Internationally acclaimed pianist Olli Mustonen will give a recital at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
His program: Children's Album by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky; six Mazurkas -- op.59 Nos. 1, 2 and 3 and op.56 Nos. 1, 2 and 3 -- by Frederic Chopin; his own Piano Sonata, "Jehkin Iivana"; and the Piano Sonata No. 10, op.70, and Poeme "Vers la flamme," op.72, by Alexander Scriabin.
Admission is free. Call (479) 575-4701, email music@uark.edu or visit music.uark.edu.
Poet and author I
Pulaski Technical College's "Big Rock Reading Series" will feature readings, a question-and-answer session and book signings by poet Paul Lake, an English department faculty member at Arkansas Tech University at Russellville, and fiction writer John Vanderslice, on the master of fine arts faculty at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and associate editor of its Toad Suck Review magazine, 6 p.m. Tuesday in the R.J. Wills Lecture Hall, Campus Center, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. Admission is free. Call (501) 812-2302 or email slonghorn@pulaskitech.edu.
Poet and author II
Ellen Hopkins, poet, freelance writer and award-winning author of 20 nonfiction titles and nine New York Times best-selling young adult novels-in-verse, will be in residence Tuesday and Wednesday at University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. She will give a public reading and book signing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 107 of the university's College of Business. Admission is free. Call (501) 450-3340 or email stephv@uca.edu.
Waltz Night
The Hendrix College Chamber Orchestra and conductor Karen Griebling will present "Waltz Night 2015," a fundraiser for the Arkansas Youth Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Monday in Trieschmann Gallery at Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway.
Composer Aaron Rice, Hendrix class of 2014, currently conductor of the Saline County Community Orchestra, will be the tenor soloist in the the world premiere of his own Overture: Starlight.
The program will also include Demos by Michael Occidental, which incorporates music from the "Waltz" from Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky; "Habanera" from Carmen by Georges Bizet (with soprano Hannah Smashey); and the Thunder and Lightning Polka by Johann Strauss Jr.
• A British set featuring If You Were the Only Girl in the World Waltz by Matt Ayer and Jeeves and Wooster and Mystery Tango by Jeremy Crosmer
• An American set featuring Pasquinade by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Pennsylvania Polka by Frankie Yankovic and The Pink Panther theme by Henry Mancini
• The DDG Trio -- Arkansas Symphony Orchestra musicians Beth Wheeler, English horn, and oboists Leanna Booze and Lorraine Duso -- will play selections from Schwing Schweet by Jozef Bednardik
• A European set featuring Tales From the Vienna Woods by Strauss, the "Polka" from The Bartered Bride by Bedrich Smetana and Jalousie Tango by Niels Gade
• The closing set, which includes Strauss' On the Beautiful Blue Danube and Radetzky March.
The 2015 Concerto and Aria Competition winner will also be announced. Admission is free; donations to Arkansas Youth Orchestra will be accepted. Call (501) 450-1249 or email griebling@hendrix.edu.
Jazz ensembles
The University of Central Arkansas Jazz Ensembles I and II and the UCA Dixieland Band will give a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Recital Hall, Snow Fine Arts Center, UCA, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway.
Jackie Lamar will conduct the Dixieland Band in "New Orleans Masquerade" by Irving Mills, "Beale Street Blues" by W.C. Handy and "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" by Henry Roeland Byrd.
Larry Jones will conduct Jazz Ensemble I and trombonist Sean Nelson in two of Nelson's compositions, "Just Friends" and "Freaks in Mayberry," plus selections by Count Basie and Buddy Rich.
Gail Robertson conducts Jazz Ensemble II in "Such Sweet Thunder" by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Josef Zawinul, "A Child Is Born" by Thad Jones and "Gorilla Man Blues" by Mark Taylor.
Admission is free. Call (501) 450-5759 or email jackiel@uca.edu.
Mask workshop
Also at UCA, the Youth Theatre of Central Arkansas will host a Character Mask workshop for youngsters 8-13, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 28, culminating in a 1 p.m. production at the UCA Black Box Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Ruthann Curry Browne is the instructor.
Friday is the deadline to register online at uca.edu/theatre/upcoming-workshops; there's a $60 fee for one child, $50 each for two or more children, which includes lunch. Call (501) 450-5092 or email mkordsmeier@uca.edu.
Comedy tickets
Tickets -- $49.75 and $75 plus applicable service charges -- are now on sale for the "Black & Brown Comedy Get Down," featuring comedians Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley, George Lopez and Charlie Murphy, 8 p.m. June 20 at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster.com.
A cappella festival
The deadline is Friday for collegiate or community a cappella groups, three to 20 members, from around the country to submit video entries for Walton Arts Center's VoiceJam pop music a cappella festival, April 10-11 at the center, 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.
Six ensembles will take part in the Friday night competition, the first of its kind in Arkansas; festival host will be Deke Sharon, producer of NBC's The Sing-Off. Detailed information about the registration process and a festival schedule is available at voicejamfestival.org.
SMTI auditions
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre will hold auditions for its 2015 Summer Musical Theatre Intensive for youngsters age 10-23, 3:30-6:15 p.m. March 13 and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. March 14 (with movement callbacks starting at 10 a.m. March 15) at the theater, Sixth and Main streets, Little Rock. Candidates should prepare a one-minute monologue and 16 bars of a song (an accompanist will be provided).
SMTI, under the direction of founder Nicole Capri, the Rep's resident director and director of education, is an intensive, audition-based theater training program for motivated youngsters who are serious about the arts and musical theater.
The 2015 Senior Session (ages 16-23) will be July 12-25; the Junior Session (ages 13-15), July 26-Aug. 8. The SMTI Select Program (ages 10-12) will split into two two-week sessions, July 6-18 and July 20-Aug. 1.
Applicants will be notified of acceptance within three weeks of auditions. Tuition is $600. Need-based scholarships are available; applications will be available at auditions. Audition appointments will be scheduled through email only. Email education@therep.org with the following information, in this order: Full name, current age/grade, email address, cellphone number, (home) phone number, mailing address and preferred audition date and time. For more information, visit therep.org.
Folk music auditions
The Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View will hold auditions at the Ozark Folk Center State Park at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and 11 a.m. March 21 in the White Oak Theater in the park's administration building.
Performers should come prepared to play at least four songs, three written before 1941, as well as a song of their choice written after 1941 or an original composition. A piano will be available; for all others, take your own instruments. All instruments must be acoustic; no microphones or other sound equipment will be used.
Call Music Director Daren Dortin at (870) 269-3851 or email darendortin@arkansas.gov to reserve an audition time and date.
Style on 02/15/2015