ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/20/2012)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Symphonic Band began its spring 2012 tour of the Pacific Coast on Friday, Feb. 17, stopping at two locations in Illinois before continuing to California, Oregon and Washington. To conclude the tour, the band will perform a home concert on Saturday, March 10, at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.) on Augustana's campus.

Among the students peforming:

Grace Drenth, a junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in psychology.

Jen Youngs, a senior from Taylor Ridge, Ill., majoring in psychology and political science.

For this tour, director Dr. James Lambrecht has devised a program worthy of a band so grounded in history. The college's first ensemble was the Silver Cornet Band in 1874. This band enlisted as a unit in the U.S. Army during World War I, and mounted its first Augustana student ensemble international tour in 1928. Over the years, the Silver Cornet Band transformed into the Augustana Concert Band and the Augustana Symphonic Band, the college's premier touring band ensemble.

Read more: www.augustana.edu/x39204.xml

 

Students performed in Augustana College Four Choirs Concert

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/20/2012)(readMedia)-- Cantilena Augustana, Wennerberg Men's Chorus, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble and the Ascension Singers were the four choirs that came together to perform one concert on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Augustana College.

The choirs include :

• Cantelina Augustana, directed by Sonja Hurty, adjunct professor of music, includes female students from all classes and majors who sing for pleasure.

• Wennerberg Men's Chorus, directed by Howard Eckdahl, fellowship instructor of music, consists of male students who sing for enjoyment and have an enhanced appreciation of choral music.

• Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, directed by Dr. Michael Zemek, assistant professor of music, is a select ensemble for women who want to develop advanced choral skills.

• Dr. Zemek also directs the Ascension Singers, a group made up of singers from both Cantelina Augustana and Wennerberg's Men Chorus.

According to Dr. Zemek, the Four Choirs Concert was an opportunity for students to share what they had been studying and preparing throughout the term with their families and the community.

From your area this includes:

Hannah Barney, a Junior student from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Business Administration-Marketing/Communication Studies.

Christine Harb, a First Year student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Samantha Kammerman, a First Year student from Milan, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Megan Keller, a Senior student from Taylor Ridge, Ill., majoring in Communication Studies.

Elizabeth Kuster, a Sophomore student from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Creative Writing.

Samantha McGreer, a First Year student from Illinois City, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Ingrid Schneider, a First Year student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Samantha McGreer, a First Year student from Illinois City, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Elyzia Powers, a First Year student from Silvis, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Anthony TouVelle, a First Year student from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Ben Knapper, a First Year student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Jacob McManus, a First Year student from Reynolds, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Adam Bengfort, a First Year student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Guy Iaccarino, a Senior student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Music General and Anthropology.

Steven Ray Trent, a Sophomore student from Eldridge, Iowa, majoring in Geology.

Manisha Kumar, a Junior student from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine.

"At the concert, a wide variety of styles and time periods of choral music were shared, including global world music," said Dr. Zemek. "It's this variety of music and the inclusion of different types of choirs that made th Four Choirs Concerts unique and enjoyable to attend."

 

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/20/2012)(readMedia)-- After a two-week concert tour in Germany and Austria, the Augustana Choir will return to the Quad Cities for a home concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 9, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 Brady Street, Davenport. Under the direction of Dr. Jon Hurty, the choir will present an a cappella choir concert, with works ranging from a Gregorian chant to a Haitian Nöel. The concert is open to the public, free of charge.

Among the students performing:

Kaleigh Wall, a Junior from Eldridge, Ill., majoring in Art.

Lauren Reid, a Senior from Sherrard, Ill., majoring in Business Administration- Marketing/Communication Studies.

Rickey Rector, a Junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

The concert at St. Paul is the culmination of a 10-performance tour that intertwined "Alpha & Omega" works with four performances of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, as part of a festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this masterwork.

The "Alpha & Omega" concert program is divided into four sections. The first group is based on the triune God-Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer-and begins with American composer Howard Hanson's A Prayer of the Middle Ages. The second group of works is based on texts that deal with the Book of Revelation, including American composer and arranger Stacey Gibbs' Lord, If I Got My Ticket. In the third group, various cultures come to life through music, including a traditional Haitian folk song, Noél Ayisyen. The final group includes songs from the folk and hymm traditions, closing with Children of the Heavenly Father, a piece that has become a regular part of the Augustana Choir's tour programs.

Augustana College is known throughout the United States for the excellence of its choral tradition. The 70-member Augustana Choir is the school's premier choral ensemble. Founded in 1931, the Augustana Choir has performed internationally and in some of the United States' finest musical venues, including New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Chicago Symphony Center's Orchestra Hall.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers nearly 90 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of approximately 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and services in our complex, ever-changing world.

By Johnathan Hladik, johnathanh@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs

Proponents of renewable energy across the nation are applauding recent efforts by five Iowa lawmakers to provide an economic incentive for small-scale wind and solar producers. Already a leader in wind energy, Iowa is quickly becoming a model state for clean, domestic, and affordable energy production.

Introduced last week, Senate File 225 encourages the development of renewable power generation by providing a guaranteed payment for each kilowatt hour generated over a period of 20 years. This policy mechanism is referred to as a feed-in tariff, a method used in over 40 countries across the world and cited as the primary reason for successful renewable energy markets abroad.

SF 225 implements a policy where the actual payment per kilowatt hour varies, depending on the technology used to generate electricity, project size, and quality of the resource used, such as average wind speed. In other words, not all projects will be treated alike.

To qualify, each project must be in Iowa and program participation is limited to projects with a majority of ownership within Iowa. Qualifying projects must be less than 20 megawatts in size.

By opening the door to cost effective distributed generation, feed-in tariffs allow citizens to meet energy needs with locally produced electricity. By encouraging the development of customer owned renewable energy, feed-in tariffs eliminate the need for large scale wind development and render costly transmission projects unnecessary. By encouraging energy independence, this bill paves the way for rural economic development throughout Iowa and sets a new standard nationwide.

Nashville, TN, USA - February 22, 2012 - The newly launched Unsigned Only Music Competition, from the team behind the International Songwriting Competition, is fast approaching its March 5 deadline for artists to enter. Designed for solo artists, bands, and singers who are not signed to a major record label, Unsigned Only's goal is to find an outstanding, talented performing artist: a band, singer, or solo artist...a newcomer or veteran...raw or polished - the "gem" that needs to be discovered. Unsigned Only is looking for the total package. Judging criteria includes vocals, performance, songwriting, and originality.

Completely separate and distinct from ISC, Unsigned Only is a fresh and novel approach to other music competitions. Not only does it offer great prizes, recognition, exposure, and the chance to be heard by a group of judges consisting of high-profile recording artists and industry professionals, but it also takes it a step further and puts the Grand Prize winner in direct, personal contact with the influential record label executives who are the ultimate decision makers. For the first time ever, a music competition offers the Grand Prize winner the unprecedented opportunity to be mentored by a group of record company presidents, A&R reps, and more. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an artist to directly network with the top echelon of record company professionals and get guidance, advice, feedback, and networking opportunities.

The founders of Unsigned Only, Jim Morgan and Candace Avery, talk about the new venture: "We are pleased to introduce a new music competition of this caliber to artists throughout the world. Having worked with a wide variety of artists over many years, we know that what artists want most is access to record label professionals. However, it is virtually impossible for most up-and-coming artists to have direct access to this elite and elusive group of decision makers. So, Unsigned Only is offering the unprecedented opportunity for the Grand Prize winner to network with and be mentored by a prestigious group of record label executives. This has never been done before, and we are excited about the possibilities it affords the Unsigned Only winner."


The judging panel is comprised of an impressive group of recording artists, producers, and top-level music journalists. They include : Cyndi Lauper; Kenny Rogers; Angie Stone; 3 Doors Down; Jeremy Camp; Manchester Orchestra; Craig Morgan; Robert Smith (The Cure); Kelly Clarkson; Musiq Soulchild; Aaron Shust; Steve Lillywhite (Producer); G. Love; Matt and Kim; St. Vincent; The Mountain Goats; Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste Magazine); Scott Lapatine (Founder/Editor-In-Chief, Stereogum) and Lorraine Ali (Pop Music Editor, Los Angeles Times).

The panel of mentors who have signed on to participate is equally impressive. Included are: Monte Lipman (President of Universal Republic); Pete Ganbarg (Executive Vice President/Head of A&R, Atlantic Records); David Wolter (Senior VP of A&R, RCA Records); Kim Stephens (President, Forward Entertainment and A&R/Capitol Music Group); Trevor Jerideau (VP of A&R, RCA Records); David Wilkes (VP of A&R, eOne Music); Pete Giberga (Head of A&R, Razor & Tie Records) and Jason Geter (President, Grand Hustle Records).

The Grand Prize Winner will be awarded $5,000 in cash (plus additional prizes) and one-on-one mentoring by an elite group of record company executives. First Place and Second Place winners will also be selected in each category. Entries are being accepted now until March 5, 2012.  Winners will be announced in July, 2012. Categories include : AAA (Adult Album Alternative), AC (Adult Contemporary), Christian Music, Country, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, R&B/Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop/Top 40, and Vocal Performance.

All entries must be original music except for the Vocal Performance category which accepts original or cover songs. Judging criteria in the Vocal Performance category will be based solely on the quality of the vocals, thereby allowing singers who do not write their own songs the opportunity to enter.

For entry and general information, please go to http://www.unsignedonly.com

Public invited to experience free fitness classes and enter for a chance to win thousands in prizesHHhh

Moline, IL / February 20, 2012 - Moline's most comprehensive new fitness facility, Fitness Xpress is hosting a Celebration of Motivation, offering participants a chance to win THOUSANDS in prizes, including a trip for two to Hawaii and a new Lifecycle® stationery bicycle.   The event begins with a Chamber Ribbon-Cutting and tour Thursday, February 23^rd and continues through Saturday February 25^th with opportunities for the public to try free fitness classes.   To schedule a free classes during the grand opening, go to www.fx247.com.

Fitness Xpress's model for success is firmly grounded in the knowledge that the key to achieving any goal is motivation.  When that goal requires significant behavior changes, the importance of motivation is multiplied.  Fitness Xpress offers a full array of group fitness classes that provide members with a wide variety of fitness options that are fun as well as motivating and never get stale.  Fitness Xpress' Group Fitness Classes include :

• Zumba: a Latin dance-inspired fitness program that incorporates hip-hop, Soca, Samba, Salsa, Meringue, Mambo, martial arts and some Bollywood and belly dance moves plus squats and lunges.
• Body Pump™ and Body Combat™ -- Les Mills® -licensed classes which refresh their music and choreography every three months.  New Zealand-based Les Mills is named for the former Olympic shot put medalist and later Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, who has become the standard-bearer for group fitness classes.  Group fitness classes invite members to put aside whatever else is happening, and lose themselves for an hour in a pure, invigorating challenge that will improve their body, mind and motivation.  Research by AC Nielsen indicates that Les Mills class members attend three times more often than standard freestyle classes.
• Super Cycling classes in dedicated cycling studio.  Super Cycling focuses on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity and recovery using a special stationary exercise bicycles with a weighted flywheel in a classroom setting.
• Kickboxing, Kettlebell Blast, Fitness Frenzy, Lower Body Meltdown, Body Blast, Fat-Burning Aerobics and Yoga.

Fitness Xpress' Director of Operations David Bedwell says, "Many of our members discovered Fitness Xpress' after plateauing at other clubs.  We specialize in partnering with our members to help them find the motivation they need to achieve their goals...not just in fitness, but in life." Fitness Xpress is the Quad-Cities' home to Thin and Healthy's Total Solution® which has been called "the BEST kept secret in weight loss" by the Executive Producer for Oxygen Channel's Fitness Insider program. Thin and Healthy Total Solution®  GUARANTEES 2-7 pounds of weight loss per week and incorporates a comprehensive approach to positive life change.  Thin and Healthy has helped local members achieve not only impressive weight loss, but positive professional accomplishments.

Fitness Xpress, a locally owned and operated company and has membership levels that offer 24-hour access, a bring-a-friend free program, free classes and free-tanning.  Memberships start at $9.95 per month with no long-term commitment required.  To learn more about Fitness Xpress go to www.fx247.com.  To learn more about Thin and Healthy's Total Solution go to www.thinandhealthytotalsolutions.com.

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