
Deanery board member Matt Manweiler is an orchestra director for the Rock Island school district.
The Deanery School of Music is entering a new movement in its score, with a new concert series and new director.
The nonprofit school, located at 1103 Main Street in Davenport, has been open for lessons since January of 2022.
The Deanery is an elegant 5,500-square-foot structure, built in 1930, that was previously the residence for the Dean of the neighboring Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and had been vacant since 2009.
“We’re really trying to utilize our space there because we have a beautiful recital hall,” board member Matt Manweiler said recently. “We want to showcase that space and use it both for featuring our faculty members and students, and the music that’s happening in our community to benefit our students.”
A new “Building Bridges” recital series aims to make connections between the classical and eclectic music worlds through collaborative performances that bring renowned Quad-City musicians from different styles together.
The first concert, on Tuesday, October 29 at 7 p.m., will feature The Deanery founder, cellist Hannah Holman, pianist Réne Lecuona, and the Bucktown Americana Music Show.
“We started the Building Bridges series because it’s important to have opportunities for musicians from different disciplines interact – come together and share, and for different audiences to come together too,” Holman said by e-mail.
“We very often get pigeonholed into one variety of music, but you never know what might happen when different disciplines have more chances to interact,” she said. “We want to invite more people into the Deanery family and show off our gorgeous facility. Also, students will have a chance to join professionals in stage.
“There is nothing more inspiring and uplifting then getting to play with professionals, as a student,” Holman said, noting they plan on having at least two concerts per semester in this new series.
The second concert, on Monday, November 18, will feature Deanery faculty Scott Sund (cello) and Ben Lorentzen (viola) with the Don Gustofson Jazz Ensemble.
The series emerged naturally from connections that Deanery faculty and board members have with a variety of local musicians, said Manweiler, a violinist who works as orchestra director for the Rock Island-Milan School District.
“One of my passions is trying to expose our culture to our students and that culture is multi-faceted and comes from a lot of different backgrounds,” he said. “I think if we focus only on European composers and performances, we lose out on a lot of really amazing things that develop from sources like African traditions, or folk traditions, bluegrass, Americana.
“There’s a lot of this amazing culture that’s happening here in the Quad Cities, and unfortunately there’s not much crossover between the musicians,” Manweiler said, noting that Deanery students study classical music but listen to a dizzying array of other styles.
“Music is music,” he said. “I think the more that we can show them, that your instrument can not just play these different kinds of music, but has a rich history going back hundreds of years. It can help them have a complete picture of what they can do on their instrument and be a complete musician.”
That’s been a main mission of Manweiler’s occasional visiting artists at Rock Island High School over the years. His last residency was the electric violinist Tracy Silverman – a Juilliard-trained virtuoso who played alongside high-school and junior-high students from Rock Island and Davenport in a February 2023 concert at Rocky.
“We show the kids what’s possible on their instruments, with different styles, different cultures,” Manweiler said. “We’re just in a different place; times have changed. We need to teach culture as inclusive. All these different forms of music are valid and special, and we need to honor them.”
Normally, people choose to go to a classical concert, and another week they may go to a blues show or a jazz gig. Rarely, do the twain meet on a single bill.
“It keeps the styles in their own boxes, and the musicians never get the chance to interact with each other,” he noted. “One of the main goals of this is to have the teachers and musicians meet each other.”
While the classical and non-classical performers will play their pieces separately, they also will join together at the end of each concert.
“Hopefully this turns into a long-running tradition where it’s not a couple recitals but it turns into a recurring place where we can have combinations of people you never dreamed possible, sharing the stage,” Manweiler said. “And really teaching empathy and listening – that’s the biggest goal of what’s happening. We’re just gonna see what happens and it’s going to be wonderful whatever happens.”
Both the Bucktown crew and Don Gustofson are not only excellent musicians in their own right, but have curated relationships and partnerships with many other performers.
“My hope” he added, “is starting with these two guests at the Deanery, that their friends and musicians and audiences – which are incredibly diverse – will start to commingle.”
A past Bucktown performer himself, Manweiler also noted that Bucktown leader Mike Romkey has “done a wonderful job with the Bucktown Revue, of bringing in more musicians than I can count, to come and play. He represents a depth of Americana music here locally.
“There’s a lot of potential for [genre] crossover,” he said of future concerts. “We want to remove the barriers. We are a music school; this is to benefit our students.” Ticket sales, Manweiler added, will help support student scholarships.
“Not a lot of people know there are scholarships available,” he said. “One of the goals of this will be letting people know The Deanery exists and you can come and see wonderful music (played). We’re trying to be open to all students of the Quad Cities, regardless of economic background. We don’t want there to be any barriers for students to take lessons.”
The bridge building of the series' name, Manweiler added, also reflects The Deanery’s goal to become a true hub and gathering space for the community. “It’s all about the interaction and this wonderful building makes it all possible.”
Manweiler also wants to teach students the value of being able to improvise music, and not just express what is on the page. Many students (and adult classical performers), he said, are often nervous to do that.
“You look at these kids on their first day with their instruments, and they’re just going at it – having fun, making sounds,” Manweiler said. “That’s improv. And we teach them to be afraid of that. But there’s a time for 'Let’s just create something and it might be completely spontaneous, and it might be special only to you and no one else will understand it,'
"When you’re the author of your story, no one can tell you that it’s wrong. It’s your story. When you’re the storyteller, you’re the only one who can say you told your story correctly. There’s no right or wrong. It’s ‘Did you express something?’ Improvisation is a different skill set than classical expression.”
Growing and Changing
The Deanery currently has approximately 45 students enrolled (elementary through high-school age) and is working to double that, said Holman, who is principal cello for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. “We are always looking for ways to expand our reach and really build an inspiring and welcoming family. Hopefully by having more events and people through the doors we can expand our reach.”
“We have many brilliant new board members. We have been restructuring the board,” Holman noted. “The board plays such a vital and participatory role in the Deanery. We are involved in strategic planning, creating a volunteer corps, and really trying to position the Deanery to be a community center for people to come and experience something together, in a warm and friendly environment.”
The school has a new director, Gates Thomas (the director of music for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities), as Holman has stepped down as artistic director. She is vice president of the Deanery board and artistic advisor.
Thomas grew up in Davenport, lived in New York City for 25 years, and during the pandemic, moved back to Davenport.
“Gates brings a new vision to the Deanery, as a composer and producer,” Holman said. “He is on the faculty of the Berkelee College of Music in Boston, one of the leading music conservatories in this country, especially for jazz, and experimental music. Gates is a seasoned educator and performer. He will guide us in exciting new directions as our programming expands to a wider variety of music forms while remaining rooted and committed to providing a high-quality classical music education.
“The more a student knows and the greater and stronger the foundation,” she added, “the more opportunities they will have to reach for the stars and be flexible and equipped to try many genres.”
Tickets for the Building Bridges series are limited and are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Students will be admitted free with student ID, but should reserve ticket ahead of time, if possible. For tickets and more information, visit TheDeanery.org.