Tag Archives: Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

5th Main Street Food Truck Festival this Saturday – October 3

Posted on by

MSFTFestival-2015-posterThe 5th annual Main Street Food Truck Festival will be held on Saturday, October 3 with a record 45+ food trucks along with craft vendors and buskers.  Road Runner Stores is the 2015 presenting sponsor.

“Last year we saw over 10,000 people come to Main Street in Little Rock to eat at the food trucks,” said Gabe Holmstrom, executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership (DLRP).  “This year we have even more trucks for people to choose from and are excited to show off all of the energy in the heart of downtown.”

The 2015 downtown Little Rock festival will span five city blocks offering street eats from over 45 food trucks and food carts, artists at work, craft selections, buskers located on each block, Heifer International  children’s activities and five well stocked beer gardens selling the coldest beer in town!  The Arkansas Repertory Theatre will again have its morning costume sale.

Attendees can enjoy the festival activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Main Street will be blocked off from 3rd to 8th streets. Entrance to the festival is free. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the day for great items including a locally produced PK Grill.

Since the festival began the historic Mann on Main Building, has reopened in the 300 block, now home to state offices, Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill, Bruno’s Italian Restaurant, and residents. Raimondo Winery and Soul Fish Café are scheduled to open soon. The heart of Main Street has been named the Creative Corridor and will soon be also home to the Arkansas Symphony, Ballet Arkansas, visual art studios, the Little Rock Technology Park and others. A theater education class space for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre has opened across from the main theater on Main Street.

“It’s amazing to me to see the people who love the city and who have gotten involved in plans for Main Street revitalization,” said Mayor Mark Stodola. “We all know that investment in Main Street is an investment in our future as a city. With over $100 million in investment in our new Main Street Creative Corridor, this year’s attendees will see a transformed Main Street!”

For more Main Street Food Truck Festival information:

Grieg’s Piano Concerto marks start of 2015-16 Masterworks Season for Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by

ASO NewThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the first concert of the Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series: Grieg’s Piano Concerto, 7:30 PM Saturday, September 26 and 3:00 PM Sunday, September 27, 2015.

 Featuring Jon Kimura Parker on piano, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will take the stage with Mendelssohn’s concert overture, Fingal’s Cave, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor and Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 in B minor.  The Masterworks Series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust. The concert is sponsored by Metal Recycling Corporation.

Concert Conversations – All concert ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert lecture an hour before each Masterworks concert. These talks feature insights from the Maestro and guest artists, and feature musical examples to enrich the concert experience.

Shuttle service is available – The ASO provides shuttle service from Second Presbyterian Church in Pleasant Valley to the Maumelle Performing Arts Center and back after the concert. For more information and to purchase fare, please visit www.ArkansasSymphony.org/shuttle.

Tickets are $19, $35, $49, and $58; active duty military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100. All Arkansas students grades K-12 are admitted to Sunday’s matinee free of charge with the purchase of an adult ticket using the Entergy Kids’ Ticket, downloadable at the ASO website.

 

Artists

Philip Mann, conductor

Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Program

  • Mendelssohn – The Hebrides, Op. 26 “Fingal’s Cave”  
  • Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
  • Borodin – Symphony No. 2 in B minor

Program Notes:

Grieg’s legendary Concerto boasts one of the most familiar openings in the entire concerto repertoire, owing much to its simplicity. Grieg composed the work while sharing a house with pianist Edmund Neupert, who advised him on the solo part and to whom the piece was eventually dedicated in gratitude. Fingal’s Cave evokes the majesty and mystery of the sea. Mendelssohn composed the work after touring the Hebrides, including the flooded grotto known as Fingal’s Cave. The piece influenced later compositions on similar subjects, such as Wagner’s opera, The Flying Dutchman, and Debussy’s symphonic work, La Mer.

About Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 50th season in 2015-2016, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and 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, 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.

Day One of ACANSA offers Lunch & Learn, Evening Events

Posted on by

acansaThe second annual ACANSA Arts Festival officially gets underway today!

The ACANSA Arts Festival officially opens is 2015 festival with a performance by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in the Creative Corridor of Little Rock’s Main Street between Capitol and 6th Streets. First Lady of Arkansas Susan Hutchinson will host and welcome guests to enjoy this fun family friendly atmosphere. Additional entertainment will be provided by ReCreation Studios. This event is free to the public

Come around the corner to the Festival After Party at McLeod Fine Art. Entertainment by the Hi-Balls
The pARTy continues at 7:30pm.  Tickets for this are $25 general admission.

Earlier in the day – at noon, there is a Lunch and Learn at the THEA Foundation.  It will feature Bob Snider, who will be giving a talk and a painting demonstration. This program is free.

The Angela Davis Johnson Exhibit will be on display at the Argenta Gallery all day today (and through October 12). It has free admission as well.

 

Preview this week’s ACANSA Arts Festival tonight from 6pm to 7pm

Posted on by
ACANSA email header

This evening, Join in the Discussion of the 2015 ACANSA Arts Festival from 6pm to 7pm tonight.

It will take place at Fosters at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 2nd Floor

(Not in the Rep’s Black Box as listed in the ACANSA brochure; Parking is available in the parking deck behind and adjacent to the Rep)
Join Arkansas Repertory Theatre Producing Artistic Director Bob Hupp and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Conductor Philip Mann as they offer exclusive insight into the various festival performances. Bob and Philip are two amazing guys who provide leadership in Arkansas arts as well as ACANSA Arts Festival.
This is a one-hour discussion from 6:00 to 7:00 pm to enable you to enjoy dinner afterwards in one of the great restaurants in the area!

Creative Corridor Celebrated This Afternoon

Posted on by

A grand opening to highlight the new features and completed sections of the Creative Corridor’s Low Impact Development (LID) streetscape will be held 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, as the revitalization of Little Rock’s Main Street continues to take shape, block by block.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola will join Ron Curry, Region 6 administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Randy Young, executive director of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, for the kickoff event, which will begin with a project update at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre (601 Main Street). Professor Stephen Luoni of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture and director of the UA Community Design Center will give an informative presentation on the theories of Low Impact Development and creative place-making that underpin the project.

The most recently completed improvements in the 500 block of Main Street will be open to the public for strolling along the tree-lined boardwalk on the west side.  All of the pedestrian and environmentally friendly streetscapes in the 100, 200, 300 and 500 blocks of Main Street contain LID features such as bioswales, porous pavers, rain gardens, and other biodiverse vegetation.

The grand opening will also celebrate the elements of creative place-making that have occurred. Recent public art installations and the clustering of artistic and creative organizations on Main Street are transforming the Creative Corridor into a downtown hub that supports a great level of pedestrian activity, sociability, recreation and aesthetics.

An arts open house and reception will follow the tour, with the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Arkansas, Matt McLeod Fine Art, and Cranford Co. opening the doors to their new, connected spaces.

“The progress on Main Street is a harbinger of the exciting development yet to come for this area,” says Stodola. “The Creative Corridor, once just a vision, has become a vibrant reality that has earned national accolades, brought together many of our City’s cultural institutions, and created these beautiful spaces that will continue to grow.”

The Creative Corridor is a mixed-use development project aimed at restoring the vitality of Main Street by creating an arts district and retrofitting a four-block segment of the street between President Clinton Avenue and 7th streets. The City of Little Rock estimates that more than $100 million in private and public investment has occurred to date to help make this vision a reality.

 

Little Rock Look Back: There She Is – Miss America at a LR Razorback Game

Posted on by

miss america axumTonight a new Miss America will be crowned.  This ceremony marks the 52nd anniversary since Miss America 1964, Arkansan Donna Axum, was crowned.

A native of El Dorado and a student at the University of Arkansas, during her reign as Miss America Miss Axum (or simply Donna as the newspaper headlines referred to her) made four public visits to Little Rock.  As the first Miss Arkansas to become Miss America, the state’s Capitol City was very interested in giving her a warm welcome.

After being crowned on September 7, 1963, her first visit to Arkansas was November 1 through 3.  In addition to stops in Hot Springs and El Dorado, she appeared in Little Rock to attend events including an Arkansas Razorback football game at War Memorial Stadium.  Her entourage included the top four runners up from the Miss America pageant.

In February 1964, she made a brief appearance in Little Rock which included a press conference.

Donna Axum spent nearly two weeks in Arkansas in May 1964 attending several pageants as well as spending time with family.  During that visit she appeared in Little Rock twice.  The second time she headlined a concert with the Arkansas Symphony (not related to the current Arkansas Symphony Orchestra) and the Arkansas Choral Society. It took place at Robinson Auditorium.

Little Rock Look Back: The City responds to September 11

Posted on by

The Little Rock arts and culture community responded to September 11 as all sectors did.

Two of the groups in particular come to mind. When airspace was closed on September 11, several flights were grounded in Little Rock. The passengers on those planes became unexpected visitors to Little Rock.   Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey and Assistant City Manager Bruce Moore led efforts to make sure that everyone had a place to stay that evening.

The Arkansas Rep had opened its production of You Can’t Take It with You on Friday, September 7. The show was already scheduled to be dark on September 11, but on Wednesday, September 12, 2001, the performances resumed. That night the Rep offered these unexpected Little Rock guests free tickets to the performance.  Seeing a play which was both heartwarming, comic and full of Americana was the perfect balm for audiences who were weary, confused and nervous in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Most of the cast of that production was from New York City. Luckily, all of their friends and family back in New York were all safe.

Also on September 12, 2001, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presented a previously scheduled concert with Michael Bolton.  He had been traveling by bus so was able to get to Little Rock.  His concert was cathartic for the 2000 plus attendees at Robinson Center Music Hall. It offered not only a communal experience but also a welcome break from 24 hour coverage.  Three days later, on September 15, the ASO kicked off its MasterWorks series.  As has been tradition since the days of Francis McBeth as conductor, that first concert of the season began with the National Anthem.  The audience and musicians gathered and sang and played with unprecedented gusto that night.