This June, a bold new addition to northwest Arkansas’s vibrant arts landscape comes to life as the Ozark Music Festival makes its debut, building upon the storied foundation of the Hot Springs Music Festival. Featuring 13 dynamic public concerts, the inaugural season will showcase exceptional classical music performed by talented college musicians and esteemed faculty artists from top universities and major orchestras across the nation.

The 2025 season opens with a free outdoor brass fanfare at Fayetteville’s lively new Cultural Arts Corridor, known as the Upper Ramble, at 6 PM on Wednesday, June 11. This celebratory kickoff sets the tone for a festival themed around “Transformation”—a nod to the festival’s evolution from its origins in Hot Springs to a vibrant new identity in the Ozarks. 

Reflecting this theme, the Festival Orchestra will present powerful programs featuring orchestral works such as Debussy’s La Mer, Strauss’s Don Juan, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. These timeless pieces will be performed alongside exciting compositions by contemporary voices Reena Esmail and Angelique Poteat, as well as a newly commissioned work by Jeremy Crosmer, cellist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and a native of Little Rock. Leading the orchestra is Principal Conductor Sunny Xia, the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony.

Orchestra performances will take place in some of the region’s most iconic and inspiring venues, including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, and the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. In addition, intimate chamber music concerts will be staged in unique community spaces throughout Northwest Arkansas, creating immersive and unexpected experiences for audiences.

The Ozark Music Festival is co-directed by Artistic Director Tomoko Kashiwagi, the Emily J. McAllister Endowed Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano at the University of Arkansas, and Executive Director Brittany Cooper-d’Orsay, Arkansas native and alum of the Hot Springs Music Festival.

Tickets and festival passes will be available soon. For a complete schedule of events and performance details, visit: https://www.ozarkmusic.org/festival-events

The Ozark Music Festival is a program of the Ozark Music Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the region’s cultural landscape through music. Community support is vital to our mission. To learn more or make a contribution, please visit ozarkmusic.org.

Ozark Music Festival 2025 Concerts

Wednesday, June 11
Opening Brass Fanfare
Upper Ramble
Fayetteville, 6pm
Free and open to the public

Thursday, June 12
Faculty Chamber Concert
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, 7:30pm

Friday, June 13
Chamber Concert
Heroncrest
1579 E Lake Rd, Springdale, AR 72762
Elm Springs, 7:30pm

Saturday June 14
Orchestra Concert
Event Center
401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville, AR 72701
Fayetteville Public Library, 5pm

Sunday, June 15
Orchestra Concert
The Momentary Green
507 SE E St, Bentonville, AR 72712
Bentonville, 7pm
Free and open to the public

Monday, June 16
Inside Out Experience
Faulkner Performing Arts Center
453 Garland Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72701
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 6pm
Open to festival pass holders

Tuesday, June 17
Chamber Concert
First United Presbyterian Church Fayetteville, 7:30pm

Wednesday, June 18
Open Mic Night
Mount Sequoyah Center
150 N Skyline Dr, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Fayetteville, 7pm

Thursday, June 19
Chamber Concert
Central United Methodist Church Fayetteville, 7:30pm

Friday, June 20
Weekend Starts Chamber Performances
Upper and Lower Ramble
Fayetteville, 5pm

Friday, June 20
Chamber Orchestra Concert
Great Hall Crystal Bridges
600 Museum WayBentonville, AR, 72712
Bentonville, 7:30pm

Saturday, June 21
Orchestra Concert
Woodlands Auditorium
1101 DeSoto Blvd., Hot Springs Village, AR, 71909
Hot Springs, 3pm

Sunday, June 22
Orchestra Concert
453 Garland Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Faulkner Performing Arts Center Fayetteville, 3pm

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