What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1196229
Several outfit changes, a couple of performances, an on-stage introduction by powerhouse Carrie Underwood and a walk to the press room later — escorted by Shelton — Fleenor's whirlwind day of being a CMA nominee and now winner was over. Only a few days after the affair, she was back to work. Fleenor performs in the house band for NBC's singing competition show "The Voice," where Shelton and Stefani are both judges. The show is taped in California, so Fleenor does a lot of flying back and forth from her Nashville home during the competition months. She's also played on 10 albums in recent months and written and recorded two songs of her own this year, on top of touring with Shelton, and occasionally performing by personal invitation with Steven Tyler. So while she'd perhaps like to record her own full album at some point, Fleenor admits she would never stop doing all the things she's got on her plate at the moment. "I just look at my husband sometimes and say, 'Is this real? Is this real?'" she says, awestruck. And now she's got a sleek hand-blown crystal trophy to tangibly tell her this is all real. House of Songs Had the timing been different, Fleenor might have been discovered thanks to the House of Songs. But the organization is in just its second year in Northwest Arkansas. According to an email exchange with Troy Campbell, the HOS founder, "the original goal [in Northwest Arkansas] was to determine if The House of Songs could create a bridge between local artists and international artists by focusing on the unique cultural mix in the Ozarks. Each year since we've been able to increase programming, which now includes export and local co-writing. "We are increasing partnerships in our programming and hope to export more Northwest Arkansas talent to the world by having international and national touring artists come here for residencies and recording sessions," Campbell continues. "One event that will certainly be a highlight of the new year will be our 2020 Songwriter Summit. The House of Songs will host our first Songwriter Summit of 2020 in Bentonville, bringing together musicians from Austin, Northwest Arkansas and the United Kingdom to live, write and collaborate together at The House of Songs. These artists will perform their new collaborative works in the region, record and continue their journey on to Folk Alliance International in New Orleans and AmericanaFest UK in London." According to Campbell, the Summit will include seven international and national artists: Jane Ellen Bryant (Austin), Kaia Kater (Canada), Oscar Mukherjee (Denmark), Dean Owens (Scotland), Peter More (Fort Worth), Aaron Smith (Northwest Arkansas) and Leslie Stevens (Los Angeles). "Our goal here, as it is in Austin and New York City, is to create change and facilitate platforms that artists and audiences can both enjoy," Campbell says. "We hope to create more collaborations between local Northwest Arkansas artists and international and national touring acts, which we feel will create stronger connections for Northwest Arkansas artists around the world." Fort Smith Symphony And on a final, symphonic note, it's been a year of great success for the Fort Smith Symphony. The Florence Price Symphony No. 4, recorded in May 2018 by the Fort Smith Symphony under the baton of music director John Jeter and released in January 2019 on the Naxos label, made the list of the 25 "Best Classical Music Tracks of 2019," according to The New York Times. Also included were recordings by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic — well, you get the idea! But that's not the Fort Smith Symphony's only year-end accolade: WQXR, New York City's Classical Public Radio Station, listed the Florence Price recording in its best classical recording list for 2019. And the Florence Price album made the short list of Zoe Madonna and Jeremy Eichler's top 10 classical albums of 2019 in The Boston Globe. "The Florence Price recording has received major national and international press since its release, and we are thrilled that this has continued throughout the year," says Jeter. "This sort of recognition is wonderful for our city, our region and the state. We thank Naxos for allowing us to bring this wonderful musical heritage of Arkansas to the world stage." Jeter says in 2020 "there are plans for more recordings but nothing officially scheduled." The Fort Smith Symphony is certainly worth adding to your must-see list for next year. 4 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 29, 2019-JANUARY 4, 2020 No. 5 Continued From Page 3 "Florence Price's music is romantic, lyrical, soulful and beautiful," says John Jeter, music director of the Fort Smith Symphony. "She was the first African-American female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. She is considered the most prominent, historically significant concert composer of her race and gender in American music history. The Fort Smith Symphony will be the first orchestra to ever record her complete cycle of four symphonies."