Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks II: “Fantasies & Fables,” November 6 and 7

Saturday, November 6, 7:30 p.m.

Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA

Sunday, November 7, 2 p.m.

Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3707 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL

Delivering a thrilling repertoire of compositions inspired by poetry and literature, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra continues its Masterworks season with the musicians' second showcase for 2021-22: Fantasies & Fables, November 6 and 7 presentations held at the Adler Theatre and Augustana College's Centennial Hall that will be highlighted by renditions of Frederick's Fables narrated by esteemed poet, author, and performance artist Shellie Moore Guy.

A former Poet Laureate of the Quad Cities who uses self-expression as a tool for individual and community empowerment, Guy is lifelong resident of Rock Island, Illinois, whose work as an artist, community activist, and advocate has blended art, activism, and education in many areas. She is the director and founder of Ebony Expressions Dinner and Book Discussions, which encourages adult reading and community fellowship; Healing Waters, an organization that uses artistic monologues of domestic violence survivors to encourage individual and community awareness and healing; and Polyrhythms, a grassroots, non-profit community and cultural-arts advocacy organization.

Guy also created Tribal Team Poetry and Black Art Collage to encourage high-school and college students to express themselves through poetry and visual art, and recently published the children's book How Little Billy Learned to Play, which tells a fictionalized story of local music legend William “Bill” Bell and how he learned to play music with the help of his family and friends in the community. Additionally, Guy has written book of poetry titled Remembering Melodies: A Thank You Note that examines and celebrates family and community. And with her area stage credits including roles in the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's A Raisin in the Sun, A Lesson Before Dying, and A Woman Called Truth (in which she played legendary activist and advocate Sojourner Truth), Guys one-woman shows have included Roots Survive and I Have Come to Testify, Can I Get a Witness, performances designed to teach, uplift and transform.

With Shellie Moore Guy's narration of Frederick Fables, audiences are invited to explore lessons about human nature through Michael Abels’ lush musical illustration of this acclaimed composition by Leo Lionni. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra's second concert in the 2021-22 Masterworks series also boasts composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s youthful and Wagnerian prelude to his opera Hänsel und Gretel, while a celebration of triumph over darkness is on the repertoire via William Grant Still’s melodic and aspirational Poem for Orchestra. Finally, the Quad City musicians conclude their presentations by joining in love’s struggle to conquer all through composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s rapturous Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture.

The Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks II: Fantasies & Fables performances will be held at Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 6 at 7:30 p.m., and in Rock Island, Augustana College's Centennial Hall on November 7 at 2 p.m. Admission is $10-65, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)322-0931 and visiting QCSO.org.