Never miss a surprise or a concert!
Never miss a surprise or a concert!
Featuring Artina McCain, Piano
DATE
February 7, 2026
7:00 PM
LOCATION
Thaden School Performing Arts Center
PRICE
$50 Adults | Under 18 (Pay What You Can)
Ovations+ Member tickets are FREE
A program of wonderful musical masterpieces by gifted and essential American composers. The APO performs an exquisite lament by Pulitzer Prize winner George Walker, music of Florence Price — the first black female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra — in Price’s passionate and powerful Symphony No. 1, with its musical reflections of Dvorak’s great New World Symphony, and George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, a work that bursts with jazzy swagger and symphonic grandeur, fusing the pulse of 1920s America with sweeping orchestral brilliance. The APO welcomes the dynamic pianist Artina McCain.
Program:
Heather Niemi Savage - Arethusa (World Premiere)
George Walker - Lyric for Strings
Florence Price - Symphony No. 1 in E Minor (1st movement)
George Gershwin - Piano Concerto in F
Hailed by the New York Times as a "virtuoso pianist," Artina McCain has established a prominent career as a multifaceted creative. Her recital credits include prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. She has also appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras like the Dallas Symphony and Memphis Symphony.
A multi-faceted artist, McCain has been featured in a mirage of spaces. From mistress of ceremony at the Cliburn competition to guest artist at the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers and Saint Heron concert programs curated by Solange Knowles. Television appearances include the award-winning PBS documentary series Roadtrip Nation: Degree of Impact in an episode exploring the real-world impact of professionals with doctoral degrees in and outside of academia. Other television appearances include features on CSPAN for the MLK 50 Commemoration.
McCain's story of overcoming a six-year performance injury to achieve a thriving concert career has been featured in the award-winning PBS documentary Roadtrip Nation and on the BBC podcast Sideways. She is a passionate advocate for musicians' wellness, curating articles, lectures, and forums on the topic.
A graduate of Southern Methodist University (BM), Cleveland Institute of Music(MM), and the University of Texas at Austin (DMA), McCain is Associate Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at the University of Memphis. An avid presenter of chamber music, she is Artistic Curator at Prizm Ensemble. In her spare time, Artina enjoys boutique shopping, international travel, fine dining, and tea.
Artina McCain is a Yamaha Artist.
Steven Byess is a dynamic and passionate conductor, hailed by critics as “masterful and brilliant,” “creating the epitome of instrumental elegance,” and capturing “the full spirit and vitality of the score perfectly.” Recognized for his musical versatility, multi-faceted presence on the podium, and passion for music education, he is devoted to promoting a life-long love and enthusiasm for music and the arts.
Steven is the music director of the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Oregon), and the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. He conducted the U.S. premiere of Russian violinist Alexander Markov’s Rock Concerto at Carnegie Hall in New York, and was selected by Walt Disney World Entertainment to conduct the 2000 NFL E*TRADE Super Bowl Halftime show, where he performed for a television audience of 88 million fans.
As a passionate advocate for the arts, Steven is sought after for his speeches on the arts, music, and education, and has organized collaborations with numerous choruses, chamber music ensembles, and festivals. He wrote and co-directed a PBS presentation, Count On It!, designed to connect music and mathematics for children grades K-3. Since 2013, he has shared this passion with over 80,000 children around the country as a conductor of the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute Link Up orchestral education concerts.
A prolific conductor of opera from grand to contemporary, his performances include Puccini’s La Bohème and a critically acclaimed production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel; Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Greensboro Opera; Bizet’s Carmen with Emerald City Opera (Colorado); Copland’s The Tender Land, Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, and a collaboration with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on his opera “27” with Intermountain Opera (Montana); and Weill’s Street Scene and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with the Eastman School of Music Opera Theatre. Steven has been a guest conductor at the Pine Mountain Music Festival in Michigan for their productions of Le tragédie de Carmen (Bizet/Brook), a highly acclaimed production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide,collaborating with the composer’s daughter Jamie Bernstein, and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Steven is the former associate music director of the Ohio Light Opera where he conducted over 80 productions and 21 commercial recordings, including repertoire ranging from well- to little-known operas and operettas to blockbuster classic American musical theater works.