Category Archives: Music

This weekend’s ASO soloist, Gareth Johnson, will be at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center this evening

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Gareth Johnson, violinThis Thursday (APR 11) from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Beethoven & Blue Jeans violin soloist Gareth Johnson will speak and give a short performance at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on West Ninth Street in Downtown Little Rock.

This event is free-to-the-public and will include light refreshments.

Guests will have a chance to mix and mingle with Mr. Johnson and other attendees in the spaces of the MTCC Museum floor, as well as a Q&A with Mr. Johnson and representatives from the Museum.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC) was founded as the Mosaic Templars of America Center for African American Culture and Business Enterprise under Act 1176 of 2001. MTCC was created as a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and it honors the story of the Mosaic Templars of America and all of Arkansas’s African American history.

SESSIONS :: JOSHUA ASANTE X NIRVANA UNPLUGGED tonight at South on Main

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ISessions :: Joshua Asante x Nirvana Unpluggedn honor of her April birthday, Amy Bell is curating April Sessions by choosing her favorite local musicians to cover her favorite artists. For the second Wednesday in April,  Joshua Asante will transport us to the early 90’s with the music from the Nirvana Unplugged album.

Show starts at 8 pm. Tickets cost $12 cover day of show. Tickets do not guarantee a seat. To reserve a table, please call (501) 244-9660. You must purchase advance tickets to confirm your reservation.

ABOUT JOSHUA ASANTE

Musician, photographer, a sometimes poet; art informs most aspects of Joshua Asante’s life. Joshua is a guitarist and lead vocalist for two bands, Velvet Kente and Amasa Hines. The latter of two released their first full-length album, All The World There Is, to widespread critical acclaim in early 2014. Whether he is behind a camera lens or onstage with a band, or even alone a poet; the aim remains the same. Clarity, positivity, and ascension through art.

Jazz in the Park tonight – Tawanna Campbell

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Jazz in the Park is a free happy hour style event featuring different Jazz musicians weekly from 6pm-8pm in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park. Family and Pet Friendly.  It is offered each Wednesday in April and September.

Tonight features Tawanna Campbell.

For years Tawanna Campbell has been a beacon, leading the way for Arkansas’ burgeoning Soul musical scene. An all-encompassing performer, Tawanna possesses a heavenly sound, amazing stage presence and a style all her own.

Sparking comparisons to everyone from Patti LaBelle to Alicia Keys to the queen of soul herself Aretha Franklin Tawanna does not allow herself or her music to be pigeonholed. Her musical acumen is eclectic and dynamic. her range of performances run the musical spectrum. She’s performed at Easter Sunrise services, Jazz festivals and classical concerts. She’s even provided the musical backdrop for another Arkansas gem, Academy Award winner and Newport native Mary Steenburgen.

Tawanna’s soothing, smooth and moving tones have long served as the Natural State’s voice. She is a talented and beautiful star who continues to light the way not only for Arkansas’ grown & sexy sect but for music lovers around the world.

No Coolers Please. Lawn Chairs Welcome. (Rain Location is East Pavilion at River Market)

Organist Henry Webb highlights 16th Robert Young Ellis Concert

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The Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists presents The Sixteenth Annual Concert Celebrating the Life of Robert Young Ellis. Featuring Henry Webb, organist, it will take place tonight (April 5) at Christ Episcopal Church.  There is no admission cost.

Henry Webb is a Sophomore at the Eastman School of Music, studying Organ Performance with Nathan Laube. For the year following his high school graduation, Henry served as Organ Scholar at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas under the guidance of Graham Schultz and Scott Dettra. Henry began his music studies in late 2010 and his teachers have included Christina Harmon and Scott Dettra.

In 2012, Henry received first prize in the Oklahoma City University High School Organ Competition. He has been featured as a recitalist in Texas and beyond, notably as part of the dedicatory series at the parish of Christ the King, Dallas, the Baylor University’s Pipedreams Live, and the 2016, 2017, and 2018 East Texas Pipe Organ Festival.

Henry has participated in numerous organ academies including the Oberlin Organ European Winter Term and Summer Academy, the Leipzig Europäische Orgelakademie, French and Spanish Organ Music Seminars, various Pipe Organ Encounters, and Curtis Institute Organ Camps. Henry also enjoys Astronomy, hiking, photography, and playing tennis.

Robert Young Ellis was Professor of Organ at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia for 35 years from 1952 to 1987. It is hoped that this series will inspire musicians young and old, as Ellis, through his teaching and playing, influenced innumerable students and colleagues who remember him as a musician of genius and as one who brought both wit and sophistication to the lesson and to the classroom.

Trap Jazz Giants at South on Main!

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Trap Jazz GiantsJazz fans in Little Rock can enjoy an evening of trap jazz with Trap Jazz Giants at South on Main on Friday, April 5! Show begins at 10 pm. Advance tickets for $10, or $15 cover at the door.

Tickets do not guarantee a reserved seat. Please call South on Main to reserve a table at (501) 244-9660. You must prepurchase tickets in order to confirm your reservation.

ABOUT TRAP JAZZ
Trap Jazz is a new genre of music birthed out of the original art forms of contemporary and Jazz standards with a baseline and core of traditional Hip-Hop. The giants of this genre are Phillip “Philli Moo” Mouton and Quincy “QNote” Watson. Philli Moo is molding his legacy as a premiere saxophonist, in addition to his skills as a singer, producer, and drummer. He is the former student of legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry Ron Carter,the great saxophonist and music aficionado Gerald Johnson, and his father, pianist Carl Mouton.

QNote is a Little Rock native with global awareness. He combines his Southern background and his many travels seamlessly into Songwriting, Rapping, Producing, Podcasts, Live Sound Production, Film and Documentaries, Musical Directing, Arranging, and playing Bass Keys, Guitar, Piano, and Organ. Trap Jazz is the foundation of a solid musical future. Together these giants of Trap Jazz bow before the legends of classic music while towering in their new territory of sound.

Violinist YouJin Jang in concert with pianist Renana Gutman tonight sponsored by the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock

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Image may contain: 1 person, on stage, playing a musical instrument, concert and nightDescribed as a “a performer without fear or technical limitation”, YooJin Jang’s performance, alongside brilliant pianist Renana Gutman is sure to delight audiences.  The duo will be in concert tonight (April 4) under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock.

The event will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.  Tickets are $25 for adults. Children and students of all ages, kindergarten through college, have free admission. Tickets are available for purchase at the event or online, www.ChamberMusicLR.com.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served following the performance.

The program includes: J.S. Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016; John Corigliano: Sonata for Violin and Piano; and Robert Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121.

Applauded by The Strad for her “fiery virtuosity” and “consummate performances,” Ms. Jang is a winner of the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and is also First Prize winner of the 2016 Sendai International Music Competition in Japan. A native of Korea, YooJin has been performing with top Korean orchestras since age 9. Also a passionate chamber musician, YooJin is a co-founder of The Kallaci String Quartet in 2012, which made its international debut in Seoul.

Praised by the New York Times for her “passionate and insightful” playing, Renana Gutman has performed across four continents as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and collaborative artist. She played at venues like The Louvre Museum, Carnegie Recital Hall, People’s Symphony Concerts, Merkin Hall, St. Petersburg’s Philharmonia, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, Menuhin Hall, United Kingdom, and Washington National Gallery and Freer Gallery. High in demand as a chamber musician, Renana toured with “Musicians from Marlboro,” and serves regularly as the collaborative pianist of Steans Institute at Ravinia Festival, where she performs chamber music and lieder extensively.

During their time in Little Rock, these musicians will work with local students, including the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, as part of the Chamber Music Society’s mission to foster arts in education.

LRCVB announces agreement with AWAKENING EVENTS to book and promote First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park

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Image result for first security amphitheaterThe Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) has finalized a Promoter Agreement with AWAKENING EVENTS to provide exclusive rights to book and promote ticketed concerts in the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park downtown.

AWAKENING EVENTS is a nationwide, full service live event company based in Arkansas. They successfully produce over 250 concerts each year. AWAKENING EVENTS has produced concerts at Verizon Arena, Wal-Mart Amphitheater, the First Security Amphitheater, as well as many iconic venues around the country, including Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Forum in Los Angeles. AWAKENING EVENTS is owned by Arkansas native Dan Fife.

AWAKENING EVENTS is proudly partnering with STARR HILL Presents, owned by Red Light Management’s Coran Capshaw. Red Light Management’s extensive artist management roster ranges from Dave Matthews Band to Chris Stapleton and many others. STARR HILL Presents is an independent concert promotion company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, promoting hundreds of events each year, ranging from small club shows to multi-day festivals. The company operates multiple venues and is a partner in festivals across the country including Bonnaroo, SXSW and Outside Lands.

AWAKENING EVENTS responded to a Request for Qualifications released by the LRCVB in late 2018. Following negotiations, an agreement was finalized and signed on March 11, 2019. The agreement requires a minimum of three “A-Tier” concerts in 2019 and six concerts each year in 2020-2023. A-Tier is defined as “Artists that tour nationally or globally, having the documented ability to sell 2,000 or more tickets.”

In addition, it is the desire of AWAKENING EVENTS & STARR HILL PRESENTS to create an additional 2020 series of free, or very low cost, “Live at Five” type events. Dan Fife, president of AWAKENING EVENTS, stated, “We are excited to get back into the Amp business on the River in Riverfront Park. It is a great venue and we need to start offering regular and diverse concert programming again.”

Gretchen Hall, LRCVB President & CEO said, “I am excited about this new partnership and the quality of entertainment it will provide in Little Rock.”

This exclusive promoter agreement is designed to allow a booking window for the concert season, as well as protecting Little Rock’s long time Amphitheater and Pavilion events and provide the flexibility for community events to continue booking in those venues. LRCVB will maintain the booking and coordination efforts for all non-concert bookings.

A formal press conference to announce the initial season is expected in the next 30 days.