This Week in Ozarks Arts: Two Ozarks Success Stories Take Center Stage

Vol. 2, No. 22, June 26, 2026

Welcome back to The Green Room, friends.

Music and film often work together to evoke the emotions a director hopes to create. That's certainly true for Missouri-raised filmmaker Dusty Dale Barker, who is taking his first documentary, “marigold,” to Hollywood for its West Coast premiere. Built from a reel of 8mm Kodachrome film that was lost in a family box for 60 years, the six-minute film explores the ordinary moments that shape our lives and identities, accompanied by a poignant score composed by Lauren Conklin and recorded with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.

Meanwhile, Missouri State University visiting assistant professor of composition and music theory Dr. Phillip Roberts has earned an honorable mention in the Missouri Composers Project for his orchestral work “Hocket Rocket,” an energetic composition that draws inspiration from medieval techniques while embracing the sounds of funk and rock.

Though one work was written for the concert hall and the other for the silver screen, both are reminders that meaningful art often begins close to home. From family archives and homesteads to symphony stages and film festivals, these artists are carrying pieces of Missouri with them as they reach new audiences and larger stages.

Let's explore them together this week in The Green Room!

Jimmy Rea

Host, Arts News

KSMU 91.1 - FM

Ozarks Public Broadcasting

The Green Room is sponsored by

Orchestra recording the score for “marigold." Photo Credit: Dusty Barker

Missouri-raised, Nashville-based filmmaker Dusty Dale Barker is taking his first documentary, “marigold,” to the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for its West Coast premiere this month. Built from a reel of 8mm Kodachrome film that was lost in a family box for 60 years, the six-minute film explores the ordinary moments that shape our lives and identities...read more.

Dr. Phillip Roberts rehearses with orchestra. Photo Credit: Dr. Phillip Roberts.

Dr. Phillip Roberts of Missouri State University's Department of Music earned an honorable mention in the 2026 Missouri Composers Project for his orchestral composition, "Hocket Rocket." The energetic work recently received a live performance by the Columbia Civic Orchestra...read more.

Arts News on KSMU is your long-standing source for what's happening in the Ozarks arts scene spotlighting local creators, performances, and cultural events every week. Tune in Fridays at 10:00 a.m. on 91.1-FM or stream at KSMU.org or subscribe to the Arts News podcast wherever you get your podcasts. New podcast episodes are released every Friday.

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My last job, before I became a voice on the radio and a man writing a newsletter, was installing carpet (what a colorful life). It just so happened that I was finishing my very first carpet installation when the news flashed on my phone that Prince had died. The next five working years of my life, after April 21st, 2016, were preceded by this one truly surreal moment of turning to my friend/boss, and a county sheriff (whose carpet we had just finished installing), and even though I knew I shouldn’t interrupt their conversation as “the new guy,” I simply had to:

“Guys. I’m so sorry, but…Prince died.”

“What Prince?”

“No. Not A prince. PRINCE.”

Now, I was a modest Prince fan at best. I had never even seen "Purple Rain" (I have since, calm down - also, Prince in "Purple Rain," CALM. DOWN.) but regardless, that death loomed large. We all paused for a moment. Even the sheriff seemed taken aback (he did not personally strike me as a Prince fan, but you never know). Some figures are not just iconic, but totemic. They are not just known, but felt. And, as much impact as they may have made in their lives, their absence can be more profound still.

People deal with these departures in different ways. There can be books, movies, TV shows, shrines, graveside gatherings, endless online discourse (“I’M the most sad about this”), cool t-shirts, tacky dorm room posters, cheap Halloween costumes and, in the case of musicians, there will inevitably be tributes.

This weekend brings one of those very events. Now in its fifth year, “Purple Grain,” is an annual concert celebration of all things Prince, held at Tie & Timber in Rountree. The show brings in a rotating cast of bands and musicians each year, playing everything from the hottest of hits to the deepest of cuts, everyone draped in purple, all to raise money for the Ujima Language & Literacy organization. Rain or shine, it’ll be a funky time. Every beat for a very good cause.

Come check it out yourself! The fun starts Saturday at 5!

We’ll see you next week!

Local Radar with Ran Cummings is a weekly music and conversation radio show on KSMU featuring bands and performances from in and around the Ozarks every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. 91.1 FM or stream KSMU.org

Missed an episode of Studio Live or Arts News? Can't listen live? Find them both as a podcast on KSMU or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Studio Live with Jess Balisle and Melissa Rea airs on the 2nd Friday of every month at noon. Tune in at 91.1 FM or KSMU.org for an hour of live music and conversation with talented local artists.

July 10: Jin J. X

August 14: Patti Steel

September 11: TBA

October 9: Drifters Mile

November 13: Pomfret

December 11: Devlin Pierce

In the mood to stay in? Queue up one of these videos handpicked by our staff at Ozarks Public Broadcasting, perfect for a night in when you're skipping the scene but still craving culture.

SOUND FIELD: National Anthem. Why is it sung at sporting events? What makes it so hard to sing? How did we land on the Star Spangled Banner?

Great Performances: Kiss Me, Kate. A Cole Porter classic musical featuring iconic songs like "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "So In Love," and more.

Independent Lens: Assembly. By blending visual arts, performance, and artificial intelligence, the project centers around the global evolution of vogue while honoring the Black and queer resistance and calling for a more liberated future.

Vince Gill: Tiny Desk Concert. Once you're inside of a Vince Gill song, you enter an entire world. In power ballads and two-steppers, he crafts intimate songs about how we treat each other: a relationship that has weathered the decades, one that's broken and another fighting to revive the spark.

These favorites from KSMU and OPT are just the beginning. There's a whole world of storytelling, music, documentaries, and local gems waiting on you to dive in and discover at your local public broadcasting station.

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❤️ A big thank you to V. Erickson for their generous tip to The Green Room last week with this note: “I really enjoy reading the Green Room newsletter! Thanks for pulling this together!”

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