On August 3, GIT Improv was the first act to perform in the new Sound Conservatory performance space
There’s a new Carnegie Hall in downtown Moline.
Just 12 years younger than the world-famous New York City venue, Sound Conservatory has renovated a section of the former Carnegie library building (erected in 1903) into a beautiful, elegant performance space.
GIT Improv headlined the first show there on August 3. The daughter of GIT performer Patrick Adamson takes piano lessons with Sound Conservatory owner Andrzej Kozlowski, who had seen the comedy act at the nearby Black Box Theatre.
“We thought this would be a perfect venue for them,” Kozlowski says of the troupe, adding that his venue could “accommodate more seating. And I love their comedy.”
Removing the former library stacks and stairs to a second level, Kozlowski renovated the area into a 180-seat performance space with a 24-foot-high ceiling and large chandelier.
The new space is a relief for Kozlowski, partly because he no longer has to move all the pianos from the main showroom, as was done for past concerts, to allow seating. That room offered about 120 seats,
“We now can do more performances, more frequently, because the space is always ready,” he said, noting that he installed a 24-channel professional mixing and recording board. They also expanded the scope of the stage lighting.
Sound Conservatory hosted its first performance last November – one featuring Kas Shewell – shortly after the music school and store moved from downtown Rock Island to Moline. Subsequent concerts included a Mozart birthday celebration and Kozlowski, who is also a pianist, playing an all-Chopin program.
In addition, the venue hosted the unique immersive mystery The Stacks during the show's February 22 through March 2 world premiere, employing the former library's second-level stacks. Between next January and June 2025, Kozlowski hopes to feature two performances a month, He is also working to get Sound Conservatory its own liquor license, and has received requests to host weddings and a burlesque show.
Kozlowski said the space renovations started on June 22 and took about five-and-a-half weeks. He himself attached the pieces of the brand-new, five-foot-tall chandelier by hand while the second floor was still in place. And a few people bought the stacks – one buyer purchased them to use as shelves for his 800-bottle bourbon collection.
“It’s come together,” Kozlowski said. “Essentially, all the work was done by me and my piano mover Matt. Other people helped us with the painting.”
The Fall and the Future
Currently on the schedule for Sound Conservatory's fall concert series:
September 14: George Gershwin Birthday Celebration, featuring Corey Kendrick Trio, pianist Alex Gilson, and Kozlowski performing a piano-only version of “Rhapsody in Blue.”
October 2: Pianist Haley Myles performing Beethoven and Chopin.
October 4: Pianist Matthieu Bergheau performing Rachmaninoff and Scriabin.
November 10: The Atlys string quartet, featuring Quad City Symphony violinist Sabrina Tabby
November 16: St. Ambrose University professor and baritone Nathan Windt and friends singing Schubert lieder.
December 1: The Laurence Hobgood Trio performing Christmas music.
On August 24, performing as Trio Animato, the Juilliard-trained Kozlowski played with clarinetist Rob Miller and bassoonist Kian Hyatt in an all-Mendelssohn program that included arrangements of some “Songs Without Words.” The trio is planning to do a Piazzolla tango concert in 2025, and Kozlowski is hoping to have the first half of next year scheduled by October. He wants to add more variety to the styles of music showcased at the Sound Conservatory, and plans to have some famous international acts. He’s working on booking more performances and events (beyond music) for the new space, including magic, as well as more comedy.
“We're also going to be rolling out a new, monthly open-mic night in the performance space,” Kozlowski said, with the events planned for Fridays, and usually last Friday of the month. “The idea will be that people can make a donation, and our goal will be to use that money to pay the artists. It’s an opportunity for artists to show off what kind of music they’ve got going on, and for musicians to collaborate with one another.”
Continuing “Keys of Unity”
The “Keys of Unity” program (which began this past spring) is continuing, with donated upright pianos still at Svithiod Club and Lagomarcino’s, as well as Stoney Creek Hotel. The piano that was at Atlas Collective is going back in October, and another is going to the Crepe Corner, next to Le Mekong. A piano painted by Regan Hatfield, meanwhile, is on display at Sound Conservatory alongside other Hatfield artworks, and Kozlowski is partnering with artist Miranda Vavrosky to paint an additional piano.
In January, Kozlowski will hold another Moline High School art contest to paint a donated piano, one that will be put in rotation for the program. This past April, Moline High School senior Shea Gende won $250 in gift cards for creating the winning design in Sound Conservatory’s “Keys of Unity” painted piano project. That piano is at Lago’s, at 1422 Fifth Avenue in Moline.
“We want to make sure we give the art students another source of professional experience,” said Kozlowski. “To be commissioned to do the work.”
Sound Conservatory encourages anyone to play the public pianos, and each month, people who submit videos of themselves playing one (posting on social media at #KeysOfUnity) are eligible to win a $50 gift card, purchased by Sound Conservatory, for wherever that video was posted from. Beyond helping to promote live music and downtown Moline business, “The whole idea,” said Kozlowski, “is to give people access to play a piano.”
For more information on the Sound Conservatory (504 17th Street, Moline IL) and its fall concert series, visit SoundConservatory.com.
