Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Scott Whiteley Carter - ASO Blog Guest Contributor 

As a child, my first recollection of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra was when musicians would come to our elementary school and give a demonstration performance.  We would dutifully file in and sit on the floor of the cafeteria, the aroma of lunch still lingering in the air. Yes, it was fun to get out of class. But what made the difficult task of sitting still on hard floors more enjoyable was the chance to see the musicians up close and to get to interact with them.

While the ASO continues to offer this programming through the Quapaw and Rockefeller quartets, I am pleased they have expanded their repertoire into other forms of outreach. My favorite of these new endeavors is the series of free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.

It is a gorgeous setting, to be sure. The combination of ceramic tile and marble joins with the architecture to create an acoustically pleasing environment for both musicians and audience.  It is also wonderful to be able to enjoy the music while sipping a beverage of your choice. (The aromas in this building are noticeably improved over school cafeteria fare.)

But what I love most is the opportunity for people watching. There are parents who have brought their children and let them scoot-in up close. The kids get to see a real live musician playing instruments just a few feet away (or in some cases, mere inches away for the overly ambitious child)!  There are couples on dates, downtown workers catching a quick bit of music before they head home, or longtime friends who have been enjoying each other’s company for years.  There are multiple generations of families as well as single people.  Hotel guests stumble on to the concert and are amazed.  I’ve even see some alter their plans so they can stay to hear more.

The ASO wisely programs these concerts with shorter selections, and the entire concert usually runs 30 to 45 minutes. The pieces span the repertoire from the classics to newer, sometimes cutting-edge (well, cutting-edge in the classical world).  The musicians take turns briefly introducing the selections as hotel guests and wait staff weave through the crowd. This commitment to quality and to audience engagement is a hallmark of our Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. 

In a way, these concerts do not seem like something one should find in Little Rock. The combination of music and the setting would be more likely to be found in a much larger city.  But on the other hand, the immediacy and intimacy is more suited to a small town.  The chance to enjoy these experiences is part of what makes Little Rock distinctive.

Like a meal made from appetizers, these ASO concerts at the Capital Hotel are satisfying at the moment.  But they also create a hunger to want the full experience at a future time. Luckily, with programs such as the Entergy Kids' Ticket and other special offers, everyone can enjoy the full glory of our ASO in a Pops or Masterworks performance.

But after a long work day, it is hard to beat the music, atmosphere and people watching of an ASO concert in the Capital Hotel lobby.

The summer is here, which means the ASO has just finished another busy and rewarding season.  While our new season doesn’t begin until September, work has been underway for months to make sure we are ready for opening night!

One of my main jobs as ASO’s Orchestra Personnel and Operations Manager is to create the orchestra’s rehearsal and performance calendar and ensure we have all of the musicians we need for each concert we perform.

The orchestra schedule is very full, which means we have to carefully negotiate dates with all of the venues in which we perform across the state, while making sure the concerts are evenly spaced throughout the season.  Once the calendar is set, we can begin to hire the orchestra.

ASO’s musicians come from all across the region.  While many of our musicians live in Little Rock and central Arkansas, a number of our performers travel from Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas to perform with us.  Besides playing with the ASO, most of our musicians also perform in other orchestras, teach, and many have other jobs in and outside of music.  In other words, they stay very busy!

The standard sized orchestra is made up of musicians who, through successful auditions, have been able to join the orchestra as permanent members.  Depending on the needs of the music, we might be bringing in several extra musicians to supplement the standard orchestra.  A typical orchestra concert, for example, will have anywhere from 60 to 80 musicians needed.  Once the orchestra is hired, arrangements are made for out of town musicians’ travel and accommodations (through our wonderful partner hotel, Crowne Plaza).

All of this costs money, and in my role in overseeing operations, that means we have been spending the last several months budgeting and planning for all the expenses that go into our productions, including venue rental, stage labor, lights, sound, guest artists, music, musicians, travel, accommodations, and more.

Lastly, once the business day is over, it is home to practice as I have the great pleasure of getting to play in ASO’s wonderful horn section!

ASO’s Composer of the Year, Dan Visconti, writes about getting the audience involved in performances. He shares the example of an Andy Warhol Pop Opera, or “Popera” in Philadelphia.

My name is Kevin Bontempo and I am currently a junior at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. I am currently working on my Bachelor's degree in Communications with a minor in marketing with an emphasis in public relations. This summer, I am the Public Relations & Digital Strategies intern at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Along with my major, I am involved in many organizations where I play the trumpet, such as my college marching band and church orchestra.

Coming to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as the Public Relations & Digital Strategies intern was/is an absolute blessing to me. When I first heard that the ASO offered internships, I knew that interning at the ASO would be a perfect fit for me. Interning at the ASO would be a place where I was still able to follow my passion for music and, at the same time, further educate myself on the tactics that pertain to my college major.

As an intern at the ASO, I have gained valuable insight and experience as to how an orchestra's administration team maintains and grows a symphony orchestra. More specifically, I got to learn, participate, and research on how digital platforms play a significant role in promoting a symphony orchestra as well as being a vital part of marketing a symphony orchestra. With all that I have done as an intern, I know for a fact that the information that I have learned and applied will substantially benefit me in the career field that I am planning to go into after college. 

It was especially interesting to intern at the ASO given the fact that the ASO is in the process of transitioning between venues because of the Robinson Center currently being renovated. Because of this, I have been able to observe how an orchestra's administration team has had to adapt and conquer the many variables that have arisen.

Being that the ASO is a non-profit organization, I have also had the opportunity to see how a non-profit organization differs from a for-profit organization in aspects such as marketing, public relations, and finance. That being said, this internship has sparked a new sense of meaning and passion of the type of organization and/or business that I would like to join in the future as well as a new sense of perspective in the business world. As I move further into this internship, I've observed with those I work with the amount of teamwork that goes on at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Through weekly meetings, conference calls, and simply just having fun, I've learned to value even more the importance of intergroup communication skills and strategies. 

All in all, as a college student, I've been told numerous times the importance of having an internship during my years at college in hopes of being as much prepared for the future as possible. I am so glad that I was able to have an internship at an organization that is relevant to my academic and professional career as well as an internship where I can enjoy and take pride in my work. 

Jim Gunnell—ASO Blog Guest Contributor

I was weeping as I sat in the shadows of the music-filled auditorium. I thought to myself, “What is wrong with me?  Why am I crying?” I felt embarrassed. Here I am, a grown man crying for no apparent reason. My heart raced and beads of perspiration formed on my forehead as I tried to hold back the tears. I quickly discovered there’s no inconspicuous way to wipe tears from your face, so I let them flow. I felt like each one of them was capturing the light from the stage. I was confident that the glistening droplets must be distracting to the people sitting around me. I told myself, “Breathe. Just breathe. Inhale. Exhale.”

As the music reached a crescendo, I surfed on the sound waves to a distant shore deep inside myself. I think this must have been happening throughout the auditorium. It was as if the sound waves broke across the remote places in each of us, washing up emotion and applause. I watched the faces of the people around me and the faces of the orchestra as the applause flew around them like a murmuration of starlings. The word “applause” comes from the Latin word applausus, meaning “the beating of wings”. Hundreds of wings were beating in the air just above the waves that evening, carrying our joy to the talented musicians who graciously shared their years of practice and dedication with us. I felt like they were playing just for me, and I wondered how many others felt the same way.

  It wasn’t until my drive home after the concert that I realized why I wept. During the last movement, violinist, Andrew Irvin, played a note whose frequency resonated deep inside of me. In that moment I realized that this was “my note”—the note that connects my soul with something divine. The birth of this note—my beautiful note—had disrupted my stillness. In that moment I was overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. And I wept.

The ASO had unwittingly conspired with my angels to bring me a lesson on being fully present in the moment, in the now. Each time I hear my note and the hundreds of other notes that resonate with listeners throughout the auditorium, I am lifted just high enough to see the feet of angels dancing to Mozart, Bach, and my favorite-- Sergei Prokofiev. The next time you are sitting in the dim stillness of the concert hall listening to the thousands of perfect notes being played, try to find yours—the note that connects you to something divine. If you’re like me, this singular discovery will leave you breathless.  The note—your note—will grab your attention and remind you to enjoy the vibrating atoms of grace and gratitude that are carried on the crests of the sound waves.

Thank you, David Gerstein, for inviting me to come and hear you play. Thank you, Andrew, for playing my note. And thank you to the incredible musicians whose love for their craft stirred my muse who awakened me to the words I’ve written in your honor. In joy.

Even before the final notes of the ASO’s closing concert echo throughout the concert hall, work has already begun on next season’s ventures in the orchestra library and the education department.  

As the ASO’s orchestra librarian and education coordinator (as well as being a violinist in the orchestra), work doesn’t come to a standstill over the summer months.  While there is a sense of respite, preparation for the upcoming season continues.  This is when some important work gets done, particularly in the orchestra library.  

Music for next season has already been pulled from our shelves, checked, and organized.  Any music that we don’t have in our library is either purchased or rented and orders are placed early in the summer.  When this music arrives to us, the sets are checked, sorted, numbered, and stamped.  After that, our string principals begin the bowing process.  Each principal marks the music with up bows or down bows, slurs or staccatos, and any other markings that will ensure rehearsals go smoothly.  Then all these markings are transferred by me into every string part that is used on stage, for every piece performed, for every concert.  Though certainly time consuming, this is a vital part of preparing for the season.  

This year, an additional project will be to move the library to our new downtown office space.  Shelving has been installed and is eagerly waiting to be filled with 550 classical works, 200 pops pieces, 100 chamber pieces, 150 youth orchestra works, and 100 vocal works.  This will be a serious undertaking, although one I’m looking forward to!

Meanwhile, on the education side, work continues with our two full-time quartets to produce the brochures that will promote their four string quartet demos and instrument petting zoos, as well as the Children’s Concerts featuring the entire orchestra and the ASO Guild’s “Orchestra and You” program.  These brochures are mailed to schools all over the state.  Also, the quartet’s visits to after school programs in Little Rock, such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Our House, In His Image, Positive Impact, and Life Skills for Youth to name a few, are scheduled.  ASO rental instruments that have been used by students participating in our in-school string classes during the year have been returned and must be inventoried, cleaned, and repaired for a new batch of students to play in September.  

Finally, an incredibly monumental task that takes all summer: selecting a concert outfit for the opening night we’ve all been working towards!  Can’t wait to see you in September!

Although this is my first year, I have gained a lot of experience preparing for concerts. As an artist, I have only known one side of being prepared for a concert, which is making sure my performance mix is perfect, rehearsing, envisioning myself on the stage, but being the one who is helping to set the stage for other artists is another experience in itself. 

Seeing things from the other side has helped me gain a new appreciation and respect for the people who set the stage for me and other artists alike. Preparing for opening night of an ASO concert kind of felt like preparing for my own performance. I felt the same anxiety and pressure that I would feel if it were me up there. These feelings of anxiety and pressure do not come from a place of fear, but are rooting in a deep need to succeed. I don’t ever believe that we won’t succeed. I just understand that it is our job to make things as perfect as possible for those people in the audience who support us, our mission, and want to see this organization live on past their years and ours.

The 2014-2015 season is over, and now I don't have to do any more work until September, right?

Not so fast...

My name is Brandon Dorris, and I'm the Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the ASO. If anyone can suggest anything to add to my title, let me know, because I am set to win the hardest to read name tag award!

There are a lot of things I love about working for the ASO, but here are two at the top of the list: my job is to get great live music heard by more great people in Arkansas, and I get to continue my career as a woodwind player, too. Sometimes I even get to do it for the ASO! Here's a photo from stage left at Robinson Center - I chose it because it's my good side.

The nuts and bolts of my job in marketing are pretty easy to guess - I get a budget, I buy ad space in newspapers, magazines, billboards, etc., and try to get as many people as possible excited about the incredible musicians and music of the ASO. As I sifted through pictures of all of my budget spreadsheets and media contracts, I thought I would focus on some of the less obvious work that I do. Like:

Being both color-blind and not really a visual person, I rely on professional designers to produce our print materials, like our season brochure. The process is fun (for me) and grueling (for the designers), with a lot of little tweaks in many revisions as we try to get to the perfect piece. 

Figuring out how many people can fit in a venue, and how much revenue we can expect from a concert in that venue. I have to go to the venue, take a lot of pictures, measure a lot of things, and crunch the numbers.

I usually spend time in the summer to work on the ASO, Youth Orchestra, and musician's websites. I just finished doing some work on the Youth Orchestra site that included me learning and writing some new code on our server.

In a related field, I am the closest thing the ASO has to a staff IT person. I buy and maintain all of our computers, servers, network equipment, and software. I like to get the most out of everything we buy, so when we replace a computer I generally salvage its parts for upgrading other machines or, for example, making a 320GB external hard drive for only $7!

One last thing I will share is a lot closer to the concert: getting our box office and signage to the event. We take a lot of stuff just for helping patrons get to the halls easily and find their way around once they get there. We hope to sell a lot of tickets to each concert, so we need the box office computers and associated gadgetry as well. I use the ASO van each concert weekend to move our front-of-house equipment to the concert.

Here it is in May, and our 2014/15 season just ended. Preparations have been underway for a while for next season, and my work for opening night is just about over. My name is Meagan Adams, and I’m the Finance Director for the ASO. Yes, I’m one of those “boring accountants” but at least I get to work around fun people! Have you ever heard the story about the stone masons working on a cathedral? You could say I work on budgets, or that I make sure the numbers add up, but I prefer to think that I’m helping “build a cathedral” – which in this case happens to be the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Work for the opening night begins months ahead of time. The Music Director creates the programming, the Operations and Production manager figures out what musicians are needed and what it will cost to produce it, the Box Office manager estimates what the ticket revenue will be, and the Development department figures out how much money we’ll need to raise to cover the shortfall (the price of your ticket only covers a part of what it actually costs to put on a performance). I take all that information, put it together, and help figure out if we can afford to do what we want to do. Sort of like your monthly budget, only bigger.

And here’s where it’s all done, my humble little “hoffice” (office in the hallway): 

Join your ASO and Ashley Brown for "Ashley Brown's Broadway" on May 9th and 10th! For a sneak peek, check out the video below!

Come enjoy the show as Ashley Brown takes on some of Broadway's greatest hits including, “Nothing Like a Dame,” “People,” “Tonight,” “Spoonful of Sugar,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come”

Tickets are still available! Go tohttp://www.arkansassymphony.org/con…/ashley-browns-broadway/ or call the box office at 501-666-1761 ext. 100.