Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Enduring Legacy of Quincy Jones With Iconic Music from Film, Television, Jazz & Pop

LITTLE ROCK, AR. (2026) – The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) presents its second concert of the 2025–2026 First Orion Pops season, “The Legacy of Quincy Jones”, a dynamic concert celebrating the life, influence, and groundbreaking career of one of the most iconic figures in American music. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Robinson Center.

This program highlights the extraordinary range of music shaped by Jones’ legendary career as a composer, arranger, producer, and cultural innovator. From jazz and film scores to pop hits and television themes, the program showcases the unmistakable sound and influence that helped define generations.

Audiences will hear beloved selections including “Soul Bossa Nova,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Misty,” and “Thriller,” along with music from Jones’ acclaimed film and television work, such as “The Pawnbroker”, “Ironside”, “Sanford and Son”, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.

“Quincy Jones shaped the soundtrack of modern American life,” said Music Director Geoffrey Robson. “His music crosses genres, generations, and cultures, and this concert celebrates the joy, sophistication, and sheer brilliance of his legacy. It’s a program that truly has something for everyone.”

Tickets are $19, $30, $50, $77, or $92 (pricing subject to change), and active-duty military or college student tickets are $15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org or at the Robinson Center street-level box office beginning 90 minutes before the concert or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 1. All Arkansas students are admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket through the Bank OZK Kids Ticket program. Learn more at www.arkansassymphony.org/concerts-events/free-kids-ticket-by-bankozk

Artists

Geoffrey Robson, conductor
Dazz Murry, creative consultant & co-producer
Deshawn Harris, vocalist
Genine LaTrice Perez, vocalist
Crisshaundra Olyssa Pullom (Crissy P), vocalist
Mac Royals, vocalist
Satia Spencer, vocalist

Link To Vocalists’ Bios & Headshots

Program

Quincy Jones – “Soul Bossa Nova”
Quincy Jones – “Quintessence”
Frank Foster – “Shiny Stockings”, featuring Genine LaTrice Perez
Erroll Garner – “Misty”, featuring Genine LaTrice Perez
Antonio Carlos Jobim – “Desafinado”
Quincy Jones – “The Pawnbroker” and Main Title from “The Pawnbroker” (1964)
Fleecie Moore & Sam Theard – “Let the Good Times Roll”, featuring Mac Royals
Bart Howard – “Fly Me To the Moon”, featuring Mac Royals

Intermission

Quincy Jones et al. – TV Themes Medley: “Sanford & Son”, “Ironside”, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, featuring Deshawn Harris, vocalist
Rod Temperton – “Thriller”, featuring Deshawn Harris, vocalist
Quincy Jones et al. – “Home” from The Wiz, featuring Satia Spencer
Quincy Jones & Rod Temperton arr. Daryl McKenzie – Theme from The Color Purple
Chaz Yankel & Kenny Young – “Ai No Corrida”, featuring Crissy P
Aretha Franklin – “Think”, featuring Crissy P
Lionel Richie & Michael Jackson – “We Are the World”, featuring all vocalists

About The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is the leading employer of professional performing artists in Arkansas and is celebrating its 60th season in 2025-2026. The ASO recently opened its first permanent home, the ASO Stella Boyle Smith Music Center, in the East Village between Heifer International and the Clinton Presidential Library. The state’s first music center is a radically welcoming hub of musical activity for all Arkansans, housing programs of the E. Lee Ronnel Music Academy, a broadcast studio, and the River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series. ASO is the resident orchestra at Robinson Center and performs over 60 concerts yearly for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, First Orion Pops Series, River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts throughout Arkansas. The E. Lee Ronnel Music Academy reaches over 30,000 Arkansans in over 200 schools from ages 4 to 104 through the string academy, youth ensembles, bucket band, community orchestra, the annual Children’s Concert, and more. In 2020, over 1 million people in over 30 countries viewed the ASO musician-led Bedtime with Bach series. The ASO employs 14 full-time musicians, over 70 part-time musicians, and 16 administrative staff members with an annual operating budget of $4.5 million. The ASO is a member of the League of American Orchestras and a partner orchestra of the National Alliance for Audition Support, an unprecedented national initiative to increase diversity in American orchestras.

For more information about the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra call 501-666-1761 or visit www.arkansassymphony.org.

###