Arkansas Symphony Celebrates Grand Opening of New Music Center

The $11.75 million Stella Boyle Smith Music Center houses a 300-seat auditorium, as well as rehearsal spaces and a recording studio

Following a series of celebrations on Saturday, September 14, the new Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas has opened. The center is the new home of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and will be the first permanent home in the ensemble's 59-year history.

The state-of-the-art facility stretches over 20,000 square feet and cost $11.75 million to bring to fruition. It boasts a 300-seat performance hall, rehearsal spaces, teaching studios, and a broadcast and recording studio. Previously, the ASO was sharing facilities with the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, which was ill-equipped for many of its activities.

The center is named for the philanthropist Stella Boyle Smith, who was the founder of the ASO and donated more than $2.5 million to musical and medical fields over the course of her life. The new center was also made possible by more than 200 generous donors.

Following a private event for these donors, the orchestra celebrated the center's opening with a full day of public celebration — including a morning parade from the Riverfront Amphitheater through downtown Little Rock to the music center, near the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum and Heifer International in the East Village neighborhood.

"The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is committed to three things: building our community through music, being artistically innovative, and maintaining financial discipline," said Christina Littlejohn, ASO's CEO. "The new ASO Stella Boyle Smith Music Center is the manifestation of these core values, and it will enable thousands of Arkansans to experience and make music together for generations."

"Today, a beautiful new center bears Stella's name and carries her legacy forward," said Mike Mayton, trustee of the Stella Boyle Smith Trust, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "This is a music center open to everyone, a radically welcoming hub of musical activity for all Arkansans. The legacy of Stella and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra continues with you, the community, and on behalf of Stella we cannot thank you enough."