(Des Moines, IA) - Modern American Cinema announces its latest full-length feature Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer will be screening at Bucktown Center of the Arts on Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 6PM.

The documentary chronicles the life, art and creative process of Des Moines visual artist and musician Brent Houzenga, who is known for his "do-it-yourself vintage punk" mixed media work.

"When I was first introduced to Brent's art, I was blown away by his mixture of Americana and chaos," Day said. "As I got to know him through the making of Hybrid Pioneer, I realized he was living the dream as a full-time artist - no day job, couch surfing, suffering for his art. Many people would scoff at this kind of ruthless dedication, so I became determined to make a film about a guy from Iowa who had put his career of creativity above everything else."

Originally from Fulton, IL, Houzenga studied printmaking and graphic design at Western Illinois University before moving to Des Moines in 2006. Houzenga's art has been featured in numerous group and solo shows on both the local and national levels, including the December 2009 Art Basel Miami Beach (Miami Beach, Fla.) and March 2010 "G40 - The Summit" (Crystal City, Va.) exhibitions.

Hybrid Pioneer is the first film in Modern American Cinema's "Made in Iowa" documentary series. The ongoing series tells the stories of the innovative people, places and ideas that have influenced Iowa's culture.

Modern American Cinema is an independent film production company based in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 2010, the company specializes in creating full-feature narratives and educational documentaries for international distribution.

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/08/2011)(readMedia)-- The Augustana College Symphonic Band will travel to Italy to perform four concerts in mid-February. The nine-day tour includes stops in Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome, in addition to other cities. The concerts will feature both American and Italian music and will be performed for a variety of audiences, ranging from townspeople to college students. This is the first time the Symphonic Band has traveled to Italy to perform.

Grace Drenth is a sophomore from Davenport, IA majoring in psychology.

Luther Hughes is a first year from Silvis, IL majoring in liberal studies.

Gaetano Iaccarino is a junior from Davenport, IA majoring in music general and anthropology.

Audrey Taylor is a senior from Moline, IL majoring in teaching biology.

Anne VanSpeybroeck is a sophomore from Rock Island, IL majoring in liberal studies.

Jennifer Youngs is a junior from Taylor Ridge, IL majoring in psychology.

"We hope that through this cultural sharing of our common love of music that our students will be able to interact and touch the lives of Italians," said Dr. James Lambrecht, director of the Symphonic Band. "This kind of experience enables our students to learn firsthand about Italy, its people, culture,and history-one of the richest in Western Civilization."

The Augustana Symphonic Band will play in a variety of venues; one that is particularly interesting will be the concert in Lucca, a city enclosed by walls in the Tuscany region. The 80-member band will perform at the Auditorium San Romano in Lucca, which used to be the main church home of Napoleon's sister. The elevated box where she attended mass is still standing. Lucca also is the birthplace of the famous Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. In honor of their host city's history, the band members will perform an arrangement of melodies taken from Giacomo Puccini's final opera, Turandot. This will include the most famous aria"Nessun Dorma," most notably performed by the world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

The Symphonic Band will wrap up its tour with a home concert in Centennial Hall at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 12. Admission is free.

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/07/2011)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Concert Band will give their final concert of the year on Saturday, February 12, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Under the direction of Dr. Frederick Jaeschke, the band will perform four lively pieces that were chosen by the students. The concert is free and open to the public.

Jaeschke, associate professor of music and music education coordinator, explains how the students select the music for the concert. "The members of the band listen and rehearse various pieces, and then vote for their favorites," he said. "This selection system makes the concert enjoyable for the students and the audience."

The concert will feature "The Willows of Winter" by B.J. Brooks, "For All the Wyle Eternal" by Ralph Ford, "Silverado" by Bruce Broughton, and "Chorale and Shaker Dance" by John Zdechlik. The four pieces are very different from each other. Broughton's "Silverado" was composed as the soundtrack for a western adventure story and is marked by an enjoyable melody and fun syncopated rhythms. "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is one of today's most widely-recognized pieces of band literature and is based on the well-known Shaker tune, Simple Gifts.

Marcus Julian, a sophomore oboist from Itasca, Ill., says that "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is his favorite piece in their concert because of the song's catchy, memorable melody. "I enjoy concert band because it gives me exposure to so many different types of music," he said."I think the audience will really like the different styles and genres."

Students performing in the concert from your area include :

Sheila Ahuja from Rock Island, Ill.. Ahuja is a first year majoring in general studies.

Hannah Barney from Bettendorf, Iowa. Barney is a sophomore majoring in business administration.

Greg Donley from Silvis, Ill.. Donley is a first year majoring in general studies.

Darshan Hullon from Moline, Ill.. Hullon is a first year majoring in general studies.

Eryn Maccabee from East Moline, Ill.. Maccabee is a first year majoring in general studies.

Elizabeth Mayer from Dixon, Ill.. Mayer is a first year majoring in general studies.

Halley Stearns from Sherrard, Ill.. Stearns is a sophomore majoring in communication studies.

The Augustana Concert Band includes students from a wide variety of majors and music backgrounds. "The the vast majority of students in concert band are not music majors," Jaeschke said. "For many of the students, playing an instrument has been a big part of their life, and they simply enjoy playing in the band."

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.

ROCK ISLAND, IL (01/28/2011)(readMedia)-- From Feb. 18-25 the Augustana Choir will perform a variety of choral music in eight concerts throughout Illinois and northern Missouri. They will end with a ninth "home" concert on March 11 in Davenport, Iowa, for the Quad-City community.

The choir will begin its Homeland Tour in Galesburg, Ill., and then travel to Springfield, Ill.; Chesterfield, Mo.; Decatur, Ill.; Bloomington, Ill.; Naperville, Ill.; St. Charles, Ill.; Rockford, Ill.; and Davenport, Iowa.

Augustana Choir members from your area include :

Kaleigh Wall from Eldridge, Iowa, a sophomore at Augustana majoring in music.

Kjerstin Hurty from Moline, Ill., a sophomore at Augustana majoring in business and music.

Martha Ade from Moline, Ill., a junior at Augustana majoring in music and English.

Lauren Reid from Sherrard, Ill., a junior at Augustana majoring in business and communications.

Anita Cook from Davenport, Ill., a senior at Augustana majoring in studio art.

Calvin Vo from Moline, Ill., a sophomore at Augustana majoring in English and theatre.

Ricky Rector from Davenport, Iowa, a sophomore at Augustana majoring in communication sciences and disorders.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Augustana College, the Homeland Tour takes the choir along the Mississippi and across the state of Illinois to recognize the college's relationship with its geographic home. Featured American composers are Eric William Barnum, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, Stephen Paulus and Robert H. Young. The program also includes works by renowned 20th century international composers Damijan Mocnik, Krzysztof Penderecki and Carl Orff. This rich, eclectic program incorporates works that elicit the idea of community and home.

In addition, the tour program reflects some of the recent performance invitations the choir has received. Selections from Orff's Carmina Burana appear on the program because the Augustana Choir, under Dr. Jon Hurty's direction, has been asked to perform the work at New York's Carnegie Hall this May. Spirituals by composer/arranger Stacey Gibbs close the program. Gibbs asked the choir to record the selections on an upcoming CD of his works.

Hurty feels that tours offer "an opportunity to share the choral program and the talents of our students with an even broader community." Founded in 1931, the Augustana Choir, which tours both domestically and internationally, has performed in some of the world's most treasured places from New York's Alice Tully Hall to the grand Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden and the Great Wall of China.

Touring often is a highlight of a student's college experience. "Tour has been my favorite part of my four years at college," said senior Ryan Shershen. "It takes the cake over classes, parties, other organizations, etc. I have loved the traveling that we have done from Sweden to our nation's capitol. We sound great at every concert, and the best part is that we improve so much as a choir over tour...it is amazing to hear the difference between the home concert after tour and the fall concert at the beginning of the year."

The dates and locations for the Augustana Choir tour are as follows:

Feb. 18-First Lutheran Church, Galesburg, Ill.

Feb. 19-St. John's Lutheran Church, Springfield, Ill.

Feb. 20-Trinity Lutheran Church, Chesterfield, Mo.

Feb. 21-Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Decatur, Ill.

Feb. 22-St. John's Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Ill.

Feb. 23-Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Naperville, Ill.

Feb. 24-Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Charles, Ill.

Feb. 25-First Lutheran Church, Rockford, Ill.

March 11-St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa

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.