Nova Singers, under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, presents two performances of Johannes Brahms' Requiem, Saturday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Central Congregational Church, Galesburg, and on Sunday, October 21, at 4:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Moline.

Nova Singers open their 27th season with two performances of Johannes Brahms' "A German Requiem." Joining Nova Singers for these concerts are guest pianist Ashlee Mack and Megan Clewell, and vocalists Sarah Moran, soprano, and Gregory Lewis, baritone.

"Brahms named his first great work 'A German Requiem' because he wanted this to be very different from the traditional requiem masses of the Catholic Church," explained Lane, professor of music and director of choral activities at Knox College in Galesburg. " Brahms chose the words himself, from various sources. His choices show us Brahms believed that a requiem encourages us to accept the reality of the transience of life, offers consolation and comfort, and gives us hope for a life after death....I have conducted the Brahms Requiem twice before, with a large chorus and full orchestra. But this will be the first time I've ever done it with a small choir like Nova Singers and piano. I could not have imagined how beautiful the music is when sung by this 30-voice version of Nova Singers---it's so clear and clean, and I can understand every word. Also, the piano accompaniment is incredibly exciting. Ashlee and Megan have become an orchestra at the keyboard!"

About the guest artists:

Pianist Megan Clewell is an instructor of piano and staff accompanist at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. An active chamber musician and vocal coach, Clewell most recently served as coach/rehearsal pianist at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Previously, she was involved with the Arizona State University Lyric Opera Theatre and the ASU Wind Ensemble.

Pianist Ashlee Mack has performed solo and chamber music with new-music organizations and has given recitals across the United States, and in Germany and Italy, including in 2011 with the Nova Singers. Mack is the coordinator of Piano Instruction at Knox College.

Soprano Sarah Moran has performed with the Galesburg Community Chorus, Elgin Choral Union, Carl Sandburg College Choir, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, Nova Singers, and University of Washington Symphony Orchestra. She is lecturer of voice, opera workshop, and vocal pedagogy at Knox College.

Baritone Gregory GD Lewis has performed  in oratorio and opera in regional houses across the U.S. He will be featured as baritone soloist with the Galesburg Community Chorus in November and the Elgin Choral Union in April and May of 2013. Lewis teaches voice at Knox College and conduct's the Knox College Women's Chorale and the Knox College Men's Ensemble.

Nova Singers, a professional vocal ensemble under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, is renowned for bringing a wide variety of choral music to its audiences, and for the spirit and charm the singers impart to their music. Dr. Lane has been serving the greater Galesburg and Quad-Cities communities for over twenty-five years, bringing her passion for music and expressive singing to audiences and singers alike.

CHICAGO - To mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will rally Saturday with Chicago Ald. Deborah Graham, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, State Reps. Karen Yarbrough and Camille Lilly and other female community leaders to end domestic violence. Simon will call on churches, schools and community organizations to stand up to violence throughout Chicagoland.

Simon, a former prosecutor and founder of a domestic violence legal clinic at Southern Illinois University, is doing her part to help survivors by conducting a second annual cell phone drive. For each phone collected by Simon's office through Friday, October 12, Verizon Wireless will donate $10 to the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The proceeds will benefit the Virtual Legal Clinic, which aims to connect Chicago attorneys with survivors in underserved areas across the state for free, web-based legal consultations.

In Chicago, used phones can be donated at the rally; at the Lt. Governor's office, 100 W. Randolph St., Suite 15-200; or at the Chicago Bar Association front desk, 321 S. Plymouth Court. Springfield donations will be accepted at Simon's capitol office or the Illinois State Bar Association, 424. South Second St. Phones can also be donated at Simon's Carbondale office or a local Verizon Wireless store.

"We need to raise the awareness of domestic violence in our communities and rally together to end the violence," Simon said. "Each of us has a role to play in making sure survivors' voices are heard and their lives are protected."

DATE: Saturday, October 6

TIME: 10 a.m.

LOCATION: Hope Community Church, 5900 West Iowa, Chicago

 ###

People have changed in dramatic ways over the past five years, and businesses should take that into consideration this holiday season, says one public relations expert.

"As people's values change, so do their shopping habits. To market effectively, businesses should be aware of how their prospective customers have changed," says Marsha Friedman, CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com) in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Shoppers are fussier, and while recessionary budget concerns are one reason for that, thrift is  not the only value affecting consumer choices, Friedman says.

"Some stem from personal issues. Take me, for instance. As I grow older, I view many more material things as clutter. I want to get rid of the junk in my life and focus on important things," she says.

Friedman is a baby boomer - a group that makes up 26 percent of the U.S. population.

"I'm sure I'm not the only person experiencing a change in how I view material goods, what's 'clutter' and what's meaningful," she says.

Other changing values have arisen from global concerns, such as the world's reliance on oil,  growing environmental issues, and whether goods were manufactured here or abroad, she says.

"Businesses that want to cash in on holiday shopping can set themselves apart with a message that appeals to their audience's changing values," Friedman says.

Here are her tips for developing a new marketing approach that's in sync with the times:

• Identify what makes your product appealing to customers' values. If your homemade soaps are produced right here in the U.S.A., brag about it! In a recent poll, 90 percent of us rated "keeping jobs in America" as the No. 1 step the government can take to help us economically. Many shoppers have friends or family members who are unemployed or underemployed; that makes for a greater appreciation of businesses that create jobs here at home. Your "made in America" label is valuable! Does your packaging use recycled materials - or is it recyclable? There are now 69 percent of us recycling, according to a National Geographic poll. Does your manufacturing process use a renewable energy source?  More than half of us think it's more important to develop alternative sources of energy than to find more oil.

• Become an expert. You can gain valuable media exposure for your company or product by positioning yourself (or your spokesman) as an industry expert with useful information to share. For instance, if you're highlighting the fact that your product is made in America because you to help put Americans to work, offer them suggestions based on your experience. What are skills employers value? What are the biggest mistakes applicants make during interviews?

•  Which channels will be best for getting your message out? Where does your audience get its news and entertainment? Are they using social media? Reading the newspaper? Listening to radio or watching TV? Or a mix of all four? On social media, you can share your expertise by offering useful information and links to resources, and engaging in conversations. Print is a great medium for providing consumer tips, as is TV, which is also perfect if your message has a visual component. Talk radio shows look for debate and information that solves problems. On social media, you can build a following of fans who help spread your message, while mentions in (or appearances on) traditional media will give you the implied endorsement of journalists and talk show hosts.

• Choose a messenger who's accessible. If you're the CEO and the person best qualified to be interviewed by journalists and show hosts, you may be the perfect spokesperson. But if you're so busy you can't drop what you're doing to respond to interview requests, you will lose valuable media opportunities. Your messenger should be a person who is well-versed on the chosen area of expertise - and available at the drop of a hat.

If your message hasn't changed with the times, Friedman says, now is a good time to think about your company or product in a new light.

"If you look at it from the shoppers' perspective, you may just see something that appeals to consumers' changing values," she says. "Turn that into a message that resonates with potential customers and you may just have your best holiday ever.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.

Comic books as a legitimate form of American art and literature?

Their time has come.

On Oct. 10, New Jersey's Monmouth University will confer the world's first fine arts doctorate in comic books on Michael Uslan, the originator and executive producer of the blockbuster Batman movie franchise that began in 1989, including the recent Dark Knight trilogy.

It's a long overdue recognition for an industry that was derided and vilified for decades, says Uslan, who wrote about his comic obsession and its positive effect on his life in his memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman (www.theboywholovedbatman.com).

"This will have a tremendously positive impact on the industry, the fans, the artists and writers," he says. "With the recognition by academia of comic books as expressions of fine art, we'll see more talented people going into the industry, and they will continue to innovate, refine and redefine this art form and the art of graphic story-telling."

The university chose Uslan for the honor because of his decades of work establishing the genre as an important element of American art and culture, said Monmouth President Paul G. Gaffney II.

"We are proud to award Michael Uslan an honorary degree in the 'fine art of comic books,' " he said. "Through his work and teaching, he has shown the world that comics are a legitimate art form and uniquely American."

Uslan, who taught the world's first accredited college course in comics at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., in 1971, also wrote the first textbook on comics, "The Comic Book In America."  Today, many colleges and universities offer comics courses.

Uslan's drive to change the way society views comic books dates to childhood, when he recognized the heroes he so admired were often portrayed in media as campy characters not to be taken seriously. As he grew older, he learned the dark history of the American comic book, which first appeared in 1934.

"After World War II, there was a spike in juvenile crime. Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham blamed comic books in his book, 'Seduction of the Innocent'," Uslan says, "that led to a 1954 Senate investigation into comic books and their alleged deleterious effects on America's youth, including the notion they caused asthma because comic book readers stayed indoors to read instead of playing outside in the fresh air."

"During that period, the general public viewed comic books as poison. Many parents wouldn't let their kids near a comic book. There were comic book burnings," Uslan says. "From the 1930s to the '70s, people in the industry were derided for working in the world of comics. They were looked down upon by society."

Meanwhile, artists and writers - notably Stan Lee, former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and co-creator of iconic heroes such as Spider-Man and the Avengers - were weaving a modern American mythology, Uslan says.

He points to these reasons why America is finally now, rightfully, embracing its unique art form.

• Comic books are a mirror of American society. Sociologically, since the 1930s they've been reflecting our changing culture, our values, mores, fashions and fads, warts and all, prejudices and biases included.

• Comic heroes are our modern mythology. The only difference between them and the ancient Greek gods is that our super-heroes and super-villains today wear Spandex and capes. But like the ancient gods, they reinforce values, convey moral lessons and provoke important discussions about ethics.

• The explosion of blockbuster feature films based on comic books and graphic novels has made American comics a global fascination. Uslan's 1989 "Batman," directed by Tim Burton, ushered in a new dark and serious portrayal of comic book heroes on the big screen. His 2008 "The Dark Knight" and this year's "The Dark Knight Rises" opened the door to other comic-based blockbusters, from "The X-Men" and "Spider-Man" to "The Avengers" and "Iron Man." These movies are influencing every aspect of culture, from video games to fashion trends. By 2013, comic book conventions will be bursting on the scene overseas, proving that the characters and stories the creators have given us have the power to cross cultures as well as borders.

• Comics have earned recognition in the art world. Comic book exhibits have been displayed in the galleries of noted art museums from the Smithsonian Institution to the Louvre to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the United Nations.

"Next," says Uslan, "I'd like to see creative geniuses from the industry like the venerable Stan Lee recognized with Kennedy Center Honors for their achievements. What were once simply comic books are now being translated into the performing arts and it's a crime that neither Stan nor any other creator from the field of American comic books and graphic novels has ever been recognized and honored by that illustrious group.

"And if it's a crime, it means that Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, The Hulk and the rest will be after them if they don't make it right."

About Michael Uslan

Michael Uslan, (www.theuslancompany.com), is the Originator, and Executive Producer along with his partner Benjamin Melniker, of the Batman franchise of motion pictures. In his 36 years in the film and television industry, he has been involved with such projects as "National Treasure," "Constantine," and numerous animated projects. His projects have won Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. He is the author of "The Boy Who Loved Batman," his autobiography, now in bookstores and at amazon.com. He recently donated over 40,000 comic books and items from his collection to Indiana University's Lilly Library.