The National Symphony Orchestra will present five concerts and more than 150 special appearances in Arkansas during its 2009 residency between March 24 and March 31, 2009, it was announced Wednesday.

The announcement was made in the lobby of the Don Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. Welcoming those in attendance was a brass quintet composed of Professor Larry Jones and Bryan Light, trumpet; Jeff Jarvis, tuba; Denis(cq) Winter, trombone; and Lindsey Tevebaugh, French horn. They played the theme from Masterpiece Theatre, "Rondeau" by Mouret.

Present for the announcement, in addition to UCA president Lu Hardin, were Gov. Mike Beebe and U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark.

Dr. Rollin Potter, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, said he was watching the National Symphony's performance at the Fourth of July concert in 2006, and a notice about the symphony's American Residencies came on the screen.

That began an 18-month odyssey that involved a partnership with the Arkansas Arts Council, led by Joy Pennington, director, who also spoke at the announcement. The invitation from UCA and the Arts Council was accepted in September.

The residency is funded by the Kennedy Center through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and will include six orchestral concerts in the state and dozens of educational and outreach activities.

Concerts will be in Jonesboro (March 24), Lily Peter Auditorium in Helena-West Helena (March 25-26); Conway (March 28); Little Rock (March 29); and Fayetteville (March 30). Susan Jarvis of Conway will coordinate the other musical activities.

The program for each concert will be conducted by Ivan Fischer, his first American Residency. They will perform Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger; a Serenade by Weiner; three dance episodes from On the Town by Leonard Bernstein; and Anton Dvorak's Symphony No. 7.

Becky Harris is president of the Conway Symphony Orchestra board.