Tag Archives: Episcopal Collegiate School

Little Rock Tree Week – Capital Hotel

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IMG_3580As Little Rock Tree Week continues, today’s feature is the Capital Hotel.  In addition to enjoying the tree, visitors to the Capital Hotel can admire Chef Tandra’s gingerbread village as well as musical performances in the lobby.

The schedule for the remainder of this week is:

• Don Roberts Elementary on Tue, Dec 18 at Noon
• Violinists on Tue, Dec 18 at 5:30pm
• Capital String Quartet on Wed, Dec 19 at 5:30pm
• St. Paul United Methodist Bells on Wed, Dec 19 at 7pm
• Booker Arts Magnet on Thu, Dec 20 at 10:15am

Among the groups performing earlier this month have been: Forest Heights Middle School, Horace Mann Magnet, eSTEM, Pulaski Academy, Williams Magnet, Episcopal Collegiate, Mount St. Mary Academy, Central Arkansas Christian, Sylvan Hills High School, Holy Souls School, Bale Elementary, Cabot Middle School and the UCA Hornaments.

The arrival of the tree at the Capital Hotel.

The arrival of the tree at the Capital Hotel.

The tree and other decorations at the Capital Hotel are overseen by Tipton Hurst.  The Hurst family is descended from Little Rock’s first hoteliers, the Peay family. The Peay Hotel stood a few blocks away from where the Capital Hotel was constructed in the 1870s.

The tree arrived on a Friday afternoon. It took several hours to get it raised into place and secured.  It took all weekend for a crew to decorate the tree, which has thousands of lights wrapped around its branches.  The tree was officially lit on Monday, December 3.

The REAL 3 Bs of Music: Beethoven, Blue Jeans and Brats

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The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra invites new listeners to put on their favorite pair of blue jeans and take part in the annual Beethoven & Blue Jeans concert and Beer & Brats Street Party on Saturday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the Robinson Center Music Hall. This is the third concert of the Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series.

This casual concert kicks off with the Beer & Brats Street Party at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Concert ticket holders can enjoy free brats, $2 Diamond Bear beer and the sounds of the Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band. Concert goers can follow @ARSymphony and the hashtag #BeethovenAndBlueJean via Twitter to get inside scoop about the Street Party and learn insights about the concert in progress.

The jean-clad ASO begins the program with the concert’s namesake in Beethoven’s extraordinary classical overture, Creatures of Prometheus. Next, listeners will recognize sounds from Tan Dun’s hit film scores for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero in his Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa, featuring world renowned pipa player, Wu Man. (Pipa is a Chinese lute-like instrument.) Then, East meets West in the telling of Sinbad and Arabian Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade – always an audience favorite and a perfect piece to introduce new listeners to the ASO experience.

Beethoven & Blue Jeans attendees can also support the Arkansas Foodbank by dropping off a frozen turkey at the BBJ Street Party. And as a thank you, turkey donors will receive a pair of free tickets to any concert from the ASO’s 2012/2013 Season.

Concert-goers can learn more about the program before the concert at the American Airlines Concert Conversation. These informances are free and are located in Robinson Room 102 one hour prior to each Masterworks concert.

Tickets range from $14-$52 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org or over the phone at (501) 666-1761. Thanks to the Entergy Kids Ticket, all kids through 12th grade are free on Sundays with the purchase of an adult ticket. For more information, visit www.ArkansasSymphony.org.

 

Holiday Music with the ASO

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For many Arkansans, the Christmas season is marked by attendance at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra December pops concert.  This year, it is entitled simply “Happy Holidays” and the music is programmed to ensure that audience members leave happy and full of the holiday spirit.

Music Director Philip Mann will take the podium and lead the musicians of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Christmas and Hanukkah music both old and new.

Among the selections are: Tyzik: “The Skater’s Overture,” Styne: “Let It Snow,” Anderson: “Sleigh Ride,” Vivaldi: “The Four Seasons: Winter” (featuring violin solo work by co-concertmaster Kiril Laskarov), Gabrieli: “Canzon Noni Toni,” Richman: “Holiday Cheer!” Biegel: Hanukkah Fantasy,” Tchaikovsky: Selections from The Nutcracker,” Bob Hupp narrating “The Night Before Christmas,” Rimsky-Korsakov: “Snow Maiden Suite: Dance of the Clowns” Tyzik: Ave Maria,” “The Wonderful World of Christmas/Silver Bells” and Finnegin: “Christmas Singalong.”

In addition to Hupp, special guests include performances by the O’Donovan School of Irish Dance, Ballet Arkansas, Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band, baritone Darren Drone, Winter Pops Chorus, and Cathedral School Choristers.  And of course, St. Nicolas himself, that jolly old elf Santa Claus will be on hand.

The concert is sponsored by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.  Performances began last night and continue tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 3pm.  At 2pm on Sunday, a children’s fair with arts and crafts will take place.  Also on Sunday, because of the sponsorship of Entergy Arkansas, children from Kindergarten through 12th grade are admitted for free with a paying adult.

Tis the Season (for Spiced Peacans)

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The tree being hoisted into place in the Capital Hotel

Music, design and history converge this evening when Capital Hotel hosts A Capital Christmas today.

The festivities begin at 5:30pm when the UALR Flute Ensemble is in concert in the hotel lobby and the gingerbread village is officially unveiled.  At 6:30 pm, the tree will officially be lit.  Also during the evening, dancers from Ballet Arkansas’ production of The Nutcracker will be on hand.

Throughout the Christmas season, there will be performances of music groups at the Capital Hotel. 

Music and Choir Performance Dates

 •Cavalry Academy on Fri, Dec 2nd at Noon

 •Mann Magnet MS on Mon, Dec 5th at 11 am

 •AR Northeast Community College on Mon, Dec 5th at 1 pm

 •Riverview High School on Tues, Dec 6th at 11 am

 •Sylvan Hills on Wed, Dec 7th at 11 am

 •Abundant Life on Thurs, Dec 8th at Noon

 •Maumelle Middle School on Fri, Dec 9th at 11 am

 •Holy Souls on Mon, Dec 12th at 11:30

 •Episcopal Collegiate on Tues, Dec 13 at Noon

 •Searcy High School on Wed, Dec 14th at 11 am

 •Booker Arts on Wed, Dec 14th at Noon

 •Robinson Middle School on Thurs, Dec 15th at 11 am

 •Hornaments on Saturday, Dec 17th at 5 pm

Beethoven, Blue Jeans, Brats and Beer

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Which of the words in the title doesn’t go with the other?  Trick question.  All go together this weekend at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

Under the direction of Music Director Philip Mann, the ASO brings back Beethoven and Blue Jeans this weekend. It is a mix of musical styles all united by a flair for entertainment.  The program includes Beethoven’s Lenore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b, Roumain’s Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Beethoven’s Egmont: Overture.

Daniel Bernard Roumain aka DBR and his electric violin are the featured guest artist for this concert.

Prior to the concert, ticket-holders are encouraged to partake of FREE brats, $2 Diamond Bear Beer, and music by The Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band on Markham in front of Robinson before the concert!