Happy Birthday Maestro Mann!

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philipmannToday is the birthday of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Music Director/Conductor Philip Mann!

Hailed by the BBC as a “talent to watch out for, who conveys a mature command of his forces,” he has led the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as Music Director since 2010.  In his tenure the ASO has seen audience and artistic growth, new energy, and financial health under his tenure.

As winner of the Vienna Philharmonic’s Karajan Fellowship at the Salzburg Festival, Mann has relationships with orchestras and operas worldwide: including the Cleveland Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Georgian State Opera, and the National Symphony of Cyprus. His recent Beethoven 9 was described as “Titanic” and his Canadian debut with the OSQ was dubbed by Le Soleil as a “Tour de Force” and led to an immediate reengagement in 2013. Mann has worked with leading artists such as Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Dmitri Alexeev, Midori, and Marvin Hamlisch and has given premiers of major composers including John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Torke, Lucas Richman, and many others. He maintains a lively schedule as a guest conductor having conducted at New York’s Avery Fischer Hall and London’s Barbican Center.

Elected a Rhodes Scholar, Mann studied and taught at Oxford, and has served as assistant conductor to Franz Welser-Möst, Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, Jaime Laredo, Mario Venzago, Bramwell Tovey, Pinchas Zukerman, and many others. At Oxford, he won the annual competition to become principal conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia. Under his leadership, the Philharmonia’s performances and tours received international press and acclaim.

His complete bio of impressive accomplishments can be read here.

Special Tales from the South tonight at Wildwood with Nancy Nolan and friends

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talesfromsouthWildwood welcomes Tales from the South and a Tin Roof Project featuring Nancy Nolan this Tuesday, November 10th. The event includes a Community Conversation featuring exhibiting artist Nancy Nolan, Dave Anderson, Park Lanford, and Ken Clark of Chenal Family Therapy. Live music will be performed by Joshua Asante, lead singer in Amasa Hines and Velvet Kente bands.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

6pm:  Dinner with Music performed by Joshua Asante (Amasa Hines, Velvet Kente)

7pm:  Storytelling by Nancy Nolan

7:30:  Community Conversation   

To purchase tickets, click here.

$15 General – Storytelling & Community Conversation Only 

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell.“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies. 

Special Veterans Day concert at the River Market by Central High School Band and Flagline

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centralentranceIn honor of veterans and those currently serving, the Little Rock Central High School Band and Flagline members will host a free, special concert this Veterans Day, November 11, 2015. The performance will take place at 11 a.m. in the east pavilion of the River Market. The first 100 veterans who attend will receive a commemorative token from Central’s band.

Known for their innovative technique and marching style, Central’s band has been invited to perform across the country, most notably during the last inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. They were also featured at the finishing line of this year’s local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Now, they’ve been extended an invitation to participate in a Pearl Harbor Memorial Concert in Hawaii on November 23, 2016. The concert honors military heroes, survivors and veterans of Pearl Harbor. Next year marks Pearl Harbor’s 75th anniversary.

With financial support, the students will be able to experience a “once in a lifetime” opportunity in Hawaii. If you would like to help support the band’s efforts, you may make a tax deductible donation to LRCH’s Band Program, 1500 S. Park Street, Little Rock, AR 72202; or online at http://tinyurl.com/pu8q8lj (a small fee is applied to online donations). You will also be able to make donations during the November 11, 2015 performance at the River Market.

Central’s band will also host a Battle of the Bands fundraiser at Quigley Stadium at noon on November 15, 2015, featuring the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Musical Marching Machine of the Mid-South, along with invited bands from the Memphis and Dallas areas. Tickets are $10

T-H-E E-N-D of Rep’s SPELLING BEE

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Rep Spelling BeeToday marks the final two performances of the Arkansas Rep production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

From William Finn, the composer of Falsettos, A New Brain and Little Miss Sunshine, comes a Tony Award-winning look at the all-too-familiar world of adolescence, told with hilarity, catchy tunes and surprising poignancy. The musical features a Tony-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin.  It was conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss.  The Rep’s production is directed by Nicole Capri.

The gloves are off in the take-no-prisoners, cold-blooded, dog-eat-dog world of competitive spelling as a menagerie of pre-pubescent misfits vies to d-e-c-i-m-a-t-e their young rivals on the cutthroat path to the national spelling bee championship.

Hormones rage and pulses pound as our awkward adversaries engage in feats of o-r-t-h-o-g-r-a-p-h-i-c prowess. The winner will receive a shining trophy and a luxurious DC hotel room with a big screen TV. The loser – nothing but a broken heart, a pat on the back and a juice box.

“A truly funny, unpredictable night of theatre,” said Bob Hupp. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beeis never the same musical twice. The actors’ wit and verbal agility are put to the test night after night as each new audience brings new hilarity to the performance. If you can spell “cow”, then this musical is for you.”

Join The Rep onstage (quite literally, since several lucky audience members will be asked to show off their spelling chops alongside the cast each night) as we bring you this sidesplitting, irreverent, interactive musical comedy hit!

HAM kicks off 75th Anniversary Celebration with Candlelight Gala

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HAM CandleThe biennial Candlelight Gala will usher Historic Arkansas Museum into its 75th Diamond Anniversary tonight.

The 20th Candlelight Gala will be a special night for friends, families and colleagues who value Arkansas heritage, history and the arts. Proceeds from the 20th Candlelight Gala will empower Historic Arkansas Museum to continue protecting and preserving our Arkansas heritage.

Historic Arkansas Museum is both a history and historic site museum. The museum’s mission is to communicate the early history of Arkansas and its creative legacy through preserving, interpreting, and presenting stories and collections for the education and enjoyment of the people who visit.

Founded in 1941 as the Arkansas Territorial Restoration, it was one of Arkansas’ first historic preservation efforts.  The museum of today has far exceeded what the founders could have envisioned.  It not only contains Little Rock’s oldest buildings but also some of its newest art.

Historic Arkansas Museum is led by longtime director Bill Worthen. It is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Ludwig & Levis, or Beethoven & Blue Jeans at the Arkansas Symphony this weekend

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ASO B&BThe annual audience favorite Beethoven & Blue Jeans concerts are this weekend with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra!

On the program for this year’s edition are Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93; Scott McAllister’s Black Dog; and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a.

Under the direction of music director/conductor Philip Mann, the ASO will feature soloist Kelly Johnson.  She is principal clarinetist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of Central Arkansas. Johnson has a CD, entitled Child’s Play: Stories, Songs, and Dances.

The concert times are 7:30pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday. They will take place at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center.

Again this year, the ASO is teaming up with the Arkansas Foodbank.  Attendees can support the Arkansas Foodbank during the much needed holiday season by dropping off a frozen turkey or other bird  before either concert and as a thank you, turkey donors will receive a pair of free tickets to any future concert from the ASO’s 2015-2016 Season.

 

Little Rock Look Back: LR chosen for Clinton Library

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ClintonCenterConstruction-48

Refuse littered the future site of the Clinton Presidential Center

On November 7, 1997, President Bill Clinton announced his intentions to locate his presidential library in Little Rock at the end of a warehouse district.

The Little Rock City Board met in a special meeting that day to rename part of Markham Street, which would lead to the site, as President Clinton Avenue.

While the announcement was met with excitement in many quarters, there were still some skeptics who had a hard time envisioning a presidential library and park in the middle of a wasteland worthy of a T. S. Eliot poem.

There would be many hurdles between the November 1997 announcement to the December 2001 groundbreaking. But for the moment, City of Little Rock leaders, celebrated the achievement.  Then Mayor Jim Dailey had appointed City Director Dean Kumpuris and City employee Bruce T. Moore to lead the City’s efforts.  Moore and Kumpuris worked with Skip Rutherford and others to narrow the potential sites.

In September 1997, the Clintons were in town for the 40th anniversary of the integration of Central High School.  They surprised Kumpuris and Moore with a decision for a Sunday afternoon visit to the warehouse district proposed site. Secret Service would not let the limousine drive in part of the property, so the Clintons, Moore, Kumpuris, and Rutherford walked up a path to the roof of the abandoned Arkansas Book Depository.  It was there that the Clintons could see the Little Rock skyline which would be visible from the library.

Of course by the time the library had opened in November 2004, the Little Rock skyline was different. Spurred on by the library, several new highrises had been constructed in downtown.