“Up Close with Marc Zyla" at the Figge Art Museum -- May 19.
Sunday, May 19, 5 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Performing a repertoire of works by composers Margaret Brouwer, Frederick Tillis, Gustav Mahler, and Paul Hindemith, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's principal horn player will headline the May 19 Up Close with Marc Zyla concert at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, this intimate event also boasting the talents of pianist Marian Lee and spoken-word artist Aubrey Barnes.
A member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra since 2010, Zyla earned a bachelor’s degree in Musical Arts from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in Horn Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, and has completed doctoral course work in Horn Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois. In addition to his continuing tenure with the symphony as Principal Horn, Zyla is a private lesson instructor through the organization, and in May of 2022, he joined the Quad Cities' NPR station WVIK as the Director of Community Engagement. Prior to his position with WVIK, Zyla had been the Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and as stated at WVIK.org, "Zyla believes that there is something for everyone in public radio and brings passion and creativity to his position as Director of Community Engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zyla launched Because…, a podcast based on a children’s book by Mo Willems in which he serves as the host and producer."
An Assistant Professor of Piano at St. Ambrose University who received her Doctor of Musical Arts at Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Marian Lee made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as the 1995 winner of the Artist International Award. She went on to serve as a soloist and chamber performer in Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Poland, Russia, Thailand, and Hong Kong, as well as in major cities throughout the United States. Lee has made numerous appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and performed an exclusive recital in the Hermitage Theater at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, and also played piano in a nationally televised broadcast from Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. Additionally, Lee helped develop Moscow Nights, a first-time collaboration between the music and Russian-language departments at the University of Delaware, and served as president of the Delaware Music Teachers Association.
As stated with the Illinois Presenters Network (IlPresenters.org), "Aubrey Barnes, also known as 'Aubs.', is a stimulating and thought-provoking creative, with a hunger to educate and an appetite to grow and succeed in his craft. Because of his love for literature and writing, Aubs. is a natural poet, author, and educator. He performs as a spoken word artist and a battle rap enthusiast. When Aubs. is not on stage or in the classroom where he often works with at-risk children, he contributes to The Black Thoughts Podcast as its co-founder and host. Aubs. performs and teaches workshops all over the world, from Chicago to Haiti. In 2019, the Iowa Writers Organization ranked Aubs. the number-three best slam poet in the state of Iowa. Seeing a need for area artists to showcase their poetry, in 2014, Aubs. began Roaring Rhetoric, a live interactive poetry showcase. These shows have featured many professional artists from all over the Midwest. Later, Aubs. founded the Young Lions Roar Project. Its purpose is to teach the next generation of young poets, writers, and entertainers the art of writing and performing poetry. The class uses rhyme and other poetic devices that make learning easy and gratifying for the participating students. He teaches poetry at multiple camps, churches, and events."
Four exciting works will be featured in the May 19 performance: Brouwer's Sonata for Horn and Piano, Tillis' Spiritual Fantasy No. 5, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellem, and Hindemith's Sonata for Alto Horn and Piano. The Up Close with Marc Zyla concert will take place at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, admission to the 5 p.m. event is $12-32, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)322-0931 and visiting QCSO.org.
