Arkansas Symphony CEO Christina Littlejohn meets the press at the new Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in Little Rock, Jan. 30. Photo by Nathan Treece, Little Rock Public Radio.
In Wednesday’s (1/30) Little Rock Public Radio, Daniel Breen writes, “The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is one step closer to moving into a new home. Symphony officials held a ‘topping-off’ ceremony on the site of the new Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in Little Rock’s East Village neighborhood Tuesday…. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the roughly $12 million facility will add to the city’s already bustling arts and culture scene. ‘Downtown Little Rock is experiencing a cultural and educational resurgence, and the Stella Boyle Smith Music Center is at the crux of it all,’ he said. ‘While this building is going to be great for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, it’s going to be great for our residents, but most importantly it’s going to be pivotal for our children.’ The new building will house the symphony’s practice spaces, as well as the E. Lee Ronnel Music Academy…. Katherine Williamson, assistant concertmaster and director of the symphony’s string academy, says the new facility will have more space to teach students…. Most concerts will still be held at the Robinson Center in downtown Little Rock after the new facility’s expected opening in the fall.”
