QUAD CITY ARTS PRESENTS:

WHAT:   Poetry Out Loud Regional Recitation Contest
WHEN:   February, 18th at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Quad City Arts, 719 11th Avenue, Rock Island, IL
WHO:    High School Students from Thurgood Marshall, United Township, and Orion
JUDGES: First Quad City Poet Laureate- Dick Stahl, Teacher, Actor, Poetry Slam Champion- John Turner, Writer, Poet, Editor- Jane Van Vooren Rodgers, Retired Business Women- Judith Moens

Quad City Arts announces a regional contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. On Friday, February 18th, students from Orion High School, Thurgood Marshall, and United Township will participate in the Poetry Out Loud regional contest at Quad City Arts. Attendance at this event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.

The winner of this competition will advance to Illinois' State Poetry Out Loud Competition, being held Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield.  The State champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 28-29, 2011 in Washington, DC, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.  Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is honored to provide travel support for regional and state finals of Poetry Out Loud in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information, call Tracy White 563-579-7633.

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.

"Emotional story-telling lyrics, charismatic stage presence, and hilarious anecdotes." - June Wulff, The Boston Globe

David Berkeley released his new album Some Kind of Cure this week and everywhere you look, the media is singing his praises.  WXPN featured a track online before his on-air performance on Wednesday, and Spinner and AOL are currently hosting FULL CD LISTENING PARTIES of the album.  David also performed "George Square" on NBC's "The 10! Show" in Philly yesterday.

While living in a 35-person village in the mountains of Corsica, David Berkeley wrote the most haunting and powerful music of his life.  Upon returning to the U.S., he began recording a collection of these songs and the resulting work is Some Kind of Cure.
Along with his album, Berkeley has written an accompanying book of short stories entitled 140 Goats and a Guitar, the Stories behind Some Kind of Cure. The book tells the stories of how each song was written while adapting to his surroundings, missing home, and trying to survive, all with his wife and 2 year old child.  They're both heartfelt and humorous, not unlike David's performances.  More info on the book can be found at http://www.davidberkeley.com/book.
David will be in DAVENPORT, IA on SUN, FEB 20th at BORDERS at 3pm for a FREE reading, performance and signing.

"There's a quiet beauty in David Berkeley's voice that carries a strength with it. He's a storyteller. He's a heart breaker.
He's at once a gusting tornado and an elegant whisper."
- SF Chronicle

"You could call what David Berkeley does folk-pop, but it's really a kind of musical alchemy - a profound sensibility that's somehow radio-ready.
He plays finely crafted songs off his sensational new album Some Kind of Cure."
- Philadelphia Inquirer

"David Berkeley's new album is some kind of wonderful for fans of the written and recited word.
- Driftwood Magazine

DAVID BERKELEY @ BORDERS
4000 East 53rd St
Davenport, IA
563-359-7830
http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_292
ALL AGES - FREE

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.

The Quad City Symphony Orchstra is proud to announce the addition of three new principal musicians to its permanent roster. Benjemin Coelho has been named Principal Bassoon, Andrew Parker has been named Principal Oboe, and Marc Zyla has been named Principal Horn.

Coehlo is professor of bassoon at the University of Iowa and has appeared as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, teacher, and clinician throughout the US and in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Portugal, France, Romania, Australia, Canada, and the Czech Republic. He has performed with the Gramado Woodwind Quintet, the Alaria Chamber Ensemble, and the Contemporary Music Group of Minas Gerais and is a founding member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet.

Parker has been recently appointed Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa. After receiving his Bachelor's degree at the Eastman School of Music and Master's degree at Yale University, he finished doctoral studies at the University of Michigan where he was the Graduate Student Instructor. In his time at the University of Michigan, Andrew was a finalist in the concerto competition and was asked to represent the university by performing at the illustrious Conservatory Project, a recital series at the Kennedy Center. He also had the opportunity to collaborate with many of the faculty including Nancy Ambrose King, Jeffrey Lyman, Donald Sinta, and Amy Porter among others.

Zyla is a member of the Univeristy of Illinois Brass Studio and a doctoral teaching assistant in horn. Marc was the horn soloist with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra on the world premier of Kaoru Wada's Toone for Horn and Wind Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Marc has performed with Las Cornistas Horn Ensemble, the Illinois Brass Quintet, the Pittsburgh Brass Project, and the Looking Glass Wind Quintet at the Banff Chamber Music Festival.

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Tate Music Group Artist The Westbrook Singers Performing at Tribute to the African American Family Event

WHEN: 2-5-11

TIME: 7 - 10 p.m.

WHERE: Vickie Anne Palmer Hall at Palmer College, Davenport, IA 52803

WHAT: The Westbrook Singers will be performing songs from their Gospel album, The Westbrook Singers LIVE.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

For more information, contact Kortney Shepherd at 888-361-9473 or kortney@tatepublishing.com

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Davenport, IA - The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society has elected officers to lead the 40 year old organization during 2011.

Mike Boyler, President

Jim Petersen, Vice President

Muriel Voss, Treasurer

Leo Schubert, Secretary

Plans for the 40th Annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, August 4 -August 7, 2011, are well in place for the most exciting weekend in the Festival's history.

In addition to concerts in Davenport's riverfront LeClaire Park , the best of traditional jazz will be heard in three other venues; the historic Hotel Blackhawk, the Col Ballroom, and the River Music Experience.

"We are bringing Bix home to downtown Davenport", is how one Board member characterized the 40th Festival.

xxx

Date: Saturday, Feb. 5th, 2011-7:30 pm

Location: Moline High School Auditorium

Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 at the door

Proceeds to benefit the music dept. at Moline HS

Starring: The Liverpool Legends,  Beatles Tribute Band

Meet Louise Harrison!

 

The Beatles took America by storm when they were barely out of high school. Now Moline High School music students can benefit, thanks to The Beatles Tribute Band, The Liverpool Legends and their spectacular multimedia extravaganza, "Come Together For Music Education".

On Saturday, Feb. 5th at 7:30 pm, George Harrison's sister Louise brings this live, Broadway styled stage production to the Moline High School Auditorium to benefit the Maroon's music students. Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet Louise Harrison and the band!

In a new, special feature, students of the Moline High School music department will perform onstage with the Liverpool Legends, backing them vocally and instrumentally on "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Sgt. Pepper", "Hey Jude", "Yesterday", Hello Goodbye", "Something" and more.

The Liverpool Legends are 4 talented musicians and actors handpicked by Louise Harrison making them the only Beatles Tribute Band in the world with a direct, biological link to the original Fab Four. "The Liverpool Legends present the very best portrayal of The Beatles" says Louise.

Headlining their own production in Branson, Mo. since 2006, Liverpool Legends have been voted Best New Show, Best Band, Best Show and the prestigious Branson Visitor's Choice Award. The Liverpool Legends perform songs spanning the entire career of The Beatles and on through the solo years. With precise attention to every musical detail, along with costume changes, vintage instruments, big screen documentary footage narrated by Louise and special effects, Liverpool Legends will make you feel like you are watching the real thing! Together, these four lads will bring "A Complete Beatles Experience."

In this era of state budget cuts, school music programs are struggling to survive.  George Harrison did one Public Service Announcement in his life and it promoted the creative and financial well being of music and performing arts programs within our nation's schools.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Call 309-743-8833 for tickets.

KNOXVILLE, IOWA (January 11, 2011) -  The thirteenth annual International Reel Wheel Film Festival, celebrating the automobile and auto racing in film, will move to April 22-24 in 2011, and will feature three new documentaries, Sean Buckley's "Follow The Corn" about Indiana non-winged sprint car racing, Randy Anderson's "Stateline S peedway, The First Ten Years" about the Busti, New York, dirt track, and Bob Leff's "Touched by an Angell: The Story of Angell Park Speedway" in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.  Also being screened in the theater on the second floor of the host National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum over the three days are "Red Dirt Rising", "Racing Dreams" and "Short Track".  Knoxville Raceway's 2011 practice night for winged 305-, 360- and 410-cubic-inch sprint cars is scheduled for Saturday evening, April 23.  "Racing Dreams" won the "Best Documentary" film honors at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.
According to museum curator Tom Schmeh, "For the past several years, we've held the film festival during the Knoxville Nationals .  But, last year's Friday night rain out of racing forced us to cancel our film festival in the fan fair, which was very disappointing.  Thus, we've decided to move the thirteenth annual film fest to Knoxville Raceway's practice night weekend, making it a great kick-off to the 2011 racing season here.  In fact, we also have scheduled our Sprint Car 101 Third Thursday Series program for Thursday, April 21, and it will be a 'Salute to Gil Sonner'.  We think we have an all-star line-up for those four days and nights!"
The International Reel Wheel Film Festival event schedule is as follows:
Friday, April 22
7 p.m. - "Stateline Speedway: First Ten Years, 1956-65" documentary (2010)
by Randy Anderson
-  The first ten years of Stateline Speedway in Busti, New York (90 minutes)
8:30 p.m. - "Follow the Corn" documentary (2010) by Sean Buckley
-  Inside the world of Indiana sprint car racing (66 minutes)
Saturday, April 23
10 a.m. - "Short Track" film (2008) by Marie Hopkins
-  Life experiences of five-time stock car racing champion (100 minutes)
11:30 a.m. - "Racing Dreams" documentary (2009) by Marshall Curry and Bristol Baughan
-  The lives of three young aspiring World Karting Association racers (96 min.)
1:30 p.m. - "Red Dirt Rising" film (2010) by James Suttles and Kathleen Bobak
-  Based on a true story of three stock car racers in the 1940's (90 minutes)
3 p.m. - "Touched by an Angell:  The Story of Angell Park" documentary (2010) by Bob Leff
-  The story of Wisconsin's Angell Park and its history of midget car racing (104 minutes)
Sunday, April 24
12 Noon - "Touched by an Angell:  The Story of Angell Park" documentary (2010) by Bob Leff  ** encore presentation **
-  The story of Wisconsin's Angell Park and its history of midget car racing (104 minutes)
2 p.m. - "Follow the Corn" documentary (2010) by Sean Buckley  ** encore presentation **
-  Inside the world of Indiana sprint car racing (66 minutes)
3:30 p.m. - "Stateline Speedway: First Ten Years, 1956-65" documentary (2010) by Randy Anderson  ** encore presentation *
-& nbsp; The first ten years of Stateline Speedway in Busti, New York (90 minutes)

The "Salute to Gil Sonner" will be held on Thursday, April 21, from 7 until 9 p.m. on the second floor of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum.  The free and open-to-the-public program about the career of the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame inductee from Des Moines will be both educational and entertaining.  Practice Night at Knoxville Raceway will be held on Saturday, April 23, from 7 until 10 p.m., with free admission in the grandstands.  Those individuals interested in the thirteenth annual International Reel Wheel Film Festival on April 22-24, 2011, are encouraged to visit the museum's web site at www.sprintcarhof.com

The call for movie makers, professional and amateur, is now open for submissions to the 5th annual Iowa Independent Film Festival in Clear Lake. There will be five categories for recently completed productions that must be entered for review by May 31st: full-length feature, full-length documentary, documentary short, short subjects (art films/music videos/experimental), and student projects.
The selectees will receive multiple screenings on July 15-16-17th in the Clear Lake Arts Center and other venues.
The festival is considered the social event of the summer at the lakeside setting. It's topped off with an awards banquet with winning trophies for the submitted movies, including additional category recognitions such as 'Best Actor' and 'Best Director'.
Regional movie makers will get to network with producers, directors, actors and screenwriters from both coasts. Other participant perks include entertainment, food, beverages and the saturday night boat cruise on the Lady of the Lake.
A hi-light of the festival will be the seminars and speaking sessions, such as with feature film casting directors and documentary producers.
Iowa's celebrity connected film fest was founded by Tanna Frederick, originally of Mason City, who has had starring roles in four Hollywood produced movies - most wr itten and directed by film icon Henry Jaglom. She and a variety of Hollywood professionals will be on hand for the 2011 screenings.
For information on submitting a production or getting tickets to the 2011 Iowa Independent Film Festival see www.iowaindie.org. Other details can be obtained via info@iowaindie.org.

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