Fort Smith Symphony

The Fort Smith Symphony’s five internationally released compact discs/downloads on the Naxos Label have been listed as bestsellers on numerous websites. The first three recordings are part of Naxos’ popular “American Classics Series” and feature the music of William Grant Still, (1895-1978), who was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. With Still’s many successful compositions, he earned the nickname, “Dean of African-American composers.” The recordings have received dozens of terrific reviews and have been and continue to be broadcasted on hundreds of classical music stations around the world. Reviews have compared the Symphony’s performances to major orchestras and frequently mention the orchestra’s wonderful artistic qualities. A third recording on Naxos was made in April 2011, and completed the first-ever recorded cycle of all five William Grant Still symphonies. The compact discs/downloads include other orchestral works besides Still’s symphonies. Six of the works recorded are world premiere recordings. The Symphony recorded with Naxos again in May 2018 with symphonies by Florence Price. The Price Symphony recording was released in January of 2019 and has received numerous outstanding reviews and significant national and international press. The recording has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal and NPR to name just a few. It was briefly the number one selling classical release on Amazon and was listed on a number of “top 10 favorites” lists throughout the US. In 2022, the Symphony recorded and released the works of Louis W. Ballard (1931-2007), considered the first American Indigenous concert composer, from Oklahoma. This album is the first commercially distributed recording of Ballard’s works, completed in collaboration with The Fleisher Collection and the Ballard Family. Fort Smith Symphony recordings on Naxos are available on all major music streaming services and online music retailers.