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Belin Quartet Counts Off To 2011 Summer Season

We are counting off to the beginning of our 2010 Belin Quartet season on this Friday, May 27^th at Nollen Plaza (rain location in the Kirkwood Hotel Lobby). The quartet will start the season with a great work by Beethoven: Op. 59, no. 1. This extra special David and Connie Belin Memorial Concert will be an excellent start to the season and an opportunity to honor the great people who made this whole experience possible. I’m Devin van Holsteijn, and new to the office this year as the junior intern. Carrie, Sarah, and I have all been busy making sure everything is ready for this first concert – and doing a little spring cleaning.

We are booked for six performances at Nollen Plaza, and four performances at the Downtown Library this season. This year will be a trial as we track which area sees more traffic. Our goal is to reach as many people with our music as possible, so we plan to move towards the location that allows us to do that best. So, if you like to eat lunch and listen to the Belin Quartet, come out and support your favorite location! There will also be drawings for a pair of tickets to any Civic Music Association at each concert and a secret drawing on July 22^nd, which you can enter for throughout the season.

Highlight performances this year start with our pairing with local jazz musicians for a Jazz in July concert on July 19^th at the West Des Moines City Hall. The Quartet will also open for the Iowa Shakespeare Experience's Family Night on July 24^th at the Simon Estes Amphitheatre. Our final concert on  July 29^th is also our Children’s Concert, and is one of the biggest (and most energetic) events of the season. This year’s theme is: “One World, Many Stories.”

I’m really looking forward to the 2011 season, and hope to see all of you either at Nollen Plaza of the Library Lawn as the Quartet begins its 12^th year of making memories. More information on the Quartet and our upcoming dates can be found at www.civicmusic.org.

Wycliffe Gordon Quartet

Wycliffe Gordon plays side-by-side a Drake University Jazz Ensemble

Civic Music Association concluded its 2010/11 Season on Friday, April 8 with the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet.  In addition to the concert, Wycliffe presented a FREE Master Class and Workshop the evening before in the beautiful Turner Jazz Center on Drake University's campus. 

It was amazing to watch Wycliffe work with students from Drake University and also one brave middle school student from the audience.  He presented information with such grace and demonstrated all of his recommended techniques to the amazement of everyone present.  Perhaps a favorite moment for participating Drake students was when Wycliffe asked if he could join them for dinner at Jethro's!

The excitement continued at the concert on Friday evening with a near sold out crowd!  We hosted several students taking advantage of our great $5.00 rush and a fabulous evening was had by all.  It is hard to believe we are done with the 2010/11 Season and already busy preparing for 2011/12.  I hope you will join us as a subscriber/member for next season.  It is going to be another year of MAKING MEMORIES!

Preservation Hall Jazz Band - September 23, 2011

Emerson Quartet - October 14, 2011

Oasis Quartet - November 12, 2011

Karrin Allyson - January 21, 2012

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center - February 25, 2011

Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Jazz Band - April 7, 2012

Click Here to Purchase a Season Subscription/Membership

Cantus

Civic Music Association's 2010/11 Season continued on March 12 with a performance by male a cappella group, Cantus.  On Wednesday, March 9, the men came to Des Moines to conduct a Partners in Music Education program at Hoover High School and tape some television and radio appearances.  The workshop at Hoover was extremely successful and inspiring to watch!  First, the Hoover High School choir performed a selection they have been working on to take to state solo & ensemble contest.  The group sounded great, and I was anxious to see what the men of Cantus were going to do with the choir. 

During the hour, each member of Cantus took turns working with the group on everything from breathing to communicating as an ensemble while singing.  At one point, the group was standing in a circle marching in time while they sang!  It was amazing to see the choir practice the advice from Cantus and then hear the finished results.  Good luck at State Contest, Hoover!

The evening concert was a huge success with an almost sold out crowd.  Prior to the concert, Civic Music Association hosted a Silent Auction with proceeds going towards our Partners in Music Education programs and concert programming.  We made almost $5,000 -- this will help us keep providing music education programs like the one at Hoover for FREE!

Thank you to Cantus for an excellent concert!  If you were not able to join us, I encourage you to check this group out...they are amazing!

Chris Potter's Underground

Chris Potter sits in with a Drake University Jazz Ensemble

On Friday, January 21 Civic Music Association hosted Chris Potter's Underground for a Partners in Music Education program and evening concert.  First, I would like to thank Chris Potter and his band for stepping in on short notice.  We were very sad when we learned our regularly scheduled program featuring the Dave Holland Quintet had to be canceled due to a family emergency.  However, Chris Potter's Underground certainly held up to our tradition of presenting world-class musical experiences and was a wonderful last minute addition to our concert season. 

As always, I had the pleasure of picking up the artists at the airport when they arrived in Des Moines.  It was great to chat with the group and learn about their previous impressions and experiences in our community.  The bass player, Fima Ephron, said he had played in Des Moines a couple of years ago with another group....but only about 20 people showed up!  I promised him we would have more of a welcoming audience and we sure did! 

Chris Potter discusses technique with a student saxophone player

Our first event was a Partners in Music Education Program with Chris Potter at the NEW Turner Jazz Center on the campus of Drake University.  What a gem for Des Moines and Drake!  This state of the art facility has a great stage, cafe style seating and a beautiful view of the campus.  During the workshop, Chris Potter spoke about his experiences as a jazz musician with about 50 college students from Drake, Iowa State University, Iowa University and UNI.  I think the most learning took place when Chris sat in with a couple of jazz ensembles.  It was fun to see the look of excitement in the young musician's eyes as they played side-by-side a jazz master!

All of this enthusiasm translated to the evening concert as Civic Music Association sold a RECORD NUMBER of student rush tickets!  I was thrilled to be presenting such a favorite of young musicians and was delighted to hear how much our subscribers and other ticket buyers also loved the concert.  Another great evening at Civic Music!

I hope you will join us at our next concert featuring male a cappella group Cantus!  Check out the video below of this fabulous vocal group!  Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling us at 515.280.4020 or visit Midwestix.  See you at the concert!

Boston Brass and Brass All-Stars Big Band Holiday Concert Presentation

We are about to be half way through our 2010/11 season and we hope this concert will be the best yet!  The holidays are approaching, so if you're looking for a great way to get into the holiday spirit, please join us for our upcoming concert the Boston Brass & Brass All-Stars Big Band "Christmas Bells are Swinging" Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 7:30pm, at Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium.  Click here for a sample of the exciting Boston Brass Big Band

A FREE Family Holiday event will take place in Levitt Hall, Drake University from 6pm-7pm featuring holiday activities, refreshments, and a visit from Santa Claus.

This concert is sponsored by EMC Insurance Companies.

For nearly 25 years the Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience.  From exciting classical arrangements, to burning jazz standards, and the best of the original brass quintet repertoire, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment, which captivates all ages.

Boston Brass has two holiday recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin', and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Brass All-Stars Big Band playing the truly phenomenal charts made popular by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.  Boston Brass tours a vibrant holiday show each year featuring many of the charts from these two albums, combined with a variety of solo and combo selections and some fun surprises, which has quickly established the show as a perennial audience favorite.  The ensemble of all brass (trumpets, French horns, trombones, and tubas with jazz rhythm section) features fiery big band arrangements of classics like the Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, Greensleeves, and Motown Jingle Bells in a setting that will delight audiences of all ages.


On Saturday, December 4, 2010 at Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium the Boston Brass will present a workshop for our Partners in Music Education Program on the importance of practice, goal setting, and overcoming nerves in a performance setting.  In addition, the Boston Brass will explore the theory of "time plus effort equals progress."  This workshop is free and open to the public.

Tickets may be purchased by visiting Midwestix at www.midwestix.com, contacting the Civic Music Association office 515.280.4020, or visiting the Civic Music Association box office located at 1620 Pleasant Street, Suite 244 in Sherman Hills.  Tickets range from $15-$45 with special student prices in all sections.  In addition, students may purchase any available ticket on-hour prior to the concert for $5 (with valid student ID).

We hope to see everyone at this fantastic holiday presentation!

We need you! - Civic Music Association's Annual Fund Campaign

Civic Music Association is in the middle of our Annual Fund Campaign.  We hope you will consider donating to our organization and help keep world-class concerts and free music education programs for our community.

Affordable and Accessible Concerts
The Civic Music Association is committed to bringing affordable world-class musical performances to Des Moines.  With an average ticket price of $25-30 ($15 for students) for performances in Drake's intimate Sheslow Auditorium by highly acclaimed artists such as Esperanza Spalding and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, CMA is fulfilling its mission.

Attracting world-class talent to Des Moines costs CMA more than the revenue generated from ticket sales.  To maintain these extremely affordable concert ticket prices, CMA relies on the generosity of individuals and organizations who share a love of the arts, a passion for the Des Moines community, and a desire to keep concert tickets affordable so as many people as possible can enjoy CMA performances.  
 
Partners in Music Education
Beyond world-class concerts, CMAs mission includes a commitment to provide free music education programs to needy schools and community organizations.  All events are open to the public.  Guest artists are contracted to conduct these educational events in the community in addition to their concerts.  As you can probably guess, while students and underserved groups enjoy these educational programs for free, they are not free at all and CMA works tirelessly to find funding to ensure the education component of its mission is fulfilled each year.

Without individual contributions, we simply could not exist. Ticket sales cover only 30% of our annual expenses associated with our concerts and music education programs.  The additional 70% must come from individuals and corporate partners.   

Please make a financial gift to CMA to help keep concert tickets affordable and education programs available.  

Gifts can be sent to:

Civic Music Association

1620 Pleasant Street, Suite 244

Des Moines, IA 50314 

or call 515-280-4020

PS - Do you want to meet jazz great Dave Holland while enjoying fabulous food & wine at Lucca in the East Village?  Make a donation to Civic Music Association and you will receive an invitation to our Donor Appreciation Reception scheduled for Friday, January 21.  Guests will be able to mingle with Dave Holland while enjoying food and wine at Lucca's in the East Village.  Make your donation today!