Tag Archives: Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates a decade of fiscal responsibility and artistic growth

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The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra announced its 10th break-even fiscal year in a row at the end of June. The 54-year-old Little Rock nonprofit has broken even or finished with a small surplus each year since the 2009-2010 season while growing from a $2.8 million annual operating budget to a $3.5 million budget.

The orchestra achieved this monumental task through the support of the community, a hard-working and engaged Board of Directors, professional musicians and a culture of partnership with all musicians, leadership, volunteers and administrators.

The orchestra’s Chief Executive Officer, Christina Littlejohn, expressed gratitude to the community. “On behalf of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, ‘thank you’ to the more than 3,500 individuals who have given to sustain live music, music education and Arkansas’s quality of life. Your generosity shows how valued ASO is by the Little Rock and statewide community, and we are grateful and invigorated by your support.” Littlejohn also said the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will continue to be a disciplined, creative and innovative community partner in Little Rock and Arkansas for decades to come.

In addition to financial health, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s past 10 years have been marked by many achievements:

  • Opened the Robinson Center with a free concert to say thank you to the community for the new concert hall. More than 2,000 tickets were distributed in 39 minutes.
  • Formed a financial recovery task force in 2010 which set standards and practices which enabled the paying off of $700,000 in accumulated deficit, the restoration of full-time and part-time musician pay, and issued cost of living increases.
  • Created the Sturgis Music Academy, providing string education to more than 250 students each week
  • Made Sunday concerts free for 16,000 children with the Entergy Kids Ticket.
  • Provided violin instruction to Bale Elementary School, Forest Park Elementary School, and Fulbright Elementary School with the Violin in Your School program
  • Added a new neighborhood concert series and special performances, increasing the number of musician services
  • Supported annual residencies of guest artists for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Youth Ensembles program starting with a residency of violinist Midori
  • Performed in temporary venues for two-and-a-half years during the Robinson Center renovation, and used the opportunity to reach and entertain new, diverse audiences
  • Nearly doubled the endowment ($4 million in June 2010 to $7.6 million as of May 2019)
  • Set a new record for the largest Annual Fund ever raised by the orchestra, over $1 million given for its annual fund in 2019
  • Received national and local coverage of orchestra programs
  • Commissioned and premiered six new works for orchestra including a commission of Christopher Theofanidis by orchestra musicians in honor of the Board of Directors
  • Board of Directors recognized as “Best Non-Profit Board of Directors” by Arkansas Business
  • Introduced SHARP, ASO’s young professionals group and growing attendance from 30 in its first year to over 200 in four years

Chris White, Market President of Simmons Bank Central Arkansas, and a member of the Board of Directors, said the orchestra’s education and community service programs, which serve more than 26,000 children each year, are the key to its future success. “Simmons Bank regards social and civic responsibility as an inherent part of everything we do. There’s real value for Little Rock and Arkansas by supporting the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and specifically its youth programs that foster disciplined, hardworking and team-oriented people.”

The 2019-2020 ASO season is focused on the Arkansas and Little Rock community, presenting programs in partnership with other community institutions, highlighting the compositions of local composers, and maintaining a commitment to accessibility, service, artistic excellence, and fiscal discipline. Subscriptions are on-sale now and offer discounts from single ticket prices as well as benefits exclusive to subscribers, such as guaranteed priority seating and free and flexible ticket exchange.

36th Pops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Pops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, will take place Thursday., July 4, in downtown Little Rock.

In its 36th year, this free community event is the largest Fourth of July event in the state as more than 30,000 are drawn downtown to the events surrounding Pops on the River.

Pops has continued to grow these last three decades in no small part because it has held true to its roots and continues to focus on a family-friendly environment complete with fantastic food, fireworks, and music by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. It is a heralded community event that many remember for years to come.

Pops on the River will begin at 3pm in the River Market area of downtown Little Rock with free activities for kids in the Kid’s Pavilion, a marketplace for shopping, food trucks and entertainment for all ages.

Entertainment inside the First Security Amphitheater will include live music by Nicky Parrish, Rodney Block and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. and are shot off the Main Street Bridge.

The event is free to the public and a portion of proceeds benefit a local charity. This year’s benefiting charity is Rock City Rescue. Pops on the River is also sponsored in part by the Orion Federal Credit Union, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Little Rock Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 106.7 The Ride and Waste Management.

Beethoven’s Triple Concerto highlights final Arkansas Symphony Orchestra concert of 2018-2019 season

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Image may contain: 2 people, including David Gerstein, people on stage and indoor

Laskarov, Mann, and Gerstein in rehearsal

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra closes out the 2018-2019 season with its final I.N.C., Intimate Neighborhood Concerts, performance.  It is tonight (May 23) at 7pm at Calvary Baptist Church, 5700 Cantrell Road.

The program features Karlowicz’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 2; Moszkowski’s Prelude and Fuge, Op. 85; and Beethoven’s Concerto Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56.  Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Music Director Philip Mann is the conductor.

The ASO Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fantastic music in gorgeous, acoustically unique venues around Little Rock. The concerts offer special, intimate performances where patrons can get up – close and personal with chamber orchestra ensembles performing pieces in perfect settings. In addition to hearing these beautiful works, concertgoers are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

Soloists tonight are Kiril Laskarov, violin; David Gerstein, cello, and Tatiania Roitman Mann, piano.

Kiril Laskarov is in his 20th season as Concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. A native of Bulgaria, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State Academy of Music in Sofia and a Master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he studied with Prof. Michael Barta.

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.

Tatiana Roitman Mann has appeared as a soloist and recitalist across North America and Europe. The BBC hailed her performance of G. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Oxford Pops Orchestra as “formidable…both accurate and with rarely seen joy.” Mann’s radio broadcasts include H.Villa-Lobos’ Mystic Sextet, on NPR’s Performance Today.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY this weekend presented by Opera in the Rock

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Opera in the Rock at The Rep | Pucccini | Madama Butterfly | May 17, 2019, 7:30 PM | May 19, 2019, 2:30 PMOpera in the Rock presents Madama Butterfly this weekend.

1904: Nagasaki. Pinkerton, a U.S. naval officer, rents a house on a hill for himself and his soon-to-be bride, the 15-year-old “Butterfly.” Bound to be a brief marriage of convenience for Pinkerton, love and heartbreak ensue for the young Cio-Cio San.

Starring the world-class soprano Francesca Mondanaro as Butterfly, a singing actress with rave reviews for performances that are “electric” (Opera News) and “entirely riveting” (Washington Post), Opera In The Rock’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a staple of the operatic repertoire, is not to be missed!

Directed by David Ward and featuring musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Geoffrey Robson, the cast also includes Daniel Foltz-Morrison, Sarah Stankiewicz Dailey and Dallas’ Theodor Carlson, among others, including 15-year-old Tania Kelley making her operatic debut.

Performances are Friday, May 17, 2019 at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, May 19, 2019 at 2:30 PM.  The Opera in the Rock performances will be at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Relive the magic of E.T. with live music from Arkansas Symphony Orchestra this weekend

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The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the fourth and final concert of the 2018-2019 Acxiom Pops Live! season: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: In Concert!, Saturday, May 11th at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 12th at 3:00 p.m. at the Robinson Center.

Audiences will relive the magic of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial on the big screen accompanied by a magnificent, live performance of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, being led by ASO Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson.

Director Steven Spielberg’s heart-warming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrialfollows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world, complete with John Williams’ Academy Award®-winning score performed live by a full symphony orchestra in sync to the film projected on a huge HD screen!

The Pops Live! Series is sponsored by Acxiom.

Tickets are $16, $36, $57, and $68; active duty military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Robinson Center street-level box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 1. 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 arkansassymphony.org/freekids. Please note: the Entergy Kids’ Ticket Voucher must be redeemed for a reserved seat by calling the Box Office or presenting it at the Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved. Available on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.