Tag Archives: Philip Mann

ASO and ASYO go SIDE BY SIDE on Friday

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asoyo
The Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra members will have the chance to play “Side by Side” with members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra tomorrow night (Friday, May 10) at the annual “Side by Side” concert.

The musicians will play under the baton of Music Director Philip Mann.

The concert will take place at Robinson Center Music Hall at 7pm.  The tickets are $10 for adults, free for children.

This is a great opportunity to see not only what the members of the ASYO have been doing, but to see the next generation of musicians and music patrons in action.

Free Concert by ASO musicians at Capital Hotel this evening

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ASO at CHMusicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be performing this evening in the lobby of the historic Capital Hotel. The music will start at 5:00 pm.

In 2011, the ASO started these free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.  The marble and tile of this historic lobby provide a wonderful acoustic backdrop for the musicians.

The concert will feature short, accessible pieces along with commentary from the musicians.

Unlike concerts in music halls, guests here are encouraged to bring drinks to their seats or to stand and move around while the musicians are playing.  It is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where the audience and musicians alike are able to interact with each other.

This concert is part of the ASO’s ongoing efforts to play throughout the community under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann and Executive Director Christina Littlejohn.  In addition to the Capital Hotel concerts, they offer occasional free concerts at UAMS and have recently started the INC (Intimate Neighborhood Concerts) subscription series.

ASO River Rhapsodies concludes 2012-2013 with APPALACHIAN SPRING

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20121020-054530.jpgThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra River Rhapsodies concert series concludes the 2012-2013 season tonight.  With spring weather upon us, it is appropriate that tonight’s program is entitled Appalachian Spring.

The evening will include Crumb’s Voice of the Whale, Debussy’s Sonate en trio for Flute, Viola and Harp; ASO composer of the year Higdon’s Amazing Grace and Copland’s Appalachian Spring.  

Performing these selections will be Carl Anthony, piano; Carolyn Brown, flute; Daniel Cline, cello; Alisa Coffey, harp; Leanne Day-Simpson, violin; David Gerstein, cello; Eric Hayward, violin; Andrew Irvin, violin; Kelly Johnson, clarinet; Kiril Laskarov, violin; Susan Bell León, bassoon; Ryan Mooney, viola; Katherine Reynolds, viola and Barron Weir, contrabass.

The concert takes place at 7pm at the Clinton Presidential Center. A limited number of tickets are available at the door. But the concerts usually sell out.

Philip Mann is the music director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

 

ASO features Midori, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Brahms

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midori_playingWorld famous violinist Midori joins forces with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (under the baton of music director Philip Mann) to close the ASO Masterworks season in unforgettable fashion.

Midori performs Tchaikovsky’s celebrated Violin Concerto in a pairing of two inimitable favorites which also connects with the season’s opener, in that it was inspired by Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Adding to the festive feel of the program is Mozart’s frothy and iconic overture to the Marriage of Figaro, which defies any listener not to smile.

Closing the program is Brahms’s final and incredible 4th symphony– a work of stunning beauty and depth that grows out of the most simple of gestures, a falling then rising line. A sense of yearning and urgency underlie the work as counterpoint adds flavor and intensity to sublime lyricism. An almost overwhelming final movement harkens back to an earlier time in music in a masterstroke combination of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic.

The opportunity to hear Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Brahms in one program is a special treat.  These three are certainly among the top favorite of classical composers for most listeners.  The concerts are tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 3pm at Robinson Center Music Hall.

ASO at Capital Hotel Tonight

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ASO at CHMusicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be performing this evening in the lobby of the historic Capital Hotel.

The music will start at 5:00 pm and will feature the Quapaw Quartet.

In 2011, the ASO started these free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.  The marble and tile of this historic lobby provide a wonderful acoustic backdrop for the musicians.

The concert will feature short, accessible pieces along with commentary from the musicians.

Unlike concerts in music halls, guests here are encouraged to bring drinks to their seats or to stand and move around while the musicians are playing.  It is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where the audience and musicians alike are able to interact with each other.

This concert is part of the ASO’s ongoing efforts to play throughout the community under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann and Executive Director Christina Littlejohn.  In addition to the Capital Hotel concerts, they offer occasional free concerts at UAMS and have recently started the INC (Intimate Neighborhood Concerts) subscription series.

ASO celebrates American Songbook

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20121020-054530.jpgThis weekend the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra features a celebration of works from some of America’s greatest songwriters.

Vocalists Chauncey Packer and Rachel E. Copeland join Philip Mann and the ASO to perform tunes from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” to Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.”

American tenor Chauncey Packer is an exciting talent on the stages of opera houses in Europe and the United States. In recent years, Mr. Packer has performed the roles of Steuermann DER FLIEGENDE HÖLLANDER with New Orleans Opera, Amon AKHNATEN with Atlanta Opera, Alfredo LA TRAVIATA with Pensacola Opera, and Rodolfo LA BOHÈME with Soo Theatre and Mobile Opera. This young tenor is highly in-demand for his captivating portrayal of Sportin’ Life PORGY AND BESS.

Lyric Coloratura Rachel E. Copeland continues to receive acclaim as a thriving young artist combining her crystalline voice with her compelling and energetic stage presence.  As Ms. Copeland’s career and reputation continue to grow, the 2012-2013 season sees her with repeat engagements with Opera North Carolina and Opera Per Tutti.

The selections for the concerts will include:

GERSHWIN – Cuban Overture
GERSHWIN – There’s A Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New York from Porgy and Bess
GERSHWIN/Holcombe – Gershwin Medley
CARMICHAEL – Stardust
STRAYHORN/Holcombe – Lush Life
COLE/Holcombe – Unforgettable
ELLINGTON/Holcombe – Duke Ellington Medley
HOLCOMBE – Songs of the South
GERSHWIN – Summertime from Porgy and Bess
ELLINGTON – Grand Slam Jam
RODGERS/HAMMERSTIEN/Walker – Soliloquy from Carousel
BERLIN/Ades – Irving Berlin – A Symphonic Portrait

The concerts take place at 8pm on Saturday, March 16 and 3pm on Sunday, March 17 at Robinson Center Music Hall.

ASO INC tonight at Christ Church

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christchurch_scaledThe Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series is a new concert series by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, featuring fantastic music in gorgeous, acoustically unique venues around Little Rock.

The series continues tonight at Christ Church in downtown Little Rock (corner of Scott and Capitol).

The program will consist of :
ELGAR: Introduction and Allegro, op. 47
HIGDON: Soliloquy
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
BARTOK: Romanian Folk Dances

The musicians performing tonight include the Quapaw Quartet, the Rockefeller Quartet and Beth Wheeler.  Philip Mann, the music director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, will be conducting.

Tickets may be purchased on the ASO website or at the door.  But seating is limited.