Category Archives: Music

Block, Beer & Bourbon 2019 – supporting KUAR and KLRE

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Image may contain: textThe Friends of KLRE/KUAR are hosting Block, Beer & Bourbon, tonight (Saturday, January 12th), at the Albert Pike Masonic Center, 712 Scott Street in Little Rock.  The event starts at 7pm.

Guests will enjoy tastings of carefully selected beers and bourbons from O’Looney’s Wine and Liquor, cocktail buffet from the Pantry, and fabulous tunes from the Rodney Block Collective.

Tickets can be reserved here.  There is also a VIP ticket for exclusive tastes of rare bourbon and beer at the pre-party reception.

2nd Friday Art Night – Old State House Museum

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Celebrate the New Year with a musical journey!

During 2nd Friday Art Night on January 11, the Bob Boyd Sounds will perform a mix of popular standards, swing, and popular jazz spanning several decades.

Stone’s Throw Brewing will serve Arkansas-made brews, including the award-winning Pre-Prohibition Porter.

 

 

 

Michael Kleinschmidt returns for organ recital tonight

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The Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists again hosts world-renowned organist Michael Kleinschmidt in a concert tonight.

It will start at 8pm at Christ Episcopal Church.

Michael Kleinschmidt is Canon Musician of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. He previously served as Canon for Cathedral Music at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He holds degrees from Eastman School of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.

Michael is an accomplished organist, having played in recital across the world, including an All-Bach concert on the Flentrop Organ at St. Mark’s in 2012. He also has a keen appreciation for the ministry of music in children, and serves on the faculty of the Royal School of Church Music summer courses.

Spoken Word Performance finalists tonight in collaboration between CALS and ASO

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Image may contain: textThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) have announced a collaboration in a spoken word performance event focused on themes of joy, unity and hope. Spoken word writers and artists from our local community submitted their original works on these themes last month, and will now perform their dramatic pieces in a preliminary event at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 11, 2019.

Tonight from 7pm to 9pm, adult and youth finalists will perform for a panel of judges and a live audience at the Ron Robinson Theater at Library Square in downtown Little Rock. At this event, performers will be selected to join the ASO on stage at Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9: Ode to Joy, February 23 & 24.

This event is open to the public: invite your friends to share an hour of joy as we hear the work of our local spoken-word artists!

For more information contact Tameka Lee at (501) 918-2048.

Sounds in the Stacks with ASO Rockefeller Quartet at the CALS Dee Brown Library

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No photo description available.Experience the beauty of string music of the highest caliber with the Rockefeller String Quartet of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra!

This free concert at the CALS Dee Brown Library will be a lovely way to take a break from the work week or introduce your kids to the magic of violin, viola, and cello.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Rockefeller Quartet includes Trisha McGovern Freeney–violin, Katherine Williamson–violin, Katherine Reynolds–viola, and Ethan Young–cello.

It is today (January 10) from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at the Dee Brown Library, which is located at 6325 Baseline Road.

The 2019 Intimate Neighborhood Concerts announced by Arkansas Symphony

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Songs from the HeartThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the 2018-2019 Intimate Neighborhood Concerts (INC) Series. The series opens with Songs from the Heart, featuring ASO principal musicians Michael Underwood (trombone), Susan Bell León (bassoon), and Blake Taylor (percussion) as soloists at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Mar. 28, 2019, and closes with Beethoven’s Triple Concerto on May 23, 2019 at Calvary Baptist Church in Little Rock.

Subscriptions and single tickets to the two-concert series are on-sale now; general admission single tickets are $29 per concert, and new subscribers get both concerts at half-price if they subscribe by January 25th. Patrons interested in the subscription discount should visit www.ArkansasSymphony.org/inc2019. Active duty military and student tickets are $10.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the concert venues beginning 60 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 1.

The ASO Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series is an opportunity for audiences to enjoy fantastic music in acoustically unique venues around Little Rock.  The concerts offer intimate performances where patrons can get up-close and personal with musicians in chamber orchestra ensembles. In addition to hearing these beautiful works, concertgoers are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

Series Performances:

Songs from the Heart | March 28, 2019 at 7 pm
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (310 W 17th St, Little Rock, AR 72206)
Philip Mann, conductor
Michael Underwood, trombone
Susan Bell León, bassoon
Blake Taylor, vibraphone

ALBRECHTSBERGER–Trombone Concerto in B-flat Major
LARSEN–Elegy for Bassoon and Strings
SÉJOURNÉ–Concerto for Vibraphone and Strings

 

Beethoven’s Triple Concerto | May 23, 2019 at 7 pm
Calvary Baptist Church (5700 Cantrell Rd, Little Rock, AR 72207)
Philip Mann, conductor
soloists TBA

KARLOWICZ— Serenade for Strings, Op. 2
MOSZKOWSKI–Prelude and Fugue, Op. 85
BEETHOVEN–Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56

 

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 53rd full season in 2018-2019, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, Intimate Neighborhood Concerts 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. ASO is a member of the League of American Orchestras.

For more information about the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra call 501-666-1761 or visit www.ArkansasSymphony.org

Elvis at 84

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Elvis backstage at Robinson–photo by Wayne Cranford

Eighty-four years ago today, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He would, of course, grow up to become a cultural phenomenon.

Elvis performed in Little Rock throughout his career. In April 1972, he played at Barton Coliseum (with tickets on the arena floor going for a whopping $10!). In the 1950s, he played three at Robinson Auditorium. His first appearance was as his career was just starting to take off. The final appearance on that stage, a mere 15 months later, was when he had become a national icon.

His first appearance at Robinson was on February 20, 1955. Billed as the “WSM Grand Ole Opry” show, Elvis Presley was third on the bill behind the Duke of Paducah and Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters as he began week long tour of Arkansas and Louisiana. On this date there were a pair of shows, at 3:00 and 8:15 p.m., at Robinson Auditorium. Tickets were 75-cents in advance, $1.00 at the box office and 50-cents for kids. It is believed that Gladys and Vernon Presley attended this performance, invited by Elvis who wanted to introduce them to the Colonel. Gladys was a big fan of the Duke of Paducah. Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black receive $350 for these two shows instead of their usual $200 per day. In August 1955, he returned and played Robinson as part of the All-Star Jamboree.

His third and final appearance at Robinson Auditorium was on May 16, 1956. This time, the Auditorium was packed. The tickets were $1.50 in advance at Walgreens and $2.00 at the box office. The ads featured 8 great acts in “his” variety show which consisted of the Jordonaires; Rick and Emil Flaim and their orchestra; vocalists Frankie Conners and Jackie Little and comedian-magician Phil Maraquin. A second show was added to accommodate the ticket demand.

About 30 minutes late, due to a missed flight, Elvis appeared on stage in a purple blazer and started singing “Heartbreak Hotel.” The crowd rushed the stage. Little Rock police officers were able to control them eventually and get the teenagers back to their seats. While the crowd was impressed, the police officers were less so. One of the patrolmen told the Arkansas Gazette reporter: “I wouldn’t know him if I saw him. And I wouldn’t be here unless I was being paid.”