A Concert a Day at Hot Springs Music Festival

The Hot Springs Music Festival brings together hundreds of international musicians each year to Hot Springs, Arkansas. During the festival June 3 to 16, around 200 international musicians will present 20 concerts and more than 250 free open rehearsals.

“We have at least one concert every day,” said festival director Todd Cranson. "There is a concert every evening for two weeks.” 

A goal of the event is to make sure classical music is and remains relevant to people today by making the music easily accessible to a wide audience range. Central to the festival is a mentorship program, which pairs world-class musicians with pre-professional apprentices. The two groups play side by side throughout the festival. 

The event brings in over 100 young musicians on the cusp of entering their professional careers. 

“We are going to be doing plenty of Bach and Mozart and Beethoven but we are also going to be doing some new things that today’s classical musicians are doing,” said Cranson. 

The festival takes place in a variety of venues around Hot Springs including art galleries, hotel ballrooms and historic buildings. 

The schedule highlights a variety of musical options. Among these are opening day festivities (June 3) that showcase a brass ensemble outside on the steps of the Arlington Hotel. The Cassatt String Quartet will be playing in the evening in the ballroom. 

A new event on Saturday June 9 features a free concert down Bathhouse Row. The concert is led by Rick Robinson, a longtime bassist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and will progress from Buckstaff Bathhouse to the Superior Bathhouse. 

There is also a concert on June 14 that stars young musicians.

Detailed concert and program information is available at www.hotmusic.org or calling 501-623-4763.

For more information about top events in Arkansas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Arkansas.

Hillsboro, Texas, Casts Spell of the Seven Seas

The charismatic Texas town of Hillsboro is cooking up a great start to summer with two fun-filled events on the first weekend of June. 

The festivities kick off on June 1 and 2 with a finger-lickin’ good time at Hillsboro’s first annual Steak Cook-Off which will include competitive cooking, wine tasting, arts and crafts, live music and a carnival. Steak dinner and wine tasting tickets are on sale now for $20.

And then – ahoy ye captains, first mates, scallywags and lassies, put on ye best pirate threads for a fancy festival: the Texas Pirate Festival on June 2 and 3 at 8581 State Highway 171.

                                                                          

Jack Sparrow enthusiasts will be in for a fun-filled treat with more than 100 vendors, swordplay, singing, dancing and games – without the fear of Davy Jones’ Locker.

The festival won’t cost visitors an arm, a leg or a lot of booty. However, missing this swashbuckling festival deserves a walk off the plank. Children ages six and under are free; six to 12 are $5; adults are $12.

Visit www.middlefest.com or call Paul at 254.582.6238 for more information.

  

Hillsboro is located in North Central Texas and is the county seat of Hill County. A town just off Interstate 35, Hillsboro is the primary center for trade and commerce in Hill County and is the midway point between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Waco. Hillsboro is home to the popular Outlets at Hillsboro as well as many antique stores, museums, restaurants, and historic bed and breakfasts that unite the city’s small town atmosphere with modern convenience. Also serving as the gateway to Lake Whitney, Hillsboro offers both visitors and residents “everything within reach.”

For more information about top events in Texas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Texas.