Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Guild

05/15/2026

2026-2027 board members from left Ernestine Tisdell-Lawrence, Chip Broadbent, Lesley Cooper, Christy Lund, Ebony McGhee, Barbara Burroughs. The Guild is excited about our upcoming year, under the leadership of Christy Lund, working together to promote music education and engagement with the A*O.

04/27/2026

23 Young Artists applied for the 2026 Stella Boyle-Smith Young Artist Competition! Through video preliminaries, 12 were selected by our adjudicators for live performance Saturday morning, April 25th.

From 9 a.m. to noon these amazing young people performed with artistry and technique beyond their years! However, only 5 would be selected as division/category winners ($250 awarded to each) and Grand Prize winner ($1,000.00, courtesty of the Stella Boyle-Smith Trust).

Finalists: Wyatt Davis performing the Viola Concerto in D, mvt. 1 by Hoffmeister. Selena Li performing the Concerto #2, mvt. 1 by Saint-Saëns. Riley Harper performing the Horn Concerto #1, mvt. 1 by Richard Strauss. Yosef Tam performing Concerto #2, mvt. 1 by Mendelssohn. William Hamilton performing Violin Concerto #1, mvt. 1 by Mozart. Isabel Furlong performing Cello Concerto in C, mvt. 1 by Saint-Saëns. Anabelle Lam performing Praeludium & Allegro by Fritz Kreisler.

Category Winners! Brass: William McCandless performing Horn Concerto Op. 8, mvt. 1 by Franz Strauss. Woodwinds: Matthew Sontoski performing Concertino in Eb, Op. 26 by Von Weber. Piano: Ryan Li performing Concerto #2, mvt. 1 by Rachmaninoff. Strings: Vann Lee performing Symphonie Espangnole by Lalo.

AND OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!!
Casia Keiser who performed Concerto #2, mvt. 1 by Saint-Saëns.

04/27/2026

The A*O Guild and the team for the Stella Boyle-Smith Young Artist Competition would like to extend our thanks to our amazing adjudicators for this past weekend's event!

(L-R) Dr. Andrew Stadler, Brass; Tatiana Kotcherguina, Strings; Dr. Lorraine Duso-Kitts, Woodwinds; & Dr. Linda Holzer, Piano/Harp.

04/25/2026

It was a fantastic morning at the Stella Boyle-Smith Music Center in Little Rock as students from across the state competed in the annual Young Artist Competition!

Photos are being curated and winners will be published soon!

For now, check out the amazing repertoire performed by these incredible Young Artists!

We extend our thanks to judges: Dr. Andrew Stadler, Tatiana Kortcherguina, Dr. Linda Holzer, & Dr. Lorraine Duso-Kitts!

04/22/2026

Two and a half days to go!

23 applicants submitted videos and 12 were selected by our 4 incredible judges!

Piano, Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass are represented by the amazing Young Artists in our 2026 competition.

We are thrilled to be conducting our finals in the Stella Boyle-Smith Music Center this Saturday from 9-noon!

04/22/2026

SBS Young Artist Competition Strings Judge Tatiana Kotcherguina is currently an active member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, as well as the violin and viola faculty of the University of Central Arkansas. She is an Honors graduate of Moscow State Conservatory, Moscow, Russia. She has taught at three universities in Nuevo León, Mexico, and prior to moving to central AR was Principal Viola with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. The SBS Young Artist Competition is Saturday, April 25 starting at 9 am at 1101 East Third Street in Little Rock. This competition is FREE and open to the public to attend.

04/21/2026

04/20/2026

SBS Young Artist Competition Woodwinds Judge Dr. Lorraine Duso Kitts is a member of the oboe section of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and is also a Professor of Music at the University of Central Arkansas teaching double reeds. For the past twenty-five summers Dr. Duso Kitts taught oboe and bassoon at the New England Music Camp in Maine. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

04/13/2026

12/22/2025

Guild volunteers manned the kids crafts tables at the final Home for the Holidays concert. A fun time was had by all. Happy Holidays!