ART
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts' exhibition "Path to Abstraction: Picasso, Braque, and Cubism's Impact on Modern Art" goes on display Saturday at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock.
The exhibition, up through April 14, showcases more than 25 rarely seen works on paper from the AMFA Foundation Collection and also includes two major paintings, on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio: "Fan, Salt Box, Melon," a 1909 still life by Pablo Picasso, and "Guitar and Bottle of Marc on a Table" (1930) by Georges Braque.
AMFA loaned two of its own major modernist paintings, Odilon Redon's "Andromeda" (1912) and Diego Rivera's largest Cubist painting, "Dos Mujeres" (1914), to the Cleveland museum from 2020 until 2022. Both works are now on display at AMFA.
Museum hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call (501) 372-4000 or visit arkmfa.org.
Holiday Art Bash
New Deal Studios & Gallery, 2003 Louisiana St., Little Rock, hosts its fifth annual Art Bash (Holiday Edition), 4-9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. On display: paintings, drawings, prints, three-dimensional works "and more" by Gary Alexander, Mike Church, Rene Hein, Abbey Henthorne, Andrea Kielpinski, Suzanne Mosley, Larry Talley and Laura Weishans. Admission is free. Call (501) 658-5401.
MUSIC
Chamber Singers celebrate
The Arkansas Chamber Singers celebrate "Christmas at the Old State House" with guest conductor Cliff Ganus, 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St., Little Rock.
The program, divided into "Preparation and Announcement," "Birth," "Story" and "Proclamation," includes "Veni veni Emmanuel," "Gaudete," "Hodie Christus natus est" by Giovanni Gabrieli and "Personent hodie"; "Glory to God" from "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel; "Quittez, pasteurs" by John Rutter; "The Shepherds Carol," arranged by Goff Richards; "Il est né," arranged by Robert Shaw/Alice Parker; "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by Philip Lawson; Rutter's "What Sweeter Music Can We Bring," "There is no rose of such virtue" by Robert Young; "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day" by Gustav Holst; Stacey Gibbs' arrangements of "Mary Had a Baby" and "Go, tell it on the mountain"; and "Betelehemu" by Via Olatunji and Wendell Whalum.
Admission is by free ticket. Call (501) 377-1121 or visit AR-ChamberSingers.org.
Soprano Shannon Rookey Webb, the Little Rock Winds and conductor Israel Getzov celebrate "A Merry BIG Christmas!" today in the Center for Humanities and Arts Theater at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
'Windy' Christmas
The Little Rock Winds offer a concert titled "A Merry BIG Christmas!," 7:30 p.m. today in the Center for Humanities and Arts Theater, University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College main campus, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. Joining the band and conductor Israel Getzov: soprano Shannon Rookey Webb (singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "O Holy Night"); alto saxophonist Gabriel Womack (soloing on "Christmas Time Is Here" from Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas"); the O'Donovan Irish Dancers; the Parkview High School Lab Singers (singing "A Christmas Portrait" by Jerry Nowak); announcer Brent Walker; and Santa Claus.
Also on the program: "A Christmas Festival" and "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson; "Festival of Light" by Stephen Melillo; "Christmas Day" by Gustav Holst; "Holiday Portraits" by Sean O'Loughlin; "Ding Dong Merrily on High," arranged by John Rutter; music from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" by Danny Elfman; and "It's Christmas" by Warren Barker.
Sponsors are Dr. Rich and Dottie Brown and Tim and Joan Blann. Tickets are $20, $5 for students. Visit lrwinds.org/tickets.
Jonesboro Holiday
Singers Perry Harper, Maddie Bowden Smith and Nancy Owens join the Delta Symphony Orchestra and conductor Neale Bartee for a Holiday Concert, 2 p.m. Sunday in Riceland Hall of Arkansas State University's Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro.
Harper will sing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night." Smith will sing the Bach/Gounod version of "Ave Maria" and (speaking of Maria) "My Favorite Things" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music." And Owens will sing "Christmas Lullaby" from Jason Robert Brown's "Songs for a New World" and "We Need a Little Christmas" from Jerry Herman's "Mame."
The orchestra will play the "Christmas Ornaments Overture" arranged by Lucas Richman; "Fantasia on Three Kings" by Brian Balnages; "A Mad Russian's Christmas," music by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel and Peter Tchaikovsky (as performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra); "Around the World at Christmas Time," a medley arranged by Bruce Chase; an arrangement of "The Christmas Waltz" by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne; and "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. The concert will conclude with a "Sing Along With Santa."
Tickets are $20-$35. Call (870) 761-8254 or visit deltasymphonyorchestra.org
Three times, the brass
The 32-member Natural State Brass Band sets three North Little Rock performances this weekend: 7 p.m. Friday at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 4106 John F. Kennedy Blvd.; 6 p.m. Sunday at Levy Baptist Church, 3501 Pike Ave.; and 7 p.m. Monday at Lakewood United Methodist Church, 1922 Topf Road.
The program: "Christmas Is Coming!" by Paul Lovatt-Cooper; "Let the Bells Ring," traditional carol arranged by Robert Buckley; "Away in a Manger" by William Kirkpatrick, arranged by Dorothy Gates; "Rhapsody for Hanukkah" by Stephen Bulla; "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme and Robert Wells, arranged by Philip Sparke; "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," music by Anthony DiLorenzo with narration by Dave Woodman.; "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish, arranged by Philip Harper; "Silent Night" by Franz Gruber, arranged by Darius Battiwalla; and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" by Felix Mendelssohn and Charles Wesley, arranged by Anthony DiLorenzo. Nevada Mills conducts.
Admission is free. Call (501) 920-2539 or visit nsbb.org.
'TIS THE SEASON
Gingerbread Extravaganza
Treatment Homes presents its annual Gingerbread Extravaganza, 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the state Capitol, Woodlawn Avenue, Little Rock. The event comprises the Gingerbread House Competition (winners announced at 2), holiday coloring contest, gingerbread house kits, a celebrity tour of homes and photos with Santa. Admission is free. Call (501) 372-5039 or visit Treatmenthomes.org.
The Crooked Rails Model Railroad Club displays working model trains Friday and Saturday at North Little Rock's at the William F. Laman Public Library. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Railing at Christmas
The Crooked Rails Model Railroad Club returns with displays of working model trains in both HO and O scales to the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRLibrary.org.
THEATER
'All Is Calm'
Riverside Actors Theatre, Wildwood Park for the Arts and the Praeclara Vocal Company stage "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914" by Peter Rothstein, with musical arrangements by Erik Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Wildwood, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock. Tickets are $35, two free for veterans and active-duty military using the code can order 2 free tickets using the code SILENTNIGHT at online checkout or showing ID at the box office. Call (501) 821-7275 or visit wildwoodpark.org.
Royal 'Christmas Story'
Benton's Royal Players stage "A Christmas Story" by Phillip Grecian, based on Jean Shepherd's memoir "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash," 7 p.m. today-Saturday and Dec. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 17 at the Royal Theatre at 111 S. Market Street, Benton. Sponsor is Everett Buick GMC. Tickets are $15; $12 for senior citizens, college students and military; $8 for children. Visit theroyalplayers.ticketleap.com. For more information, call (501) 315-5483, email theroyalplayers@gmail.com or visit theroyaltheatre.org.
TICKETS
'Mean Girls' musical
The North American Tour of "Mean Girls" sits down for five performances, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Little Rock's Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Tickets are $34-$109. Call (501) 244-8800 or visit CelebrityAttractions.com or Ticketmaster.com.
Comedy festival
It's being billed as the "Little Rock Comedy Festival," but comedians Sommore, Lavell Crawford, Bill Bellamy and Tony Roberts will actually take the stage at 8 p.m. May 4 at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock. Tickets are $63-$129, plus service charges and with a limit of eight tickets per household. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Comedian, no festival
Comedian Nate Jackson, on his "Super Funny Tour," performs at 7 p.m. April 12 at Little Rock's Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Tickets are $43.50-$53.50 at Ticketmaster.com.