In an era when field trips are becoming increasingly rare, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Day can still pull a crowd. On May 13, the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra will entertain and educate 6,000 area fourth and fifth grade students with its 27th annual Symphony Day. This year's concert will feature "Music of the Stars" including Holst's The Planets and the Imperial March from Star Wars. Joining the Youth Orchestra at the Adler will be Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, courtesy of the 501st Legion. These narrated concerts at the Adler Theatre highlight the orchestra through short and varied works, while showing the students the inner workings of the orchestra on a giant overhead video projection. For many youths, this is the first time they have had the opportunity to attend a live symphony concert in a concert hall.

Press is welcome to attend any of the three scheduled performances: 9:15 AM, 11:00 AM and 1 PM. Buses begin arriving a half-hour before each performance, with children streaming through the lobby until the time of the performance. Symphony Day draws from 32 different school districts, 195 public, private and home-study classrooms, all coming from within a 45-mile radius of the Quad Cities.

Symphony Day is sponsored by the Rauch Foundation, Alcoa, Adler Theatre Producers, and Volunteers for Symphony.

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East Moline, Ill. (April 6, 2010) -- The Mississippi Valley Country and Western Music Association (MVCWMA) is turning 50 years old, and members will gather for a meal and jam session on Monday, April 26, at the American Legion post in East Moline to celebrate.

Among some out-of-town members expected to return for the celebration are two Tennessee residents and their families. They are singer, songwriter, actor and former Quad-Cities deejay Jack Barlow and singer, songwriter, record producer and former Quad-Cities country bandleader Bobby Fischer.

"There were 52 charter members," according to Ruth Huddleston, who has been involved with the group since 1968 and is in her fifth year as president. "There are still 13 living." She notes that seven or eight of them will attend on April 26, "which I think is fantastic."

Huddleston, a retired bookkeeper, says Eda Berg and her neighbors, who played guitars and sang folk tunes, organized the MVCWMA in June 1960. Don Wachel, who owned The Col Ballroom in Davenport at the time, initially let them meet there and jam.

The group has met monthly at a variety of places since then, Huddleston says, but has been at the East Moline Legion since 1994. The meetings consist of a meal followed by a jam session.

"That goes until about 10:30 or 11 -- until we run out of musicians," says Huddleston.

The MVCWMA has about 180 members, Huddleston says, ranging in age from about 50-90.

In addition to the monthly gatherings, there's an annual picnic and MVCWMA bands play at community events.

"Right now I have seven active bands that I advertise all the time in our newsletter," says Huddleston. Each band is required to have at least one person who is a member of the MVCWMA.

Because the Legion only holds 200 people, there were few non-member tickets available for the upcoming April 26 anniversary celebration, Huddleston says, and they sold out quickly.

Barlow, a former deejay at what then was WQUA-AM, is one of the charter members of the MVCWMA.

Fischer is a lifetime member, Huddleston says, "because of everything he has done over the years for the club. Particularly when he lived in the area, he was very involved with the club to get it started."

Before moving to Nashville to make a career as a country songwriter, Fischer, who grew up in Wilton, Iowa, worked 17 years at International Harvester in East Moline and entertained with his band, Bobby Fischer and the Tunesharks.

Anyone interested in joining the MVCWMA can call Huddleston at (309) 721-3895 for further information.

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ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/01/2010)(readMedia)-- Augustana's top choir, symphonic band and orchestra will perform in the renowned Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in Chicago on Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Augustana musicians made their first appearance at Orchestra Hall in 1926. This return concert will be in honor of the college's sesquicentennial anniversary. For ticket information, please visit www.cso.org or call (312) 294-3000.

The concert will include David Manslanka's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Augustana Symphonic Band, Béla Bartók's Dance Suite performed by the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst performed by the Augustana Choir.

Student performers from your area include the following:

  • Audrey Taylor from Moline , IL. Taylor plays the horn in the Symphonic Band and is a junior majoring in biology education.
  • Grace Drenth from Davenport , IA. Drenth plays the flute in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in elementary education.
  • Jennifer Youngs from Taylor Ridge , IL. Youngs plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a sophomore majoring in psychology.
  • Katie Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the oboe in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in psychology.
  • Paul Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a senior majoring in political science, history, and secondary education.
  • Lauren Reid from Sherrard , IL. Reid sings Alto I in the Augustana Choir and is a sophomore majoring in business administration.
  • Luke Osborne from Moline , IL. Osborne sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in classics.
  • Michael Kendall from Silvis , IL. Kendall sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in biology and pre-dentistry.
  • Tom Larrison from Davenport , IA. Larrison plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in religion.
  • Kelsey VanDyke from Davenport , IA. VanDyke plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a juinor majoring in music education.
  • Kelli Schledewitz from Davenport , IA. Schledewitz plays the viola in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in English education.
  • Samuel Alvarado from Davenport , IA. Alvarado plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in chemistry.
  • P. J. Wiese from Davenport , IA. Wiese plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a first year majoring in psychology.

All the ensembles are looking forward to the amazing acoustics in Orchestra Hall. "The experience of being in a world-class performance hall is just different," said Dr. Jon Hurty, choir director and co-chair of the music department.

Dr. James Lambrecht, symphonic band director, agrees with Hurty. "The privilege of performing in one of the world's greatest concert halls, steeped with all the history and memories of performances by one of the world's greatest performing ensembles, will leave the students with a 'once in a lifetime' sort of experience," he said.

Orchestra Hall was established in 1904 and is home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "For the orchestra to have an opportunity to play in the hall which is the home of the Chicago Symphony is a rare pleasure," said Dr. Daniel Culver, symphony orchestra director and co-chair of the music department.

Students are also looking forward to performing for their friends and family, many of whom live in the Chicago area. "My family has had season tickets for Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances for as long as I can remember," said Dana Gustafson, a junior French horn player from Des Plaines, Ill. Read Gustafson's blog about the band's preparation at www.augustana.edu/blogs.

A charter coach will make a round trip from Augustana to Orchestra Hall on the day of the concert. Tickets for the coach are $35. For more information or to reserve a spot on the coach, please visit www.augustana.edu/hallbus.

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 nearly 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 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 (04/01/2010)(readMedia)-- A talented collection of student and faculty musicians from Augustana College's music department will lead worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill., on Sunday, April 11 at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. More than 40 students from Augustana, including several from the local area, will share their talents as a part of these worship services.

The Ascension Singers, an audition-based choir directed by Dr. Michael Zemek, will lead the vocal component of the worship music. They will collaborate with a four-person brass ensemble and organist to perform several festive Easter anthems during the services. Zemek sees the choir's trip to Good Shepherd as a valuable opportunity to use their musical gifts in a new, meaningful setting.

"One of the primary goals of Ascension Singers as an ensemble is to provide musical leadership in worship settings. Our trip to Good Shepherd allows us to expand our service beyond the Augustana community, where we regularly sing in chapel services and other events, and to share our musical offerings with a congregation that has many close ties with our college."

Students who will be performing at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church from your area include :

  • Tim Murga, a sophomore from Rock Island, IL who is majoring in biology.
  • Rickey Rector, a first year from Davenport, IA who is majoring in liberal studies.
  • Kjerstin Hurty, a sophomore from Moline, IL who is majoring in liberal studies.
  • Calvin Vo, a first year from Moline, IL who is majoring in liberal studies.
  • Gaetano Iaccarino, a junior from Davenport, IA who is majoring in music performance-instrumental.

The instrumentalists accompanying the Ascension Singers to Good Shepherd will include Larry Peterson, organist and director of music for the Augustana Campus Ministries program; Dr. James Lambrecht, professor of trumpet and director of the Augustana Symphonic Band; and three student brass players from the Symphonic Band. Lambrecht will play alongside the three student musicians-senior Paige Anderson, junior Gaetano Iaccarino and sophomore Kyle Amati-to form a special, one-time brass quartet.

Paige Anderson, a music performance major who frequently plays the trumpet for Augustana's on-campus worship services, is looking forward to playing alongside Lambrecht in the quartet. She says that playing in a small ensemble in a worship setting is a rewarding challenge.

"On the one hand, with a small ensemble size, there's no place to hide! We all have to listen carefully and adjust to each others' tempos and dynamics. If you make a mistake, you risk throwing the whole ensemble out of sync. Still, playing in churches generally offers an intimate, personal experience. The audiences never fail to be warm and welcoming."

Peterson arranged for the choir and brass quartet to play at Good Shepherd through the church's pastor, Gary Olson, who is the father of Augustana senior Robert Olson. The Augustana music ensembles will perform as part of Good Shepherd's traditional worship services.

For more information, contact Kamy Beattie at (309) 794-7721 or kamybeattie@augustana.edu.

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 nearly 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 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.

    Davenport, IA, March 22nd, 2010:

    Village People will be performing at the Capitol Theatre, 330 W. Third Street, in Davenport, Iowa on June 5th, 2010 as the premiere kick-off event for QC Pride Fest 2010. Showtime is 8:00 PM on Saturday, with doors opening at 7:00 PM. The QC Pride Fest street festival will take place the following day, on Sunday, June 6th, 2010 from 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM on 2nd Street in the Rainbow District of downtown Davenport.  The opening act will be The Afrodisiacs, a disco band from Chicago.

VILLAGE PEOPLE  1977-2010 - Their 33rd Year!

    Recipients of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6529 Hollywood Blvd between Liberace and Betty Grable!) in 2008, the one-of-a-kind Village People is synonymous with dance music.  These six talented men combine energetic choreography with outrageous fun and lots of bumping and grinding, singing and dancing, provide great entertainment for all!

    Known as the world's disco icons, Village People in the last 3 years alone performed a full schedule of fairs, festivals, universities and casinos throughout the United States as well as Canada, Brazil, France, South Africa, Finland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Romania and Poland.  They were seen on Fox's Wendy Williams Shows, NBC's "Singing Bee" with Joey Fatone and in the new American Express TV commercial with Ellen Degeneres and Beyonce. The Guiness World Records book certified their Sun Bowl appearance on December 31, 2008 as the world's largest YMCA dance with over 40,000 fans "doing the YMCA moves" while the group performed.

    Reserved seat tickets for Saturday's show are $25 or $30 each.  Tickets can be purchased at the Capitol Theatre Box Office, 311 Ripley at Third St., Ph 326-8820 or 888-512-SHOW toll free, or on-line at www.thecapdavenport.com

    "What a great way to celebrate diversity!," says QC Pride Entertainment Chair, Rev. Rich Hendricks.  "This is a fun event for all to kick off QC Pride 2010."  Hendricks encourages people to invite out-of-town guests and plan ahead for Pride weekend.  "Our traditional QC Pride street festival will be the next day, Sunday, June 6th and will be only $3 admission. We want everyone to turn out for both events to support equality and diversity as we celebrate lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender persons in our community."  The street fest will feature local bands and entertainment, commercial and nonprofit vendor booths, door prizes, food, drink and fun.  More information is available at www.qcpride.org

ST.PAUL, MN (03/17/2010)(readMedia)-- Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn. announces that Andrew Carter, son of Tom and Jane Carter of Bettendorf, will be participating in the Varsity Men's Chorus Northland Tour under the direction of Timothy Sawyer, choir conductor. The chorus, 40 strong, presents a concert of rousing fraternal fun, with sacred, folk music and spirituals, and a little surprise thrown in for good measure! In addition, the tour features two guest instrumentalists, Jordan and Colton Cox, brothers from the Northwestern College Orchestra.

Tour dates and locations are as follows:

  • Saturday, April 10 at Bemidji Evangelical Free Church, 6 p.m.
  • Sunday, April 11 at Laporte Community Baptist Church, 11 a.m.
  • Monday, April 12 in Bemidji and Laporte High Schools (students only)
  • Tuesday, April 20 at Northwestern College in St. Paul, 7:30 p.m

Carter is currently a senior at Northwestern pursuing a degree in Pastoral Ministries. Carter is a 2004 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School.

All concerts are free and open to the public (with the exception of the April 12 date). For more information visit nwc.edu/music or contact the Northwestern College Department of Music at 866-532-8687.

MOLINE ? MARCH 12, 2010 ?West Music is proud to host a FREE screening of Note By Note on Friday, March 26 beginning at 6:00 PM. Please join us in store at 4305 44th Avenue, located off John Deere Road and 41st Street. For more information, call 309-764-9300.

The most thoroughly handcrafted instruments in the world, Steinway pianos are as unique and full of personality as the world-class musicians who play them. However, their makers are a dying breed: skilled cabinetmakers, gifted tuners, thorough hand-crafters. Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037 - from forest floor to concert hall.

Produced and directed by Ben Niles, Note By Note covers the process's highlights and touches on the benefits of a hand-crafted instrument. It reconciles the extremes of the piano's personality spectrum-craftsman to musicians. Ultimately, it pushes the story into new territory, infusing personal stories with the instruments, treating them as one in the same. For more information on this documentary film and to view trailer clips, visit www.notebynotethemovie.com and www.argotpictures.com.

Ben Niles is a documentary filmmaker and award-winning graphic designer. During his fifteen years as a graphic designer, Ben has directed and produced photo shoots, commercials, videos and print campaigns for commercial and entertainment clients including Atlantic Records, The Nantucket Film Festival, and the Jacob Burns Film Center. Ben is a graduate of the University of Georgia at Athens and attended Urge's prestigious Crotona program, an intensive fine arts study-abroad program located in Crotona, Italy.

West Music was founded in Iowa City, IA in 1941. With five locations in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, West Music is a full-line music retailer, houses a full-time instrument repair staff, and conducts over 4,000 lesson students and 400 school music programs each week.

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Submit today! http://www.filmshift.org

The Filmshift Film Festival and screenplay competition is now accepting entries from both professional and Student filmmakers.  We are looking for works that tell original and compelling stories.

Our prize sponsors are the giants of the independent film world. FINAL DRAFT, Harmonix's BEATLES ROCK BAND, POWDERHOUSE PRODUCTIONS, INKTIP, JUNGLE SOFTWARE budgeting, SCRIPT P.I.M.P, ATOMIC, BUNCH/CASSEDAY, and WOODEN NICKEL LIGHTING, have donated prizes to Filmshift for our filmmakers.
To submit your work and for more information, check out: http://www.filmshift.org

Twenty percent (20%) of the festival's gross ticket sales will be donated evenly to 2 non-profit groups: C hristopher's Haven (a charity for kids with cancer and their families,) and Metrowest Family Theater (an inclusive theater group).

Contact Person:
Jeremy Jed Hammel
Email:
Frank Drew, QC Area saxophonist and composer, will be hosting a CD Release Party announcing his new CD, "Straight up Diversity" on March 26th at the 11th Street Precinct in the Village of East Davenport.  The party starts at 9PM and goes until 1AM.  There is no cover charge and CD's will be available for sale at a discounted $10 each.

Mr. Drew has recorded two previous CD's, "Tell Me' with wife Joanie Mercy under the name of Black & Blue Blonde.  The CD is still available for sale on the internet.  The second CD was a solo recording, "Standing in the Spotlight," with Mr. Drew doing all the writing, performing, mixing and mastering himself.

He has performed with numerous bands in the QC Area and the Midwest since he relocated here from Springfield, IL 17 years ago.  Mr. Drew has actually been writing and performing for over 30 years and pushing the envelope the entire time.  Come and see him perform with "The West Side" band, Tahaira L., Olenka and Joanie Mercy at the CD Release party - bring your friends and prepare to be entertained!

Edwards Congregational United Church of Christ invites you to a concert raising funds for Haitian Relief on Sunday, March 14th at 3:00 p.m.  The men's quartet, Promised Land, will raise the roof with familiar gospel tunes, all uniquely arranged by Cec Chapman.  Edwards' handbell choir, the Alleluia Ringers, will join the fun with festive ringing under the talented direction of Sandy Reinders.  Special pins and other items made by the youth and children of Edwards will be sold, and a delicious selection of homemade baked goods will be offered after the concert.

Come and enjoy the music of these wonderful Edwards' musicians!  All donations and sales will go to the United Church of Christ Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, which provides support fot the people of Haiti in the aftermath of their devestating earthquake on January 12th.

Edwards UCC is located at 3420 Jersey Ridge Road in Davenport.  For more information, call Edwards UCC at 563-359-0331 or visit us at www.edwards-ucc.org

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