the Museum’s CEO earlier this month.