Building for the Future: The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Center
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra broke ground on August 10, 2023 on its new $11.75 million Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in Little Rock’s East Village, creating a first-of-its-kind music-focused headquarters for the state. The new 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, slated to open in September 2024, is the Symphony’s first permanent home in its 58-year history.
The new music center will be a radically-welcoming hub of musical activity for all Arkansans, serving youth and adults of all ages with an array of musical offerings. The building will provide access to music education, music performances, and music making to residents of all corners of the state through new spaces and a broadcast and recording studio.
The new music center will boast state-of-the-art features for children and adults that participate in the programs of the E. Lee Ronnel Music Academy, including music classrooms and practice spaces, ensuring a conducive environment for musical growth and creativity. The space will include Morgan Hall, named in honor of long-time ASO supporters Susie and Charles Morgan, which will serve as a versatile space for rehearsals and concerts, fostering an immersive musical experience.
Thank you to our design and contracting partners
A Radically Welcoming Hub of Musical Activity for All Arkansans
E. Lee Ronnel Music Academy
ASO Youth Ensembles, the ASO String Academy, Summer Strings Camp, ASO Community Orchestra, the annual Children’s Concert and other programs.
SBS Music Center Press
Press about of the new music center, from fundraising to groundbreaking and continuing coverage.
SBS Music Center Supporters
Supporters of the Crescendo and Encore campaigns who have made the new center a reality.
Photos and Renderings
View architect's renderings of the new building.
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra would like to recognize that the Stella Boyle Smith Music Center, and it’s activities, are located on the ancestral lands of the Opaxpa (Quapaw) and Osage peoples. The ASO acknowledges the history of this land and invites visitors to join them as they pay their respect. We honor the fortitude, commitment and dedication the Quapaw people demonstrate to maintain their culture, develop new communities and overcome challenges after being removed to a new land. We acknowledge the benefits we receive through the use of land that the Quapaw people were dispossessed of and the negative effects this loss had on the people. This land acknowledgment challenges us to learn about the Quapaw people, their history, culture, contributions to and continued presence in our community.