music
“A work of art”
With a repertoire spanning the Baroque period to the Jazz era to today’s Billboard Hot 100 charts, the String Queens (violinist Kendall Isadore, violaist Dawn Johnson and cellist Elise Sharp) will headline the final performance of the 14th annual “A Work of Art” scholarship program presented by Art Porter Music Education, Inc. The performance will be at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Humanities and Arts Center Theater on the University of Arkansas Pulaski Institute of Technology’s main campus, 3000 W. Scenic Drive in North Little Rock.
Tickets range from $65 to $75.
The show will also feature special performances by APME All-Stars and will showcase 2024 APME $3,000 Renewal Scholarship recipient Emily Wheeler, a Van Buren High School graduate and first bassoon player in the Van Buren High School band, who plans to major in music education at the University of Central Arkansas.
The concert caps off a week of events celebrating the birthday of the late Art Porter Jr. and the careers of him and his father, jazzman Art Porter Sr. The nonprofit organization promotes music education while providing scholarships to students seeking college.
lineup:
◼️ Monday: Kickoff, Little Rock City Hall, noon. Free.
◼️ Tuesday: Jazz on the Plaza, presented by APME music minor students, River Market Plaza, noon. Free.
◼️ Wednesday: Louisiana jazz-soul singer Kiana Linnell, 7 p.m., Ron Robinson Theatre, 100 River Market Ave. $55-$65.
◼️ Thursday: Houston saxophonist Kyle Turner, Mosaic Templars Center, 501 W. Ninth St., 7 p.m., $50.
◼️ Friday: Porter Players Jam Session, Delta Hotel by Marriott, 201 S. Shackleford Road, 7 p.m., free.
Call (501) 492-9120 or visit artporter.org.
Louisiana jazz-soul singer Kiana Linnell will perform Wednesday at the Ron Robinson Theatre in Little Rock, and saxophonist Kyle Turner will perform Thursday at the Mosaic Templars Center in Little Rock, as part of Art Porter Music Education’s weeklong “Art Works” festival. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Chamber Music Concert
Faulkner Chamber Music Festival faculty will present two recitals at the Humanities and Arts Center on the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Institute of Technology main campus, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock.
◼️ Tuesday, 5pm: Violinists Katherine Williamson and Geoffrey Robson, viola Ryan Mooney and cello David Gerstein will perform Gražina Bacewicz’s String Quartet No. 4. They will be joined by cellist Jeremy Krosmer for Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D. 956.
◼️ Friday, 7 PM: Lauren Pokorzinski, Jeffrey Robson, Katherine Williamson (violin) and Jeremy Crossmer (cello) perform music by Wynton Marsalis. Excerpts from String Quartet No. 1, “At Octoroon Balls” (“Creole Contradanza,” “Many Gone,” “Hellbound Highball,” and “Rampart Street Row House Rag”). Robson and Williamson on violin, Timothy McDuff and Ryan Mooney on viola, and David Gerstein and Jeremy Crossmer on cello perform Johannes Brahms’ Sextet No. 2 in G Major.
Admission to both recitals is free; visit faulknerchambermusicfestival.com.
theater
Workshop performance
Actress and arts educator Patrice D. Williams will host “beginner” directing workshops for ages 16 and up from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 10, 17 and 24 at the Adam Robinson Jr. Black Box Theatre, 627 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. Limited to 20 participants. Cost is $25. Register at artx3.org/all-events/directing-workshop . For more information, call (870) 536-3375 or email jtlewis@artx3.org.
New Orleans bassist John Ebert will perform at The Joint in North Little Rock on Sept. 9 as part of the lineup for the ninth annual Acantha Arts Festival of the South. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
etc.
Acantha lineup
The Acantha Arts Festival of the South will celebrate its 10th anniversary with its 9th annual festival (after a year absent due to COVID-19) featuring music, dance and theater performances at various venues in Little Rock and North Little Rock from Sept. 5-21. The festival’s name comes from a Quapaw word meaning “place south.”
Lineup (all shows start at 7:30pm unless otherwise noted):
◼️ Sept. 5 – The Big Dam Horns, The Rail Yard, 1212 E. Sixth St., Little Rock. Drinks and the best food truck fare in the area. $15.
◼️ Sept. 6 – Australian folk-roots ensemble The Heart Collectors (cello, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bodhran), The Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. $25.
◼️ Sept. 7 – Family Art Day in partnership with University of Arkansas Pulaski Institute of Technology, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Argenta Plaza, 510 Main St., North Little Rock, featuring Buckets N Boards at noon. Free.
◼️ Sept. 7 – “Cello Tales: Life Under Broadway,” in partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Art, Amerin/Calhoun Glass Box, Arkansas Museum of Art, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. Cellist Mhairi Dorman Phaneuf, who has appeared in 21 Broadway shows, will perform cello and piano arrangements and talk about life as a musician. $35.
◼️ Sept. 9 – New Orleans bassist and Byzantine Monkey leader John Ebert teams up with Jazz at the Joint, The Joint, 301 Main St., North Little Rock. $30.
◼️ Sept. 11-21 – The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon, in association with Argenta Contemporary Theatre, ACT II, 315 Main St., North Little Rock. Show times and ticket prices vary.
◼️ September 12 – tripliciti (acoustic guitar composer and performer Andy McKee, Calum Graham, Trevor Gordon Hall), in partnership with Potluck & Poison Ivy and The Joint. $30
◼️ Sept. 13 – “The Other Mozart,” Ron Robinson Theatre, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. Sylvia Milo’s one-woman play tells the forgotten true story of Wolfgang Amadeus’ sister Nannerl. $35.
◼️ September 14 – Bluegrass hip-hop band Gangstagrass headlines Argenta’s Dogtown Throwdown. Where: Argenta Arts District, 406 Main St., North Little Rock, 7 p.m. Admission is free.
◼️ September 19 – “Tennessee Rising: The Dawn of Tennessee Williams,” written and performed by Jacob Storms, The Joint. $30
◼️ September 20 – Third Friday Art Walk, 5 to 8 p.m., Argenta Arts District, Main Street, North Little Rock, including a new exhibit by Arkansas artist Sergio Valdivia at Acantha Gallery (413A Main Street). FREE
◼️ Sept. 20 – “Ryan & Ryan: Kick the Clouds Away,” Ron Robinson Theatre. Father-son duo Baron and Donald Ryan perform arrangements of jazz, ragtime, classical and gospel tunes on two grand pianos. $35.
◼️ Sept. 21 – Hispanic Heritage Festival, afternoon, Argenta Plaza, 510 Main St., North Little Rock. Celebrating the Hispanic community, artists, music and food. Hosted by Seis Puentes. Free.
◼️ Sept. 21 – Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s “DBDT: Encore!,” Center for Humanities and Arts Theater, UA-Pulaski Tech main campus, 3300 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. $35.
Admission to all ticketed events is free for students 18 and under. A Festival Gold Pass ($250) includes all ticketed events and “exclusive perks.” Call (501) 663-2287 or visit ACANSA.org.
Australian folk-roots ensemble The Heart Collectors will perform at Little Rock’s Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., on Sept. 6. They’re part of the lineup for the ninth annual Acantha Arts Festival of the South. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
audition
Zombie Wanted
Auditions for ARTx3’s production of “George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead Live,” written by Christopher Bond, Dale Boyer and Trevor Martin and adapted by Christopher Harrison and Phil Pattison from the classic horror film, will be held from noon to 4 p.m., Aug. 10, at the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Black Box Theatre in Pine Bluff. The audition will consist of a script reading, a short exercise (please wear comfortable clothing and shoes) and a few bars of singing a cappella.
“The best way to prepare for the audition is to become familiar with the original Night of the Living Dead,” states the audition website, artx3.org/all-events/night-of-the-living-dead-auditions (which is also the registration site). “The original film is in the public domain and can be viewed on YouTube.” The website also states, “IMPORTANT: This is a physically demanding show. Most roles (including zombies) require varying degrees of crawling and falling. The show features fight scenes as well as shooting and blood.”
The minimum age to audition is 16 years old. No experience is necessary. Performance dates are October 18-19 and October 25-26 at 7:30 pm. For more information, call (870) 536-3375 or email lcollins@artx3.org.