- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Incoming ��Vlog��ýLR freshman finds inspiration at summer percussion camp

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:05:35 +0000

When Kennedy Djimpe was in third grade, he decided to become a musician and started playing the guitar. “I failed miserably,” said Djimpe, who is an incoming freshman from Little Rock planning to study percussion performance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. So he gave up the guitar and started playing the trumpet instead in the fourth grade. When the trumpet didn’t work out, he tried again. “In sixth grade, I picked up a drum,” Djimpe said. “My friend and I thought it was cool, and I’ve been playing since then.” While looking for a way to improve his musical skills, Djimpe discovered ��Vlog��ýLR’s Percussion Ensemble Camp. Led by Charles Law, ��Vlog��ýLR director of the Trojan Pep Band and percussion studies, the camp is a free four-day intensive workshop for junior high and high school percussionists in Arkansas. “I am always looking to be better,” Djimpe said. “This camp was a great way to brush up on my skills and to meet up with other percussionists. The people here are people who want to be here and care about making the music as great as possible. That’s the difference between playing with musicians who care and those who just take band for a class credit.” Law started the camp five years ago as an outreach program with Dr. Karen Bryant, former chair of the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music. “It’s the only camp of its kind in the state,” Law said. “There are more traditional camps for entire bands and marching bands, but these students are exposed to clinics on specific percussion instruments. We try to improve their basic music reading, music interpretation, and cognitive skills. The kids have a lot of fun, and I have a lot of fun.” This year, the camp ran June 15-18 in the ��Vlog��ýLR Fine Arts Building and ended with a special percussion ensemble performance. The participants included Djimpe, a recent graduate of Pulaski Academy; Cristopher Fennessee, a student at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet; Micaiah Roberts, a student at Maumelle High School; Kai Ditzig, a student at Central High School; and Christian Moore, a student at Blytheville High School. The camp is unique since it allows the students a chance to play in a student ensemble band. “It’s not something that is common,” Law said. “The students get used to playing in marching bands and concert bands, but they don’t get the chance to play in percussion ensembles.” Law said that many of his camp participants have gone on to study music in college, including Djimpe, who he is looking forward to teaching in the fall. “Kennedy Djimpe is smart, passionate, shows up on time, loves music, and is dedicated to his studies. He is exactly the kind of student we want at ��Vlog��ýLR,” Law said. As for Djimpe, he decided to come to ��Vlog��ýLR in large part to the instruction he has received after two years of attending the Percussion Ensemble Camp and the encouragement he has received from Law, who decided to mentor Djimpe and has given him free music lessons. “I know Chuck will be looking out for me, and it means a lot to know that your mentor is invested in you,” Djimpe said. “Clearly, he saw something in me.”

Free percussion concert set for Thursday

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 20:40:52 +0000

On Thursday, April 28, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Music will proudly present the ��Vlog��ýLR Percussion Ensemble in concert at the Stella Boyle Smith Recital Hall/Fine Arts Building. Trio, quartet and quintet ensembles will present a variety of works during the 7:30 p.m. concert, which is free and open to the public. Highlights of the program will include the premier of a new work for percussion ensemble written by ��Vlog��ýLR graduate Tim Davis. His multi-metered composition entitled “Dotted Quarter” is written for marimba, vibes, xylophone and drum set. The piece also features a percussion interlude that brings the listener back to the pulsing theme felt throughout the piece. The ensemble also will perform “Study in Five Eight” by Mitchell Peters, “Chamber Piece for Percussion Quintet” by Michael Colgrass, and “Gung Gulunga” by Chris Brooks. It will close the concert with “Blue Rhythm Quintet” by Anthony Korf. Charles Law conducts the ensemble. For further information, please call 501.569.3294.

��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir to perform with Barry Manilow

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 17:50:33 +0000

Music sensation Barry Manilow is the first pop star Karen Kuralt ever saw in concert. Kuralt was 14 years old when Manilow brought his “Paradise Café” tour to the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1984. Since then, she has seen Manilow four times in concert and dreamed of being an audience member selected to sing with him. On April 1, Kuralt’s wish will be fulfilled. ��Vlog��ýLR’s 25-member Concert Choir will sing the final three songs of Manilow’s performance at Verizon Arena, including “I Write the Songs,” “Copacabana,” and “It’s A Miracle.” “Singing with him is a dream come true,” said Kuralt, ��Vlog��ýLR Community Concert president and Concert Choir member. “This is bucket-list material.” Manilow selects a local choir to sing back up during his tour stops. Doug Hallenbeck, choir director of Manilow’s “One Last Time” Tour, contacted the choir at the end of February. “We are thrilled to have the ��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir joining Mr. Manilow at the Verizon Arena on April 1.” Hallenbeck said. “I am excited that the finely honed vocals of the Concert Choir will join with Mr. Manilow’s impeccable musicality for what is sure to be a memorable evening at the Verizon Arena. The ��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir’s exquisite singing, combined with Mr. Manilow’s masterful performance, will be sure to please.” The Concert Choir is the flagship ensemble of the ��Vlog��ýLR choral program and is open by competitive audition to ��Vlog��ýLR students, faculty and staff. “It’s really exciting that we get to work with someone who has been in the business for such a long time,” said Concert Choir Director Dr. Bevan Keating, who sees the concert as a great opportunity to show his students how they can have a full-time career in music, dance, and art. “Sometimes, in a university setting, we are trying to figure out if this is actually possible,” he said. “This gentleman and everyone surrounding him, from his music directors to his band players, all have full-time positions in the arts and also make a living doing what they love. I think it is a really good example for our students to see.” Keating also recalled that having the chance to perform with Manilow has a very special meaning for one of his choir members. “Terry Johnson has been in the choir for eight or nine years now,” Keating said. “In 1975, he heard Barry Manilow at the Robinson Center. When he found out he was going to be singing on stage with him, Terry said this has been 40 years in the making. So 40 years ago he heard Barry Manilow sing downtown, and now he gets to sing on stage with him 40 years later. That is twice the age of many of the singers of the choir.” Another Concert Choir member, Mandi Carreiro, a senior interdisciplinary studies major, said Manilow has been a large influence in her life and her musical studies. “I have always admired his music. I grew up listening to Barry Manilow, and that was what we played in our car for months straight,” Carreiro said. “‘Copacabana has an overarching story, and it gave me a new view on what music could be. And his 1974 song ‘Mandy’ is one of his most famous songs. Since my name is Mandi, I get that reference a lot, and I love it.” Tickets are on sale at the, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800.745.3000 or online at ticketmaster.com. For more information about the ��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir, contact Keating at 501.569.3499 or btkeating@ualr.edu or Kuralt at 501.569.8334 or kmkuralt@ualr.edu.

Little Rock broadcast puts spotlight on American composers

Shanna Fitzgerald — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 14:58:01 +0000

Music lovers soon will have the chance to revisit some favorite University of Arkansas at Little Rock solo piano and chamber music performances, courtesy of a ��Vlog��ýLR professor and pianist.

Dr. Linda Holzer, ��Vlog��ýLR professor of music and
coordinator of classical piano studies

Tune in to KLRE FM 90.5 at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 28, or at 7 p.m., July 3, to hear a special hour-long program, “A Celebration of American Music,” featuring host Linda Holzer, concert pianist and professor of music. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate American musical heritage, as we head into Fourth of July holiday observances,” Holzer said. “The centerpiece of the broadcast is the dramatic “Piano Sonata in E Minor,” by pioneering African-American composer and Little Rock native, Florence Price. I’m grateful to Nathan Vandiver, program director at KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR, for collaborating with me on this project.”

Pioneering composer and Little Rock native Florence Price

In addition to hosting the broadcast, Holzer performed featured piano solos by composers Florence Price and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and was joined by veteran Arkansas Symphony musicians Sandra McDonald, violin, and Rafael León, cello for two piano trios by Gwyneth Walker. Zwilich made history in 1983, winning the Pulitzer Prize in music, the first woman to do so; audiences in Little Rock are familiar with Walker’s music from her past partnerships here, commissions for the Arkansas Chamber Singers, and the Arkansas Symphony’s Quapaw Quartet. Her piano trios, “A Vision of Hills” and “New World Dances,” open and close this broadcast. The music was recorded live, in-concert, at ��Vlog��ýLR’s Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, most recently when the university hosted a concert during the Society for American Music national conference in March 2013. Dr. Holzer, who joined the ��Vlog��ýLR Music Department faculty in 1995, and is on the artist roster for , is set to travel to Melbourne, Australia, in July to give a lecture-recital at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference on iPad music performance technology. In October, she will be a guest artist at North Dakota State University’s Challey School of Music in Fargo, N.D., for a concert and performance technology workshop, and in April she travels to Spelman College in Atlanta for a similar guest artist engagement. Listeners can find more information for the broadcast on the . Information for prospective ��Vlog��ýLR piano students is available here.

Percussion Ensemble hosts concert featuring over 60 instruments

Gloria King — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 14:55:59 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR’s Percussion Ensemble will host a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the University Theatre of the Center for Performing Arts that will include a daring performance of over 60 instruments. The concert is free and open to the public. Presented by the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music and under the direction of Conductor and Founder Charles Law, the show will include a performance of Bahrah for percussion quartet by Brandon Hendrix, Sands of Africa by Eric Harper, and Chopin’s Prelude No. 20 transcribed by Kevin Lepper. A rendition of Bella by Carlos Santana arranged for mallets by Oliver Molina and Trinidad Blue Basin traditional arranged by Lisa Rogers will follow. The finale will feature a performance of John Cage’s Third Construction for Percussion. This challenging work by Cage features four musicians creating a landscape of rhythm and sounds, including shakers and 20 cans. Celebrating more than 20 years, the ��Vlog��ýLR Percussion Ensemble is a high-energy group performing throughout the Midwest and South in concerts and clinics for students of all ages. The ensemble has performed at the University of Missouri, University of Georgia, University of New Orleans, Mobile Alabama Concerts in the Park, Chicago Public Schools, Silver Dollar City, and Little Rock World Fest. The performances explore a wide range of repertoire representing the most current and recognized composers of the time in percussion. The group has used music to reach out to inner-city and at-risk youth with the International House of Blues Foundation in New Orleans and the House of Blues Club. For more information, contact Law at cplaw@ualr.edu or 501-569-3294.

Songwriters Showcase to feature music artist Tara Johnson and students

Gloria King — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:48:44 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR will feature alumna Tara Johnson and current student performers in its biannual Songwriters Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. The program is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in Lot 8 behind the Fine Arts Building. The first half of the program, sponsored by the Music Department and Office of Campus Life, will feature works by ��Vlog��ýLR students and songwriters from the community. Student performers include Heather Smith, Sara Hastings, Robert Lee, Daysha Carr, Susan Robbins, Paula Smith, Stephanie Smittle, and Samuel Byrd. Johnson, a ��Vlog��ýLR visiting artist, will perform six of her original Christian songs during the second part of the program including “Walking In Wonderland” and “December’s Songbird.” Johnson, a native of Alexander, is an author, singer, and songwriter signed with Incubator Creative Group. She has been a featured guest on Voice of Truth radio and Enduring Word radio. In 2014, Tara wrote the Vacation Bible School music for Bogard Press and was a contributing judge in the 2015 Live It Loud Songwriting Contest in Nashville. Learn more about Johnson’s music at www.reverbnation.com/tarajohnson. For more information about the showcase, contact Dr. Bob Boury at rxboury@ualr.edu.

Award-winning bassist coming to Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall

Gloria King — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:56:56 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR will present two events featuring five-time Grammy award-winning jazz bassist Victor Wooten in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Wooten was a bass player for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and had his own successful solo career. On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Wooten will be joined by Tennessee State University English professor and musician Rod Taylor and drummer J.D. Blair to present a performance lecture titled “Music, Creativity, and Learning.” This event, which will feature audience participation, will be held from 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music faculty Mike Carenbauer and Tom Richeson will join Wooten, Blair, and Taylor for a Jazz Master Class. This event will be of interest to musicians as well as music fans. Musicians will learn to improve their technique, and fans will learn to become more sophisticated listeners. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact George H. Jensen, chair of the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Rhetoric and Writing, at 501-569-8063 or at ghjensen@ualr.edu.

Opera Gala set to support ��Vlog��ýLR vocal arts

Gloria King — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 22:47:02 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Opera Theatre will present its annual Opera Gala supporting the vocal arts program. The fundraiser features top student talent and will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. Standard admission for “Canti del Cuore – Songs of the Heart” is $75 per person. However, sponsorships are available for those who are unable to attend but would like to sponsor a student to attend the gala at $75 per student. Table sponsorships are also available at $1,000 for a table of 10; however, one of those 10 spots must be reserved for a ��Vlog��ýLR student performer. The evening will feature a reception, followed by dinner and performances by ��Vlog��ýLR’s best and brightest vocalists. Dr. Rosella Ewing, director of opera studies at ��Vlog��ýLR, will produce and direct the performances for this year’s Opera Gala. For reservations or additional information, go to Canti del Cuore, Songs of the Heart or call 501.569.3294.

Percussion Ensemble to perform Dec. 11

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 18:05:27 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music presents the ��Vlog��ýLR Percussion Ensemble in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in the Stella Boyle Smith Recital Hall located in the Fine Arts Building on the ��Vlog��ýLR Campus. The concert is free and open to the public. Ensemble Director and Founder Charles Law will conduct. More than 70 musical instruments, from marimbas to concert bass drums, will cover the stage as works from contemporary percussion composers Anthony J. Cirone, Will Rapp, Chris Brooks and Matt Savage are featured. Celebrating more than 20 years of performances, the ��Vlog��ýLR Percussion Ensemble is a high energy group that has presented concerts and clinics for students of all ages throughout the Midwest and the South. The ensemble has performed at the University of Missouri, University of Georgia, University of New Orleans, Mobile Alabama Concerts in the Park, The Chicago Public Schools, Silver Dollar City and Little Rock WorldFest, to name a few. The Percussion Ensemble has also been honored to work with the International House of Blues Foundation in New Orleans, performing for inner city and at risk youth, as well at the House of Blues Club itself. The group explores a wide range of repertoire representing the most current and recognized composers of the time in percussion. For more information, contact Law at 870-672-2019.

Music Department thrills with annual Halle-boo-yah

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 20:56:20 +0000

What spooky sounds will be coming from Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall this Halloween? The ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music invites the entire campus community and the general public to come enjoy the Halle-boo-jah Halloween Spectacular, an annual October tradition that brings together singers and instrumentalists for an hour of frightfully good performances. The costumed concert features music department faculty and students, as well as some ��Vlog��ýLR staff members. The concert, which is free, begins at noon Friday, Oct. 31, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. Attendees are encouraged to embrace the festive atmosphere and show up in costume, too. In addition to the concert, the ��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir will be holding a cupcake bake sale in the Fine Arts Building lobby. Proceeds from the sale help the choir with travel expenses.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Incoming ����Vlog��ýLR freshman finds inspiration at summer percussion camp