Tag Archives: Geoffrey Robson

ASO River Rhapsodies Continues Tonight with DUOS

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Tonight at 7pm, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s second concert of the Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series will features duos of ASO Musicians. The concert will be held at the Clinton Presidential Center.

The program is an intimate showcase of the ASO’s musicians, in duo format and features ASO Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson, co-concertmaster Drew Irvin, Quapaw Quartet members David Gerstein and Ryan Mooney, principal bassist Barron Weir, principal violist Kater Reynolds and violist Tatiana Kotcherguina.

General Admission tickets for River Rhapsodies concerts are $22, and Student tickets are available for $10. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org, over the phone at (501) 666-1761 or at the door.

The program will include

Mozart’s Duo No. 1 in G for Violin and Viola, K. 423 featuring Irvin and Mooney
Rossini’s Duetto for Cello and Bass featuring Gerstein and Weir
Frank Bridge’s Lament for Two Violas with Kotcherguina and Mooney
Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 featuring Gerstein and Robson

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 47th season in 2012-2013 under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than thirty concerts each year for more than 42,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series and River Rhapsodies Chamber Series, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 24,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Claude Bolling’s Suite for Violin and Jazz Piano Trio at The Afterthought

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Tonight, October 8th, 2012 there will be a special one-time performance of Claude Bolling’s Suite for Violin and Jazz Piano Trio at The Afterthought, the jazz club on Kavanaugh Blvd. in the Hillcrest section of Little Rock.

With music starting at 8pm, saxophonist Brandon Dorris will perform a trio set with bassist Joe Vick and drummer Brian Brown. The Bolling,which is about an hour of music, will feature violinist Geoffrey Robson,pianist Louis Menendez, bassist Joe Vick, and drummer Brian Brown.

The evening will conclude with more music from Brandon Dorris and the trio.

Sophisticated jazz piano stylings blend seamlessly with lyrical and virtuosic violin playing in the music of Claude Bolling. $5 cover only.

Geoffrey Robson, violinist, is the Associate Conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and violinist in Trio Arkansas with pianist Louis Menendez. Louis Menendez, of Hot Springs, AR, is a fine concert pianist, opera coach, and conductor, and is a faculty member at
Ouachita Baptist University. Joe Vick is a member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a Little Rock jazz mainstay. He also teaches music at College Station Elementary and Fuller Middle School in Little Rock.

Brian Brown, also a local jazz mainstay, has performed on just about every stage in town, and appears four nights a week at the Capital Hotel with the Ted Ludwig Jazz Trio. Brandon Dorris is one of the more versatile musicians in town. Recent appearances include the Hot Springs Jazz Festival, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Repertory Theater, and Dugan’s Pub.

ASO This Weekend: Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles

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The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents the first concert of the ACXIOM Pops Live! Series – Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles – on October 6 at 8 p.m. and October 7 at 3 p.m. at the Robinson Center Music Hall, conducted by Geoffrey Robson, ASO Associate Conductor. This concert is sponsored in part by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Hear The Beatles live in concert with YOUR Arkansas Symphony Orchestra! These four musicians look and sound just like the real thing. Hear Eleanor Rigby with a live string section; experience the peace anthem All You Need is Love full of brass fanfare; and enjoy the upbeat and optimistic tune Here Comes the Sun. From early Beatles music through the solo years, this concert is the best of The Beatles as you’ve never heard them.

All kids through 12th grade can attend the Sunday matinee performances for free (with purchase of an adult ticket) using the Entergy Kids Ticket – available for download at http://www.ArkansasSymphony.org. Adult single tickets range from $18-$58 and can be purchased online at http://www.ArkansasSymphony.org or over the phone at (501) 666-1761. Student and military tickets are $10.

Featuring

Program:
Beatles Medley Overture arrangement by Martin Herman

Classical Mystery Tour will perform selections from the following:
A Day In the Life
All You Need Is Love
Beatles Medley Overture
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Come Together
Eleanor Rigby
Golden Slumbers
Got To Get You Into My Life
Here Comes the Sun
I Am the Walrus
I Saw Her Standing There
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Imagine
Live and Let Die
The Long and Winding Road
Ob-la-di, ob-la-da
Penny Lane
Sgt. Pepper /Little Help From My Friends
Strawberry Fields Forever
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Yellow Submarine
Yesterday

All songs written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, or George Harrison.

Gio and Friends Recital

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Tonight at 6:30pm classical pianist Gio Antipolo will present an evening of music. He is joined by Geoffrey Robson, violin; David Gerstein, cello; and Joe Joyner, viola.

Casual Attire. Kids welcome. And its free. The recital will take place at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church.

Selections include:
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto no. 5 “Emperor” – I
CHOPIN Piano Concerto no. 1 “Romance” – II
CHOPIN Etude
BACH Italian Concerto
PROKOFIEV Sonata no. 6 – I
RAVEL Une Barque sur l’ocean
LISZT La Campanella

BEETHOVEN “Spring” Sonata (Violin Sonata)
SCHUMANN Piano Quartet II, III

Ark. Symphony welcomes WICKED Divas

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The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra closes out the 2011-2012 Pops season with a program entitled “Wicked Divas.”

Under the baton of Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson, the ASO will be joined by Eden Espinosa and Emily Rozek for an evening of Broadway power songs.  Both actors have Broadway credits and have appeared in productions of Wicked.

Among  the numbers which will be performed are:

The Overture to Gypsy (Jule Styne); selections from Carmen (Bizet); selections from Chicago (John Kander), “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe); “Back to Before” from Ragtime (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens); “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber); “Ring Them Bells” (John Kander and Fred Ebb); and “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg);.

From Wicked, they will perform “Popular,” “Defying Gravity” and “For Good.”

The concert is being presented tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 3pm at Robinson Center Music Hall.

Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestras Concert Tonight

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The Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestras program will present a concert tonight at Pulaski Academy at 7pm.

There are four youth orchestras featuring over 150 young musicians.  Each of the orchestras will be featured on the program.

The Preparatory Orchestra, under the direction of Casey Buck will perform British Grenadiers by John Caponegro, Sword Dance by Bob Phillips, and Dragonhunter by Richard Meyer.

The Prelude Orchestra is led Kiril Laskarov and Drew Irvin.  Maestro Laskarov will conduct Del Borgo’s Concertino in G while Maestro Irvin will conduct Joseph Haydn’s Finale from Symphony #47.

The Academy Orchestra is under the baton of Thomas McDonald.  Their selections will be Concerto Grosso in G. Major, op. 3 no. 3 by G. F. Handel; Symphony No. 104 – London by F. J. Haydn; and Chicago by John Kander and Fred Ebb.  Angela Wang, violin and Philip Kim, oboe will be soloists on the first selection.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson is the conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra.  Under his direction, those musicians will play Bizet’s Carmen Suite, No. 1 and Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor.

ASO announces River Rhapsodies for 2012-2013

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On the heels of the recent announcement of the 2012-2013 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra MasterWorks and Pops series, the ASO has unveiled next season’s River Rhapsodies Chamber Series.

It will kick off on October 2 when Augustin Hadelich will perform.  He will be featured on September 29 and 30 with the MasterWorks series as the Richard Sheppard Arnold Artist of Distinction.  Joining him on the program will be the Quapaw String Quartet, the Rockefeller String Quartet and violinist Geoffrey Robson.  The works to be performed include Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 54 No. 2; Webern’s Langsamer Satz; Yasye’s Violin Sonata in d minor, No. 3 “Ballade” and Tchaikovsky’s Sextet, Op. 70 “Souvenir de Florence.”

Appropriately the second concert of the series is entitled Duos.  On October 30, the concert will feature David Gerstein, cello; Andrew Irvin, violin; Tatiana Kotcherguina, viola; Ryan Mooney, viola; Geoffrey Robson, violin and Barron Weir, contrabass.  The program will feature Mozart’s Duo No. 1 in G for Violin and Viola; Rossini’s Duetto for Cello and Bass; Bridge’s Lament for Two Violas and Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7.

On November 13, the concert is entitled Masterworks and will feature the Quapaw String Quartet, Louis Menendez on piano and violinist Geoffrey Robson.  They will perform Ravel’sPiano Trio in a minor and Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 130 and Op. 133.

The Rockefeller String Quartet’s 10th anniversary will be highlighted in the fourth concert of the series.  They will perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1; Glass’s String Quartet No. 3 (Mishima) and Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D Major.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Composer of the Year Jennifer Higdon will be featured on February 26, 2013.  The musicians performing that night will be David Gerstein, cello; Kelly Johnson, clarinet; Kiril Laskarov, violin; Susan Bell Leon, bassoon; Meredith Maddox-Hicks; violin; Diane McVinney, flute; David Renfro, horn; Tatiana Roitman, piano and Beth Wheeler, oboe. The musical selections include Barber’s Summer Music; Higdon’s Piano Trio and Autumn Music and Shostokovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67.

Spring in Little Rock will be celebrated with Appalachian Spring on April 16.  A host of musicians will play a program including Crumb’s Voice of the Whale; Debussy’s Sonate en trio for Flute, Viola and Harp; Higdon’s Amazing Grace and Copland’s Appalachian Spring.  The performers will be Carl Anthony, piano; Carolyn Brown, flute; Daniel Cline and David Gerstein, cello; Alisa Coffey, harp; Leanne Day-Simpson, Eric Hayward, Andrew Irvin and Kiril Laskarov, violin; Kelly Johnson, clarinet; Susan Bell Leon, bassoon; Ryan Mooney and Katherine Reynolds, viola and Barron Weir, contrabass.

The concerts will take place at 7pm at the Clinton Presidential Center.  Philip Mann is the music director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.