MUSIC
Choral I
The Arkansas Chamber Singers will perform sacred and secular choral pieces by British composers for its spring concert, titled “A British Accent,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Little Rock’s First Presbyterian Church, 800 Scott St. The program includes “I Saw the Lord” by John Stainer, “Rejoice in the Lamb” by Benjamin Britten, “All in the April Evening” by Hugh Roberton, “The Long Day Closes” by Sir Arthur Sullivan, “Londonderry Air” in an arrangement by Bob Chilcott and “Songs from the Bavarian Highlands” by Edward Elgar. Tim Allen conducts. Tickets are $15, $10 for students in advance, $18 and $12 at the door. Call (501) 377-1121 or visit ar-chambersingers.org.
Choral II
The Arkansas Choral Society, with soloists Maria Fasciano, soprano; Gregory Church, tenor; and Scott Bearden, bass, and members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra perform Franz Schubert’s Mass No. 2 in G major, at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the sanctuary of Calvary Baptist Church, 5700 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The program also includes four short sacred works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “Tantum Ergo,” K.142; “Inter Natos Mulierum,” K.72; “Laudate Dominum” from the “Vesperae Solennes de Confessore,” K.339; and the motet “Ave Verum Corpus,” K.618. Kent Skinner conducts. Tickets are $20, $15 for students. Visit lovetosing.org.
Brahms & Bernstein
The Conway Symphony Orchestra concludes its 2023-24 season with a concert titled “It Takes 2!” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the concert hall at the University of Central Arkansas’ Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce St., Conway. Linda Hsu, violin, and Stephen Feldman, cello, solo in Johannes Brahms”https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/24/entertainment-amfa-dance-performance-blends/”Double Concerto” for Violin and Cello in a minor; the program will also include the “Symphonic Dances” from “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein. Israel Getzov conducts. Presenter is First Community Bank. Tickets are $30-60, with discounts for UCA faculty and staff; $15 for children with adult ticket purchase and special $9 UCA student rush tickets available at the box office only, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and one hour before the concert. Call (501) 450-3265 or visit conwaysymphony.org.
Bach to bluegrass
Violinist Ariana Kim will give a recital, under the aegis of the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, titled “A Tasting Menu of Music for Solo Violin from Bach to Bluegrass and Beyond,” 7:30 p.m. today at New Deal Studio, 2003 Louisiana St., Little Rock. Her program includes “Patchwork Quilt No. 1,”https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/24/entertainment-amfa-dance-performance-blends/”No. 2” and “No. 3,” adapted from the six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by J.S. Bach; “Aria: N.A.” and “Cas-Cade” from the Suite for solo violin by John Harbison; “Incantation” and “Pulsar” by Augusta Read Thomas; “Memory” by Chen Yi; “Lake Stone Moon” by Steve Heitzeg; and a bluegrass set to be announced from the stage. Tickets are $25, free for students. Visit chambermusicLR.com.
Violinist Ariana Kim will give a recital of solo violin music, under the aegis of the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, today at New Deal Studio on Little Rock’s Louisiana Street. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Gershwin et al.
Little Rock Winds and conductor Israel Getzov present a program titled “Gershwin, Porgy, and More,” 7:30 p.m. today at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. As part of “Catfish Row,” Gershwin’s concert version of his opera “Porgy and Bess,” soprano Nia Kelley sings “Summertime” and “My Man’s Gone Now”; baritone Kendi Jensen-Loving sings “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin'” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So”; and together they sing “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” and “Oh Lawd, I’m On My Way.” The piece also includes a piano solo by Tim Blann during the “Jazzbo Brown” movement. Also on the program: Gershwin’s “Cuban Overture”; “Summerland” by William Grant Still; and “Amparito Roca” by Jaime Texidor. Sponsors are Robert and Jo Ann McQuade. Admission is $15, free for students. Visit lrwinds.org/tickets.
FUN
Pie Festival
Cherokee Village hosts the Arkansas Pie Festival, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Town Center. Commercial piemakers, home chefs and students will compete for a golden ticket in the dessert category of the World Food Championship this fall in Dallas and the ultimate chance to win a $100,000 grand prize. Judges and attendees can sample the resulting pies and will also crown a people’s choice. Pies will also be on display and auctioned for charity. The festival will include a Pie Day 5K, live entertainment, food trucks, pie-eating and pie-throwing contests, an Arkansas Pie Pop-up Shop, photos with Miss Arkansas, a Cutie Pie Pet Parade and a Kids Zone. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the day-of-show door, $5 for children 5-12, free for kids under. Festival proceeds support STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) programming and education through the community’s Spring River Innovation Hub. Visit arkansaspiefestival.com.
Party at the Plaza
Arkansas Hospice holds its third annual Party at the Plaza, benefiting the Arkansas Hospice Family of Care, 2-10 p.m. Saturday in Argenta Plaza, 510 Main St., North Little Rock. Free concerts throughout the afternoon and evening feature two finalists on NBC’s “The Voice” — BIAS and Mac Royals; jazz-R&B singer Bijoux; the Rocktown Sparks; and co-headliners Tyler Kinch and Bonnie Montgomery. Also part of the party: food trucks, children’s activities, an Artists on the Avenue market and a “Care Fair.” Longtime Arkansas Hospice volunteer and supporter Bruce Holsted will receive the the third annual Michael V. Aureli Compass Award. Admission is free; $30 for reserved seating; $150 for a VIP All-Access ticket. Visit arkansashospice.org/plaza2024.
Rodeo in the Rock
Riders from all over the United States and Canada are taking part in the Diamond State Rodeo Association’s Rodeo in the Rock 2024, Arkansas’ gay rodeo, Friday-Sunday at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock. Saturday and Sunday grand entry and rodeo performances start at 11 a.m. Special “camp” events include the “Wild Drag Race,” in which a team of three tries to get a fully costumed “drag” contestant mounted on the back of an uncooperative steer and the Community Goat Dressing, in which a team of two puts underwear on a goat. Admission is $10 per day, $15 for both days (free for children under 12 with adult admission). A portion of the net proceeds supports local nonprofits, including Gay For Good, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church and Seis Puentes. Visit dsra.org.
THEATER
‘Puffs’ in Pine Bluff
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff, stages “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” a parody of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books, by Matt Cox, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the center’s Catherine M. Bellamy Theater. The focus is a group of students who happen to be at the same wizard school attended by a certain bespectacled boy wizard, but whose destiny is not to save the world. The center notes, citing adult language and humor, that “Puffs” is intended for audiences 13 and older. Sponsor is Relyance Bank. Tickets are $18, $13 for center members and senior citizens 65 and older, $10 for students. Call (870) 536-3375 or visit artx3.org/theater.
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff stages “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” Friday-Sunday. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
ART
‘Color and Light’
“Color and Light,” paintings by Sharon Franke, go on display with a 6-8 p.m. reception Friday at Cantrell Gallery, 8208 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The exhibition will be up through July 20; the gallery will be closed for an annual family gathering July 12-13. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Admission to the gallery and the reception are free. Call (501) 224-1335 or visit cantrellgallery.com.
ASU exhibitions
“Survive or Die Trying,” showcasing the work of Aaron Conger and L. Elizabeth Vansandt, graduating seniors from the Arkansas State University art + design department, and “Branded 2024,” the 2024 graphic design senior exhibition, go on display with a 5-6:30 p.m. reception today at the Bradbury Art Museum in ASU’s Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Also on display: “Panoply: 26 Painted Lives,” paintings by Ray Allen Parker. The exhibitions remain up through May 1. Museum hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Admission is free. Call (870) 972-3434 or email mmcmahan@AState.edu.
“Hiroshima” by Aaron Conger and garments designed by L. Elizabeth Vansandt, graduating seniors from the Arkansas State University art + design department, are on display at ASU’s Bradbury Art Museum in Jonesboro. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
DANCE
Redefined performance
Dancers from across the country come together at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock for “Action/Abstraction: Redefined Dance Performance,” blending traditional choreography and modern movement, 1:30 p.m. Saturday. It’s in conjunction with the current “Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1940s to 1970s” exhibition, on display through May 26. Admission is free. Visit events.arkmfa.org/event/action-abstraction-redefined-dance-performance.
ETC.
‘Iris in Art’
The Central Arkansas Iris Society holds its annual show, this year titled “Iris in Art,” 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church Family Life Center, 5124 Kavanaugh Boulevard at Hillcrest Street, Little Rock. The show goes on rain or shine; admission is free. Visit CentralArkansasIris.org.
The Central Arkansas Iris Society holds its annual show Saturday at Little Rock’s Grace Lutheran Church. (Democrat-Gazette file photo/Cary Jenkins)
Bookstore crawl
Five Central Arkansas independent bookstores are offering “fun activities” and special sales during the second annual Rock Cities Bookstore Crawl, marking the 11th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.
◼️ WordsWorth Books, 5920 R St., Little Rock, will hold a a book-themed scavenger hunt, Libro.fm’s Golden Ticket hunt and local-author happy hours. wordsworthbookstore.com.
◼️ Beautywood Books, 1704 N. Main St., North Little Rock, will have an all-ages story time and a roster of local vendors. beautywoodbooks.com.
◼️ The Bookstore, 3832 John F Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, will hold a “spin to win” discount game and a wildcard table of rare, odd and/or old books. thebookstorenlr.com.
◼️ Paper Hearts Bookstore, 420 E. 21st St., Little Rock, will open its Paper Hearts Reading Room and also hold a Libro.fm’s Golden Ticket Hunt. paperheartsbooks.com.
◼️ And Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing, 1001 Wright Ave., Little Rock, will feature literary “voices of color” from across the state in an “Arkansas Author” showcase, along with custom greeting-card artisans Kimberly Highsmith and Paula Rogers. pyramid1988.com.
