Saturday February 11, 2012 - 2:00 PM

Iowa Public Television

Maytag Auditorium in Johnston, Iowa

(Terrace Hill - Des Moines, Iowa) First Lady of Iowa, Chris Branstad, will present the 2014 Terrace Hill Endowment for Musical Arts Piano Competition (THEMA) Scholarship Awards at the conclusion of the final piano competition performance Saturday February 8, 2014.

Three high school seniors will compete for $5,500 in scholarships in a live performance at the IPTV Maytag Auditorium in Johnston. The rebroadcast dates of the finals on IPTV will be announced later.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the finals for the Senior Piano Competition that will begin at 2 pm followed by the awards presentation for the winners.

The finals are part of the Terrace Hill Endowment for Musical Arts piano competition for high school seniors. The Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts Piano Competition started as a tribute to musical talent in Iowa with private donations left from the reconditioning of the 1901 Steinway grand piano that adorns the music room in Terrace Hill, The Governor's Residence.

The THEMA Piano Competition has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships by the First Lady of Iowa. High school seniors continuing their piano studies are eligible to use their scholarships at an Iowa college or university.

2014 THEMA SCHEDULE

Friday, February 7^th

7:00 -9:00 p.m. THEMA Junior competition

IPTV Studios in Johnston

8:00 p.m. Master Class Award Winners

Saturday, February 8^th

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Final Senior THEMA competition in Maytag Auditorium (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)

3:15 p.m. Award presentation by First Lady Chris Branstad

3:30 p.m. Reception in front lobby

For more information about the THEMA Piano Competition and the Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts contact Diane Becker at 515-242-6317 or diane@terracehillsocietyfoundation.org

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(Rock Island, IL:) DVDs have long been available at most local libraries, but now there's a new way to get movies from the Rock Island Public Library. The library has added access to streaming movies and television content via the Freegal Movies and Television Service. Freegal is a service of the Library Ideas network of websites for public libraries.

The Freegal Movies and Television Service joins Rock Island Library's already popular Freegal Music service, added last summer. As a new feature, Freegal Music now allows users to stream up to three hours of music a day without downloading. Users can create a playlist on the website or the free app. Music videos are also available.

Rock Island Library Reference and Adult Services director Natalie Struecker notes that library patrons enthusiastically responded to Freegal Music when the library introduced it last May. "We see anywhere from 300 to 500 song downloads in an average month,' she said. "We think Freegal Movies will also be incredibly popular. We are very excited to offer a service like this that delivers great content, compatibility with lots of devices and simplicity of use," she said.

The Freegal Movies and Television Service will allow Rock Island Public Library to offer library patrons access to thousands of video selections from major content suppliers from the convenience of their personal computer or portable device."Freegal Music and Freegal Movies are just two of the ways we're meeting the needs of the digital age," she added.

Under the terms of the agreement with Library Ideas, Rock Island Library cardholders can stream three videos per week from the Freegal Movies and Television Service at no direct cost via www.rockislandlibrary.org. The library will underwrite the use of the content. Popular selections at launch include "The Dish" and "Local Hero" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; and "Beyonce?I Am....World Tour" from Sony Music Entertainment.

"We are very pleased to partner with libraries to offer great online video content," said Brian Downing, CEO of Library Ideas. "Libraries continue to lead the way in bringing the arts and entertainment to their communities."

The Freegal Movies and Television site streams content, meaning it is viewed through an Internet browser or via the Freegal Movies app, versus being downloaded.  Patrons can stream three movies or TV shows per week.  Each movie or TV episode may be watched as many times as desired for two days. After two days, the movie or TV show is no longer available to view. To log on to the Freegal Movies and Television Service, patrons will need their library card and PIN.

Content on the site is subject to change. Individual titles may disappear for a time or be replaced entirely with new content. The Freegal Movies site suggests users check back often for new content.

30 libraries have signed up for the Freegal Movies and Television Service, including the Orange County Library System (FL), The Kent District Public Library (MI), The Mid-Continent Public Library System (MO), The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (OH) and The Salt Lake County Public Library System (UT).

The Freegal Movies and Television Service ofers free mobile apps for registered cardholders of subscribing libraries. The Freegal Movies and Television apps are available in the Apple® App Store and Google Play®.

For more library news, services and events, visit the Rock Island Library's online branch at  www.rockislandlibrary.org, follow Rock Island Library on Facebook or call 309-732-7323 (7323.)

Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.

About Library Ideas: Library Ideas is a global leader in providing digital content to all kinds of libraries, and is located in Vienna, Virginia. The Company offers online music, movie, eBook and language learning solutions to libraries as part of its developing product suite. Library Ideas was named "One of the Top 100 Companies in the Digital Content Industry for 2011-12" by EContent Magazine. For further information please email info@libraryideas.com or briand@libraryideas.com.

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John Primer, backed by his incredible Chicago based band, will be delivering real blues at The Muddy Waters, 1708 State Street, Bettendorf, Iowa on Friday, January 31, 2014. The show starts at 9:00 p.m., and admission is $10 per person, or $5 if you are a Mississippi Valley Blues Society Member.

John Primer is one of the driving forces in helping to keep alive the more traditional Chicago blues sound. Born in 1945 in Camden Mississippi John moved to Chicago in the early 60's landed a gig playing lead guitar with the likes of Junior Wells, Louis Myers, Jimmy Johnson, Lonnie Brooks, Paul Butterfield, Johnny Winter, Bonnie Raitt and many others. From there he joined Willie Dixon's band, The Chicago Blues All Stars in 1979.

Six months later he was asked to join Muddy Water's band after being referred by Mojo Buford. This turned out to be Muddy's last band (with Lovie Lee on piano) and it was a shock to Primer when Muddy died. Primer said, "Muddy was a great guy and I was ready to play with him as long as he wanted me to."

After this turn in Primer's life road, John joined forces with West Side bluesman Magic Slim, and together they heated up stages all over the world for over 13 years. Primer really enjoyed all those years saying, "We were like a family, like brothers." Finally, in 1996 with the encouragement of Maurice Holt, John set out on his own and in 2008 he produced with his own label Blues House Production and recorded a CD where one could find his entire musical career "Call Me John Primer".

This show is being presented by The Muddy Waters, and in support of keeping the blues alive, there will be an admission discount given to all Mississippi Valley Blues Society members. For more information check the website for The Muddy Waters at: www.themuddywaters.com; or email: info@muddys.info.

The video of a blonde 5-year-old exuberantly singing "Santa was his name-O!" during a kindergarten holiday concert while simultaneously translating in American Sign Language captured hearts around the world.

It made headlines and news broadcasts from the New York Daily News and the United Kingdom's Daily Mail to ABC News and network affiliates coast to coast.

Claire Koch's mother, Lori Koch, says she posted the video on YouTube because she thought it was "share worthy." Claire, who is not hearing impaired, has grown up with sign language because her mom and dad, Tom, are deaf. Still, her parents were surprised to see her signing every song for them.

"We don't use Claire to interpret for us - she did it because that's how she communicates with us," says Koch. "Fortunately, the days of parents having to rely on their children to interpret are gone. There's so much great technology available now for the deaf."

Koch works at Stratus Video/ZVRS, www.stratusvideo.com, the video relay services provider for the deaf and hard-of-hearing that's developing a lot of that technology.

"Video relay service allows people to make phone calls without relying on friends and family. Video Remote Interpretation opens up whole new worlds of communication possibilities."

So, how did little Claire's video go viral? Lori deconstructs the evolution:

• She uploaded her video to YouTube because it seemed "share worthy." Music videos are by far the most popular on YouTube - "Gangnam Style" by PSY is the all-time No. 1 most-viewed; Justin Bieber's "Baby" is No. 2. Humor does well, as do videos with incredibly unusual content. Super cute kids and animals can also attract attention. Lori's video combines almost all of those elements: The kids are singing holiday songs; little Claire hams it up with a humorous performance; and she's adorable. Seeing such a young child who is not deaf signing away so expertly may also qualify as incredibly unusual.

• A major world news event involving sign language broke. "The story about the fake fiasco at Nelson Mandela's funeral came up," Koch says, referring to the deaf "interpreter" who signed gibberish as he stood alongside global leaders. "That gave me the opportunity to get attention for my story. ... Claire's video put a positive highlight on a bad experience.

• Using the funeral interpreter as a news hook, Lori shared her video with influential people via social media. "I sent the video to some famous people, like Piers Morgan, and news outlets, via Twitter," she says.  That significantly ramped up her exposure, which included a retweet by Academy Award-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who commented, "This is too cute. Can you spot the child who has deaf parents?"

Lori says Claire was a bit overwhelmed by her 15 minutes-plus of fame, but enjoyed it.

"At school, some fifth-graders came up to her and introduced themselves by finger-spelling their names in sign language," Lori says. "She was really inspired by that."

As for her daughter's potential future as an interpreter for the deaf, Lori says, "I'd rather see her on the stage.

"She can be whatever she wants to be."

About Lori Koch and Stratus Video/ZVRS

Lori Koch is a business analyst for Stratus Video/ZVRS, which provide On-Demand Interpreting and video phone service for the deaf. The Z was the first to offer 24/7 availability and is utilized in government agencies and businesses across the country, including the Social Security Administration, Boeing Corp. and Wal-Mart.  More than two-thirds of Stratus Video's non interpreters are deaf or hard of hearing, all of its 250-plus contractors across the country are deaf, as are three of its eight company vice presidents.