2^nd annual Peace Concert in Clinton on Sunday, October 30th

Gratitude, source of peace, is the theme for this year's ecumenical Peace Concert at Zion Lutheran Church, 439-3^rd Ave. So., Clinton, on Sunday afternoon, October 30, beginning at 3 pm.

"As we approach the Thanksgiving season, we pause to give thanks for all that is and we receive peace in return," said Clinton Franciscan Sister Mary Smith, co-chair of the annual concert  sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis and Zion Lutheran Church. The concert is free and open to the public.

Ruth Blom, Associate in Ministry for Word and Service at Zion and co-chair of the Peace Concert, announced that six area congregations will be participating in this year's concert which will feature voice and bell choirs from three different churches.

Participating choirs include Zion Lutheran, St. Paul Lutheran and Faith Lutheran of Andover in addition to singers from Prince of Peace Catholic, Unity Center and the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton.

A special feature of the 2^nd annual concert will be a solo organ performance by David Gaulrapp, organist at First United Presbyterian church, Clinton, and retired Coordinator of Instrumental and Vocal Music for the Clinton, Iowa Public Schools and Director of Bands for Clinton Senior High School.  He has also played organ recitals in Innsbruck and Vienna, Austria as well as in many area churches.

The massed choir will be directed by Dr. Michael Zemek, Assistant Professor of choral music education at Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., where he conducts the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble and Ascension Singers, teaches music methods and conducting courses, supervises music education students, and advises the collegiate MENC and ACDA chapters. He came to Augustana after eight years of teaching choral music in Minnesota and Iowa. In addition to his responsibilities at Augustana, Dr. Zemek conducts the high school Youth Choir at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa.

Dr. Zemek received the Doctor of Education degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal, Instrumental, and Classroom Music Education, summa cum laude, from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota.

The massed choir will be featured singing "Jubilate Deo," "Peace I Give to You" and "The Lord is Beautiful."  The concert will also involve the audience in singing "This Is My Song," "Come, All You People" and "Beautiful Savior."

Promoting peace through music is not new. Song has been part of the history of change in human society from earliest time.

"Music has been part of the everyday life and struggle of people worldwide," said Janice Cebula OSF, president of the Clinton Franciscans. "It is a form of power that knows no boundaries. It has motivated individuals and nations to work together for change, freedom, equality. Music and song are often the first signs of growing community support in response to repression. And it is nonviolent."

"The unity generated by our community concert is a prime reason for our effort in presenting the annual concert," said Rev. Jennifer Henry, pastor of Zion Lutheran.

The sponsors chose October 30th for the concert because it is falls just after the international celebration of the "Spirit of Assisi" and at the beginning of the national celebration of Thanksgiving.

The "Spirit of Assisi" was the expression coined by the late Pope John Paul II to describe the October 27, 1986, gathering of leaders of all the world's religions in Assisi, Italy, home of St. Francis and St. Clare, which he convened.  According to observers, it served to unify those diverse leaders, calling all to community: a hallmark of the teaching of the 13^th century Saint Francis known also for his love of music.

"Francis was not only a preacher, he was a poet," noted Cebula. "He wrote not only prayers that were poems, some of the first to be written in the vernacular Italian, but he composed melodies to go with them. "One of his most famous compositions is 'The Canticle of Creation.'  He recognized the power of music, poetry and drama to teach and inspire and his message was always peace. He is referred to as 'The Troubadour of God.'"

"The goal of the concert is to inspire, connect, and promote peace in the world through gratitude and music," explained Ruth Blom.  "Together we can make a difference! We are delighted that so many choirs and individual singers are planning to take part in this celebration of peace through music."

Besides Blom, Pastor Henry and Sister Smith, the event planning committee includes Clinton Franciscan Sisters Marilyn Shea and Hilary Mullany and Sallyann McCarthy and Laura Anderson, co-coordinators of the Clinton Franciscan Center for Active Nonviolence and Peacemaking.

For details, call Sisters of St. Francis, 563-242-7611 or visit www.clintonfranciscans.com.    ###

Quad City Arts is proud to announce the participation of Moline native, John Getz in their prestigious Cary Grant Residency program. The residency was established in 1986 when Cary Grant died while in Davenport for the inaugural Festival of Trees. The purpose of this residency is to encourage the growth of the theatrical arts in the Quad Cities through the presentation of artists whose careers in acting, or the professional development of actors, parallel the level of commitment to the theatrical arts as exemplified by Mr. Grant.

Previous participants in the Cary Grant Artists-in-Residence include :

Joan Benny

Colleen Dewhurst

Lawrence Luckenbill

Robert Cohen

Robert Falls

Seattle Mime Theatre

Guy Davis

Anna Deavere Smith

Edward Albee

B.D. Wong

John Getz is a stage-trained actor who studied at the University of Iowa and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco after growing up in Moline, IL and graduating from Moline High School. Recently, he portrayed "Sy", the attorney to Mark Zuckerburg's character in the academy award winning Social Network movie. He starred on Broadway in M. Butterfly and They're Playing Our Song, and had leading roles in the Coen brothers' Blood Simple which lead to feature film roles in The Fly, The Fly II, Born on the Fourth of July, Curly Sue, A Day Without A Mexican among others; he is also remembered for his series regular roles on "MacGruder" and "Loud".

In addition to his educational work in the schools, John will have a narrative role during the Holiday Pops concert, November 19, 2011, 7:30 at the iwireless; tickets go on sale October 15, 2011. Tickets are available by calling the Symphony Office, 563-322-0931.

The Augustana Symphony Orchestra is a full-size orchestra of approximately 75 members.

From your area this includes:

Anne VanSpeybroek, a Junior from Rock Island, Ill., majoring in Music Performance- Instrumental.

Ashley Finley, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Music Education Instrumental.

Nick Kendell, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Lindsey Sikorski, a First Year from East Moline, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

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

Abigail Jones, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Biology/Environmental Studies.

Peter Wiese, a Junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Neuroscience/Mathematics.

Student-musician Tim Christiansen, a senior from Park Ridge, Ill., enjoys the orchestral part. "Rachmaninoff was infatuated with and mesmerized by orchestral textures-varying interactions between the orchestra and soloist. Sometimes they agree, disagree and dance with one another," said Christiansen.

Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto is one of his enduringly popular works and helped him gain fame as a concerto composer. This work was well received from its first performance and served as a sign that Rachmaninoff was no longer suffering from depression that had lasted several years.

Joseph Haydn composed 104 symphonies, the "London Symphony" being his last, and became known as the "Father of the Symphony" for his contribution to the development of this particular musical form.

Dr. Culver finds this Haydn symphony progressive for its time. "It is a transparent symphony-it requires great concentration and the full orchestra to be attentive to details," Culver said.

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 more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

PELLA, IA (10/10/2011)(readMedia)-- The following students are participating in music ensembles at Central College:

Megan Querry, native of Bettendorf, Iowa, in Community Chorus, directed by Mark Babcock

Justine Jackovich, native of Eldridge, Iowa, in Symphonic Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. Mitchell Lutch

Hannah Seibel, native of Eldridge, Iowa, in Vocal Jazz Combos, directed by Gabriel Espinosa

Ellen Korn, native of Davenport, Iowa, in Community Chorus, directed by Mark Babcock

Steven Gordon, native of Davenport, Iowa, in Community Chorus and A Cappella Choir, directed by Mark Babcock

Central College offers 18 music ensembles, ranging from the 60-voice A Cappella Choir to the Flying Pans Steel Pan Band. The music ensembles are open to music majors and non-majors alike, and several tour annually.

Central College is a private, four-year, residential, liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa. Central's academic program offers 39 majors leading to a bachelor's degree along with pre-professional programs and advising. Central was recognized in the 2011 U.S.News & World Report's annual rankings of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation.

More information about Central College is available at www.central.edu or by calling 877-462-3687.