Tag Archives: Kiril Laskarov

The ASO River Rhapsodies series continues tonight

Posted on by

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra continues the 2019-2020 River Rhapsodies Chamber Music season with Musical Images, Tuesday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center.

ASO’s Quapaw String Quartet, along with other musicians will perform Golijov’s Tenebrae; Kinan Azmeh’s The Fence, the Rooftop, and the Distant Sea; Paul Reade’s Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden; and Elgar’s Violin Sonata in E minor, Op. 82. 

River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Concerts are held in the intimate setting of the Clinton Presidential Center’s Great Hall. A cash bar is open before the concert and at intermission, and patrons are invited to carry drinks into the concert. The Media Sponsor for the River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series is UA Little Rock Public Radio.

General Admission tickets are $26; active duty military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSympohny.org; at the Clinton Center beginning 60 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 1.

Artists
Quapaw String Quartet
–Meredith Maddox Hicks, violin
–Charlotte Crosmer, violin
–Timothy MacDuff, viola
–David Gerstein, cello
Kiril Laskarov, violin
Andrew Irvin, violin
Kelly Johnson, clarinet
Katherine Williamson, violin
Stephen Feldman, cello
Alisa Coffey, harp
Jason Pennington, piano

Free concert by ASO musicians this afternoon as part of Ruth Marie Allen Concert Series at UAMS

Posted on by

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents the fall concert in the Dr. Ruth Marie Allen Concert Series at UAMS. Musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra are featured in the UAMS Hospital Lobby Gallery on Wednesday, November 20 at 4:30 p.m.

The free-to-the-public performance showcases the Rockefeller String Quartet, ASO Concertmasters Andrew Irvin and Kiril Laskarov, and ASO musicians; Jordan Coleman, bass, and Leanne Renfro, Lorraine Duso Kitts, and Beth Wheeler, oboes performing a program of music by Michael Fine and Mozart.

“It is my hope that these concerts will promote the beautiful music of the ASO,” said series founder Dr. Ruth Marie Allen. The concerts also aim to provide the opportunity for celebration and renewal to hardworking UAMS students, staff, and faculty, according to Allen.

Concerts in the Dr. Ruth Marie Allen Concert Series at UAMS are free and open to the public. Parking is available for a fee in Parking Deck 1. For more information please contact the ASO Box Office at (501) 666-1761, ext. 1.

Program
MOZART – Quartet for Oboe and String Trio, K. 370
Leanna Renfro, oboe; Linnaea Brophy, violin, Katherine Reynolds, viola, Jacob Wunsch, cello

FINE, Michael – Double Violin Concerto with String Quartet and Bass
Andrew Irvin, Kiril Laskarov, violin; Rockefeller String Quartet, Jordan Coleman, bass

FINE, Michael – Concerto for Oboe Section with String Quartet and Bass
Lorraine Duso Kitts, Leanna Renfro, Beth Wheeler, oboe; Rockefeller String Quartet, Jordan Coleman, bass

HANDEL – Passacaglia for Violin and Cello
Linnea Brophy, violin and Jacob Wunsch, cello

Artists
Andrew Irvin, violin
Kiril Laskarov, violin
Jordan Coleman, bass
Leanne Renfro, oboe
Lorraine Duso Kitts, oboe
Beth Wheeler, oboe
Rockefeller String Quartet
-Trisha McGovern Freeney, violin
-Linnaea Brophy, violin
-Katherine Reynolds, viola
-Jacob Wunsch, cello

Artober – Behind the Scenes. An Arkansas Symphony Orchestra rehearsal in 2017

Posted on by

Image may contain: 2 people, people sittingOctober is Arts and Humanities Month nationally and in Little Rock. Americans for the Arts has identified a different arts topic to be posted for each day in the month. Today’s focus is “Behind the Scenes.”

In 2017, I had the rare privilege of sitting on the stage during an Arkansas Symphony Orchestra rehearsal. These are some of the photos I took from that time.  It was exciting to not only hear the music up close but the see the musicians interact with each other on breaks. My appreciation for the ASO musicians (which was already high) grew even more so that evening.

As I was seated next to the violins, most of the photos are of the strings section.  I tried to be as subtle as possible in taking the photos.

Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting, people playing musical instruments and indoor

Image may contain: one or more people and people sitting

Image may contain: David Gerstein, sitting and indoor

Image may contain: 3 people, people on stage and people playing musical instruments

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting and indoor

Image may contain: 2 people, people playing musical instruments

Image may contain: 7 people, people on stage

Image may contain: indoor

Image may contain: 1 person

Image may contain: 2 people, people sitting and indoor

No photo description available.

Image may contain: one or more people, night and indoor

Concert in memory of longtime ASO violinist Eric Hayward presented tonight

Posted on by

Eric and Christopher Hayward

On Tuesday, September 17, in the first concert of Festival of the Senses’ 2019-20 performing arts season, a string ensemble will play Tchaikovsky’s celebrated Piano Trio in A Minor and a new piano quartet, “The Black Rose,” composed by Little Rock’s Dustin Yoder in memory of Eric Hayward of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO).

The free concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4106 JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock, and will feature ASO Concertmaster Kiril Laskarov on violin, Stephen Feldman on cello, May Tsao-Lim on piano, and Eric Hayward’s son, Christopher Hayward, on the viola. A reception will be held in the parish hall following the performance.

“Eric Hayward was our friend and colleague in the Arkansas Symphony and we miss him dearly,” says Kiril Laskarov. “Eric loved chamber music, so we thought the best way to honor his memory was to present this program. We combine one of the greatest chamber music pieces in the literature, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio, which was dedicated to another great musician, the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, with the world premiere of a piano quartet entitled ‘The Black Rose,’ which was composed by Eric’s student Dustin Yoder and will feature Chris Hayward, Eric’s son, on the viola.”

Eric Hayward (1954-2018) was an associate concertmaster and principal second violinist with the ASO for 38 years and a founding member of Arkansas’ premier string quartet, the Quapaw String Quartet. Following his death in 2018, the ASO established a principal second violin chair in his memory. He held degrees from Oregon State and Northwestern Universities and studied at the University of Iowa, taught violin and viola privately and in a number of local schools, and played in various concerts at St. Luke’s since before the inception of Festival of the Senses.

Christopher Hayward began his musical education following in his father’s footsteps on violin but later changed to the viola. A 2006 graduate of Little Rock Central High School, he attended Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, and is now married and lives and works in Maumelle. He has played in the Arkansas Youth Orchestra, All-Region Orchestra, All-State Orchestra, and the Missouri All-Collegiate Orchestra.

Dustin Yoder, currently resident composer for WAMA, the music and arts camp of Little Rock’s Wildwood Park for the Arts, is a local musician and former student of Eric Hayward. He was a 2015 violin finalist for the High School Honors Performance Series Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He teaches private lessons locally, plays part-time in the ASO, has composed scores for a number of short films, and is a self-taught painter.

THE PROGRAM

Piano Trio in A Minor, Opus 50 – Pezzo Elegiaco
  Dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein (1835−1881)
by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)

Piano Quartet in C Minor, “The Black Rose”
  Dedicated to Eric Hayward (1954−2018)
by Dustin Yoder (b. 1996)

Piano Trio in A Minor, Opus 50 – A. Tema con Variazioni; B. Finale e Coda
by Tchaikovsky

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

Posted on by
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.

Arkansas Symphony Youth Ensembles in concert tonight

Posted on by

Image result for music notes

Come see the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Youth Ensembles perform in the annual Mid-Winter Youth Orchestra concert at 6 pm at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center.

The four groups performing will be:

  • Preparatory Orchestra, conducted by Casey Buck
  • Prelude Orchestra, co-conducted by Andrew Irvin and Kiril Laskarov
  • Academy Orchestra, conducted by Tom McDonald
  • Youth Orchestra, conducted by Geoffrey Robson

Ranging in age from 9-18 and traveling from over 37 communities throughout the state, the ASYO has grown to over 200 members.

These youth work hard throughout the year on the music, which is often over and above their efforts with school music programs and individual private lessons.  The conductors choose music that is challenging for them but also appropriate for the level of the ensemble.  They also have the opportunity to interact with the professional musicians of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra throughout the year.

$10 tickets can be purchased at the door or atwww.ArkansasSymphony.org

 

Creative Class 2016: Kiril Laskarov

Posted on by

cc-laskarovKiril Laskarov is currently in his 17th season as Concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  Earlier this year, he was also the featured soloist for the ASO playing  a 300-year-old priceless Stradivarius violin .

A native of Bulgaria, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State Academy of Music in Sofia and Master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Kiril was the winner of the 1995 Bulgarian National Competition.  He  has appeared as a soloist with the Arkansas Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Southern Illinois Symphony, Abilene (TX) Philharmonic, and Texarkana (TX) Symphony, and also presented recitals in Little Rock, Memphis, Kansas City, and Dallas.

For over a decade, he has taught orchestral music at Episcopal  Collegiate School, in addition to his busy symphonic and chamber music schedule.