The German American Heritage Center is hosting the annual Christmas Zither and Bell Choir Concert to be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, December 14, at the Scott County Family Y, 606 West 2^nd Street, Davenport.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is coming to Davenport and will stop here on Friday, December 5th at the Florian Keen parking lot (Western Ave @ West River Drive - by Modern Woodman Park). Local talents will entertain awaiting the train's arrival.

Federated Music Teacher's Association is holding the 25^th Annual Baroque Competition. The 2008 Baroque Competition Finals will be held at FOSTER FAMILY MUSIC in Bettendorf on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6. Elementary and Intermediate performances will be in the morning and the senior performance in the afternoon. The competition is open to the public. Refreshments will be served after each age group's competition.

Federated Music Teacher's Association is the local chapter of The National Federation of Music Clubs, an organization designed to promote study and stimulate interest in American and world music literature, and to encourage each participant to reach a high standard of musical achievement. The Baroque Competition was started 25 years ago by Richard Patterson & LaVonna Kiesele Bartlett, members of our local chapter to promote the study of baroque piano music.

Forty-five finalists will be chosen by recorded audition, judged by the University of Iowa pedagogy class under the direction of Dr. Alan Huckleberry. At the finals on December 6th fifteen students in each division will perform two pieces, one from the baroque period and one from a contrasting period of music. Our judge Dr. Rene Lecuona, from the University of Iowa will choose 1^st through 5^th place winners, who will receive trophies, cash and prizes from local sponsors. These are some young, talented, hard-working, local pianists. Let's celebrate and champion their achievements!

Paul-Thomas Ferguson will sign copies of his novel, A Life in Chiaroscuro, at the St. Ambrose University Bookstore, Harrison Street, Davenport, on Wednesday, December 3^rd, from 3pm to 5pm.

 

 

A Life in Chiaroscuro is a work of historical fiction, featuring narrator Benjamin Andrews.  When Andrews moved to Milwaukee in 1904 to become editor of a major newspaper, he could not have imagined the path his life would take.  Now, writing from an insane asylum ten years later, Andrews tries to explain, for the final time, his role in a year full of societal intrigue, enduring love, calculated revenge, political scandal, and cold-blooded murder.

 

Paul-Thomas Ferguson works as an archivist for Vista International Operations and also teaches part-time at St. Ambrose University.  A playwright, poet, and musician, Dr. Ferguson holds a B.A. in European History from Western Illinois University, as well as an M.A. in Medieval History and a Ph.D. in American, Urban, and Middle Eastern History from Marquette University.  A Life in Chiaroscuro is his first novel.