University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The Department of Music will present the UALR Trojan Pep Band and the UALR Percussion Ensemble with special guests the Pangolins Steel Drum Band coming together all on one stage to present a concert of holiday music, as well as selections from each group’s wide repertoire of music at 7 p.m. December 10.

The concert will be held in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. It is free and open to the public.

The UALR Trojan Pep band will be presenting selections from their high energy collection of funk and blues including Moon Glow, Brick House , and Soul Finger. The UALR Percussion Ensemble will be presenting works from Bela Fleck and Dave Grusin as well as the popular rock group Tool. Popular Bela Fleck tunes such as The Sinister Minister and Hurricane Camille will be presented.

The Pangolins Steel Drum band will be presenting works by Jimmy Buffett and special holiday arrangements of music specifically for steel drum band. In addition to holiday favorites the group will present the popular work Bring Him Home from Le Miserables. All the groups will come together to finish the concert with A Big Band Christmas by Carl Strommen. Celebrating over ten plus years the UALR Percussion Ensemble is a high energy group that has performed throughout the Midwest and the South presenting concerts and clinics for students of all ages. Past performances 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’s World Fest are only a few of the events the group has appeared at. For the past three years the group has 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 UALR Trojan Pep Band supports the men’s basketball team at UALR and represents the university at numerous functions during the year. This high energy group is comprised of 19 UALR students that represent a wide range of degrees. The group has presented concerts in Little Rock, and is the host band for the Sunbelt Basketball Tournament held in Hot Springs in the spring.

The Pangolins Steel Drum Band is a professional steel drum group that is an outreach of the UALR Percussion Ensemble. This group has performed together for over ten years. The group has performed in New Orleans working with the House of Blues and the City of New Orleans as well as all over the Natural State. The group has also performed children’s concerts with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. The group performs a wide variety of music from classical to contemporary rock and roll. The group is led by Charles Law.

For more information, contact the Music Department at 501-569-3294.

UALR’s Community Orchestra will present its 12th annual holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec.15 in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building, with a program that will include seasonal selections and three compositions by Beethoven.

Admission is free and open to the public.

The seasonal compositions include “The Fading Light of Autumn” by Ralph Ford and “A Most Wonderful Christmas,” a medley of holiday songs arranged by Robert Sheldon.

Conducted by Dr. Victor Ellsworth, founder of the ensemble, the 53 member ensemble is made up of University students, faculty, staff and community members. For more information about the concert, contact UALR’s Music Department at 501-569-3294.

The UALR Community Orchestra is unique ensemble in which no audition is required and was created to provide a once-a-week musical experience and environment for amateur musicians. Attendance is not kept except for those members who are taking the orchestra for university credit. For information about becoming a member of the orchestra, contact Ellsworth at 501-569-3294.

UALR’s Concert and Chamber Choirs will be joined by the Women’s Ensemble to present their winter concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. Admission is free and open to the public.

Composition to be performed include Hebert Howells’ “Sing Lullaby,” Mendelssohn’s “Psalm 43 Richte mich Gott,” and PDQ Bach’s “Good King Kong.”

The Women’s Chorus will be performing “Dancing Day” by John Rutter with accompaniment by harpist Elisabeth Chardonnet.

For more information, contact UALR’s Music Department at 501-569-3294.

UALR’s Community Chorus and the Second Presbyterian Church Choirs will present selected movements of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, at Second Presbyterian Church at 600 Pleasant Valley Drive in Little Rock.

Conducted by UALR music professor Bevan Keating, the performance features the 120 voices of the combined choirs and orchestral accompaniment. The concert will offer a unique opportunity for Arkansans not only to appreciate Handel’s masterpiece live, but also to be part of the experience.

The audience will be encouraged to sing the major choruses, including “The Hallelujah Chorus,” along with the choirs. Audience members may bring their own Messiah scores to the concert or rent a copy when entering the lobby.

General admission is $10. UALR students, faculty, and staff are admitted free of charge, but must present a valid University ID when picking up tickets in Room 151 in the Fine Arts Building. For more information, contact the UALR Music Department box office at 501-569-8993.

Founded by Dr. Keating in 2004, the UALR Community Chorus is comprised of more than 90 members drawn from UALR students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the greater Little Rock community. The chorus is open to singers at all levels of musical ability who wish to participate in choral masterpieces accompanied by professional musicians.

The UALR Community Chorus season will conclude on April 3 with a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Second Presbyterian Church.

For more information about UALR’s choral ensembles, visit 

http://ualr.edu/music/voice.