ENTERTAINMENT: Pianist pairs ‘Classic Meets Cool’ for series

MUSIC

From Mozart to Motown

Pianist Barron Ryan plans a “Classic Meets Cool” program for the Warfield Concerts series, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Hendrix Fine Arts Center, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, 1000 Campus Road, Helena-West Helena.

Barron trained initially as a classical pianist but his parents, both musicians, filled the house with everything from Mozart to Motown. He had a brief career in satirical hip-hop before winning a piano competition in 2011 that sent its winner to perform internationally. He has since broadened his repertoire to include classical music inspired by jazz, ragtime, funk, pop and country. On his latest album, “The Masters’ Apprentice,” he pays homage to the piano greats who inspired him.

Admission is by free ticket. Visit warfieldconcerts.com.

Quintets at UAMS

Members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra form two string quintets for the the fall concert of the Dr. Ruth Marie Allen Concert Series, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Pauly Auditorium (G219) of the Rahn Building at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4801 W. Markham St., Little Rock.

Trisha McGovern Freeney and Linnaea Brophy, violins; Timothy MacDuff and Tatiana Kotcherguina, violas; and Jacob Wunsch, cello, perform the String Quintet No. 4 in g minor, K.516, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And Charlotte Crosmer and Geoffrey Robson, violins; Ryan Mooney and Katherine Williamson, violas; and Travis Scharer, cello, perform “String Circle” by Kenji Bunch.

Admission is free. Patrons are asked to park in the Parking 2 visitor lot and take the pedestrian bridge to the Rahn Building. Visit arkansassymphony.org/events/dr-ruth-marie-allen-concert-series-at-uams-2.

“It is my hope that these concerts will promote the beautiful music of the ASO,” Allen said when she founded the series in 2001. Allen, who died in 2023, was the associate dean for academic affairs in the UAMS College of Health Professions.

THEATER

Bushnell at UCA

“Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell puts on her one-woman show, “Candace Bushnell – True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City,” 7 p.m. Thursday in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. It’s part of the university’s Public Appearances series. Tickets are $23-$46, $11.50 for students. Call (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012 or visit uca.edu/publicappearances.

Bushnell’s “Sex and the City,” published in 1996, was the basis for the TV show of the same name, which appeared for six seasons on HBO and spawned two movies and a re-boot series, “And Just Like That,” currently in its third season.

Bushnell is also the author of “Four Blondes,” “Trading Up,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “One Fifth Avenue” and “The Carrie Diaries,” the latter two of which were turned into two-season network TV series.

FILM

Rescue documentary

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, screens the documentary “Operation Black Hawk Down,” focusing on an Army battalion that during the Vietnam War attempted rescues at two sites simultaneously, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. It’s part of the museum’s Movies at MacArthur series. Admission, popcorn and soft drinks are free. Call (501) 376-4602.

ETC.

Fall Festival

Pulaski County Youth Services is hosting its fifth annual Fall Festival, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 201 S. Broadway, Little Rock, featuring trick-or-treating with decorated vendor tables, games and activities for all ages. “candy, treats and surprises” and live music and entertainment. “Costumes are optional, but smiles, good vibes and fun are required!” according to a county email blast.

ASO contract

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and its Players Association have signed a new three-year contract that includes pay raises for musicians each year as the organization adds programs. The contract agreement, which took effect Sept. 25, covers base wages, benefits, travel reimbursements, hotel accommodations for visiting musicians and expanded employment opportunities through the orchestra’s Stella Boyle Smith Music Center and its youth music education programs, which the orchestra recently announced it would be expanding through a five-year, $1 million grant from longtime supporters Susie and Charles Morgan.

Meanwhile, the orchestra’s Board of Directors has launched “Every Note, Every Neighbor,” a fundraising campaign for the orchestra’s annual fund, which supports orchestra operations. The board committed to increasing the fund by 5% per year — or $328,000 over the next five years — while doubling the orchestra’s endowment to $25 million by 2035 and investing in professional development opportunities to recruit, retain and develop musicians who will make Arkansas their home, according to a news release.

Heritage grants

Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, is accepting grant applications for the Arkansas Heritage Grant and Small Museums Grant programs through Nov. 10. The two programs provide awards to Arkansas’ community-based nonprofits, small history and military museums, historical societies and historic houses and sites.

The Grants Program helps community-based nonprofit groups “create programs that promote awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas’ heritage; increase (their) ability … to create heritage-related programs, especially in places where they would otherwise not occur; foster cooperative efforts among organizations, businesses, and government to increase the size and scope of events; and create ongoing components to existing heritage-related celebrations,” according to a news release. Projects in 2026 can also contribute to activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The maximum grant is $5,000. For-profit organizations or events, local governments and schools are not eligible. Money must go toward the proposed project, but cannot be used to fund ongoing operating costs, staff salaries or brick-and-mortar infrastructure.

To qualify for the Small Museums grants, organizations must have an annual operating budget of less than $250,000; must have a staff of at least one person, either paid or volunteer; and must be open to the public at least 90 days per year. Eligible expenses might include operating costs and utilities, equipment purchases up to $1,000, accessioning of artifact collections, conservation resources and exhibits.

For more information and applications, visit arkansasheritage.com/available-grants/division-of-arkansas-heritage-grants.

TICKETS

Comedy concerts

Tickets are on sale for several comedy shows in Central and Northwest Arkansas:

◼️ Comedian John Crist’s spring 2026 “John Crist Live Tour” includes shows at 7 p.m. March 28 at Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. — $43.41-$181.41 (prices subject to change); call (479) 443-5600 or visit tickets.waltonartscenter.org; and 7 p.m. March 29 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway — $40.35-$167.65; visit Ticketmaster.com.

◼️ Actress, comedian, writer and host Fortune Feimster is extending her “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” tour into 2026 with shows at 7 p.m. April 3 at Walton Arts Center — $38.81-$199.81 (subject to change); and 7 p.m. April 4 at the Robinson Center — $40.35-$184.20.

◼️ And comedian Trey Kennedy’s extension of his “The Relatable Tour” includes a Walton Arts Center stop, 7:30 p.m. May 15 — $48.30-$151.80 (subject to change).