The Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild is delighted to open its 2025–2026 Classic Concert Series with Duo Nuovo, a compelling collaboration between Arkansas Symphony Orchestra musicians Dr. Andrew Stadler (trumpet) and Ariya Tai (violin/piano). Their program, Echoes and Dialogues: Music in Conversation, will be performed on Sunday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m. at Presbyterian Kirk in the Pines (275 Asturias Drive). General admission is $10. Tickets can be purchased at symphonyguild.org (your email confirmation serves as your ticket) or at the door. The concert will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a meet-and-greet with the artists.

Echoes and Dialogues: Music in Conversation

This recital explores the expressive power of instrumental voices, from the intimate introspection of solo works to dynamic conversations between combinations of violin, trumpet, and piano. Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 4 and Rochberg’s Caprice Variations push the solo violin to extremes of color and emotion, while Takemitsu’s Paths becomes a meditative monologue for solo trumpet. Duets including Cooman’s Sun Songs (for trumpet and violin) evoke dialogue and light, while pieces such as Florence Price’s Four Songs from The Weary Blues (for trumpet and piano) transport us across cultures and time through vivid, lyrical landscapes. Together, these works trace a journey of sound shaped by memory, tradition, and transformation.

About the Artists

Dr. Andrew Stadler is Adjunct Professor of High Brass at the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith. A versatile trumpet teaching artist active throughout the state of Arkansas, he currently holds the position of second trumpet with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. He has previously held a position with the Sioux City Symphony and has performed with the Tulsa Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, and Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra. In Spring 2025, he formed Duo Nuovo in collaboration with violinist and pianist Ariya Tai, giving their premiere recitals in Fort Smith and Little Rock. Dr. Stadler maintains a private studio where he offers lessons to students of all ages and skill levels. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alabama. His primary teachers include Keith Benjamin, Allan Dean, and Eric Yates.

Violinist Ariya Tai has performed extensively throughout the United States, Australia, and her home country, Malaysia. Ariya has played with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, served as the Assistant Concertmaster of Amarillo Symphony, and as a violinist of the Houston-based Carya String Quartet. She was the inaugural violin soloist at the Buddy Holly Hall for Arts and Sciences in Lubbock, TX. Ariya has played in masterclasses with Sibbi Bernhardson, Anthea Kreston, Sally O’Reilly, and chamber music masterclasses with Benjamin Zander. Past summer festivals include the Round Top Festival Institute, Texas Music Festival and Lake City String Academy. She holds degrees from Texas Tech University and Rice University, where her primary teachers include Annie Chalex-Boyle and Paul Kantor. Currently, Ariya lives in Houston, where she maintains a private studio and performs often with ensembles such as Mercury Chamber Orchestra and Apollo Chamber Players. During the summer, she plays with the Des Moines Metro Opera Festival Orchestra. Upcoming performances include a guest artist appearance with Chamber Music Amarillo for their 2025-2026 season. Ariya is also a member of Duo Nuovo, a collaboration with trumpeter Andrew Stadler formed in the Spring of 2025. An accomplished pianist, she worked with Dr. William Westney and Dr. May Tsao-Lim. Ariya can be heard on public radio and on the Sony Classical label.

About the Program

Duo Nuovo’s program offers a journey through time and emotion, featuring remarkable works that highlight the expressive power of collaboration and solo instruments. These pieces span nearly a century, but each one speaks to the timeless connection between music and the human spirit. Though varied in style, they are united by deep expression and the powerful voices of individual instruments, bringing moments of reflection, surprise, and joy. Their program features a wide variety of pieces for various combinations of trumpet, violin and piano.

Works for solo violin include selections from Caprice Variations (1970) by George Rochberg (1918–2005), a 20th-century American composer. An homage to infamous violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini, the selection of variations is left to the player’s programmatic liberties. Also included is Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 27 (1923) by Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931), a legendary Belgian violinist and composer who wrote a set of six solo sonatas, each dedicated to a noted violinist. His fourth sonata is dedicated to the Viennese violinist Fritz Kreisler, while nodding to the Baroque sensibilities of Johann Sebastian Bach. To complete the triptych, songbird qualities of the violin make for spirited depictions of avian sounds in Das Vögelchen from Isang Yun’s (1917–1995) Li-Na im Garten (1984–1985).

The solo trumpet is featured in Paths: In Memoriam Witold Lutosławski (1994) by Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu (1930–1996), one of Japan’s most celebrated composers. Takemitsu created this short, poignant piece as a tribute to fellow composer Witold Lutosławski; spacious and reflective, with moments of stillness that feel like pauses for memory and contemplation, the trumpet’s voice is both solemn and lyrical, offering a farewell that is quietly powerful.

Duets for trumpet and violin include Sun Songs (2008) by Carson Cooman (b. 1982), a work that unfolds over three movements. The opening Toccata has a bright energy, while the inner movement Canto shows off the lyricism of both instruments. The work finishes with March and Hymn, beginning strong and ending in tranquility. Also included is Three Duets for Trumpet and Violin (2023) by James D’Arcy (b. 1988), which explores the conversation between these two bright-toned instruments. Full of humor, charm, and modern flair, these short duets are proof that new music can be fun and deeply human.

Works for trumpet and piano include Trois Pièces Concertantes (1960) by Japanese composer Makoto Shinohara (1931–2024) who was known for blending Eastern and Western musical traditions. These short pieces are colorful and energetic, with lively rhythms, expressive melodies, and hints of traditional Japanese music alongside modern classical ideas. Also featured is a piece originally written for voice and piano, Florence Price’s Four Songs from The Weary Blues (1941). Price (1887–1953), an Arkansas native, was the first African American woman to have her music performed by a major American orchestra. Her songs are deeply moving, blending classical training with the sounds of African American spirituals and the blues. These emotional and intimate songs—adapting the poetry of Langston Hughes—express themes of longing, strength, and beauty.