DAVENPORT, IOWA (February 18, 2020) — The Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) has been approved for a $15,000 Art Works grant to support a commissioned opera entitled Karkinos by Quad Cities composer and Augustana College Professor of Music Jacob Bancks. In collaboration with the Living Proof Exhibit, this dramatic oratorio is inspired by direct conversations with people impacted by cancer. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of the fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like Karkinos.
“We are absolutely honored by the vital support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. This support speaks to the power of collaboration, which in this case has resulted in an uplifting and beautiful allegory directly related to the experiences of many in our community who are affected by cancer,” said QCSO Executive Director Brian Baxter
Premiering on May 10, 2020, at the Bartlett Center for the Performing arts in Moline, Illinois, Karkinos is Jacob Bancks’ first opera. This emotional multi-media work depicts the story of a beautiful empress who is forced into battle with the unseen monster Karkinos (cancer in Greek) the night before her coronation. The cast includes Sarah Shafer, soprano as the Empress, Kelly Hill, mezzo-soprano, as the Maid, and Nathaniel Sullivan, as the Angel. Hill and Sullivan are both natives of the Quad Cities. QCSO Music Director and conductor Mark Russell Smith will lead a chamber orchestra of QCSO musicians, and Madelyn Gunn will direct the work.
Tickets for Karkinos are available now and can be purchased online at QCSO.org, by phone at 563.322.7276, or in person at the QCSO box office located at 327 Brady Street in Davenport, IA.
Additional support for Karkinos provided by Genesis Health System, UnityPoint Health — Trinity, Scott County Regional Authority, Quad City Arts, the Moline Foundation, and Michael and Lois Harring.
For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
EVENT DETAILS
Living Proof Exhibit Opera: Karkinos Saturday, May 10, 2020 | 2PM Bartlett Performing Arts Center, 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
TICKET DETAILS
$30 Adults each | $10 Students each Tickets can be purchased online at QCSO.org, by phone at 563.322.7276, and in-person at the QCSO Box Office located at 327 Brady Street in Davenport.
About the Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1915, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) is among the 20 longest-established, continuously-operating orchestral associations in the United States. The QCSO presents a full season each year supplemented by pops and special events. The orchestra has demonstrated steady artistic growth measured by the depth of the repertoire performed. Iowa and Illinois subscribers to QCSO performances are residents of more than 70 cities and towns. The orchestra consists of an average of 80 players. The QCSO provides programs and community service to a market of more than 450,000 residents of eastern Iowa and western Illinois, staging performances in both Iowa and Illinois. In 1958, the QCSO founded the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra and since has added four additional training ensembles: The Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Youth String Ensemble, Prelude Strings, and Youth Choir. Music education-outreach programming includes dozens of education programs delivered to over 10,000 area students annually and more than 250,000 over the years to students in Iowa and Illinois. The League of American Orchestras has recognized the QCSO Volunteers for Symphony for its role in implementing these innovative educational programs uplifting youth through music and the arts. The QCSO receives contributions from more than 1000 families, businesses, and foundations.
