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!

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet

Two concerts down, four more to go!  It is hard to believe we have already presented two of our six concerts during the 2010/11 Concert Season, but I guess it is also a little hard to imagine how close we are to the holiday season.  On October 1, Civic Music Association presented the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet and according to many of our loyal patrons, this was the best concert they have seen in years!  I would have to agree.    From amazement to joy to complete wonder and excitement, this group provided an evening of WORLD CLASS music. 
I still am not sure how the french horn player was able to demonstrate such control of his instrument or how the group was able to master such wonderful musical balance. 

A student player talks about her performance with a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet

In addition to the performance, the group presented a master class & workshop at Iowa Public Television's Maytag Auditorium the morning of the concert as part of Civic Music Association's Partners in Music Education series.  IPTV filmed the event as part of their new "Music Masters" series scheduled to air later this year and be available online.  It was pretty exciting to be a part of a television taping, and I know it was a great experience for all of the students involved.  Thank you to Robert McConnell, Music Director from the Southeast Iowa Symphony for hosting and serving as moderator for the event! 

Two ensembles were able to play for the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet including a group from Drake University and a trio from Hoover High School.  After performing a few selections, members of the Quintet took turns coaching the groups and offering advice on performance techniques and working together as an ensemble.  As always, I was able to learn just as much as an observer.

Remember, all of our Partners in Music Education events are free and open to the public.  For a list of future events click here. 

As I said above, the holidays will be here soon!  I can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than with tickets to our first ever holiday show featuring the Boston Brass & Brass All Stars Big Band "Christmas Bells are Swinging' program.  Click here for tickets and we will see you at the show.  We will also be hosting a FREE family event that evening beginning at 6 pm in Levitt Hall, Drake University.  Holiday themed games and activities, music, refreshments and a visit from Santa will all be part of the fun.  Join us!

Opening Night Featuring Esperanza Spalding

Civic Music Association opened its 2010/11 Season with a near sold-out concert featuring Esperanza Spalding.  We were extremely proud to bring such a widely recognized talent to Des Moines and feature her as our season opener.  Since booking her last year, Esperanza Spalding has been featured in "O" Magazine, Glamour Magazine and on the cover of Downbeat Magazine. 

The concert featured tracks from Esperanza's new album "Chamber Music Society" and included an eight piece band including piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, backup vocals and Esperanza on bass/vocals.  In my tenure at Civic Music Association, I have never seen so much equipment on the stage of Sheslow Auditorium!

The audience experienced almost a dramatic play as Esperanza quietly walked on stage, took off her hat and coat and poured herself a glass of wine.  The concert also ended on a dramatic note as she put her coat and hat back on, took another sip of wine and headed off stage.  She returned to announce the names of her band, but otherwise kept pretty quite during the entire 90 minute set.

Our production day was very busy with making sure the stage was just right and getting all the sound equipment loaded in.  In addition, we had to borrow percussion instruments, an electric keyboard, and Drake student, Ben Morgerson was nice enough to let Esperanza play his bass for the evening!

Our evening was concluded with a Post Concert Reception in Levitt Hall with free food, open bar and a post-concert performance by local talent, Roxi Copland.  Roxi also provided the pre-concert talk prior to the concert.  Thanks Roxi! 

I hope you will join us for one of our upcoming concerts! 

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
Friday, October 1, 2010 - 7:30 pm
Drake University - Sheslow Auditorium
Pre-concert talk at 6:45 pm with Dr. Eric Saylor, Professor of Music History, Drake University
Tickets - www.midwestix.com or 515-280-4020

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Sunday, July 25 as the Belin Quartet was featured in the 2010 Jazz in July Concert Series. We had a great time and could not have asked for a more perfect evening on the steps of the state capitol. A special thanks to John Morgan, Pete Simonson, Steve Charlson, and guest percussionist John Kizilermut for a night of music that I will not soon forget. I walked away humming the melody from John's arrangement of 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).' Other highlights were the perfect strings on the arrangement of 'Over the Rainbow,' and always a favorite 'Tequila!'

The Belin Quartet, in conjunction with Civic Music Association, will present their tenth and final concert in their summer series on Friday, July 30th at 10:30 am on the Downtown Library Lawn.

This week's concert is themed "Splish, Splash, Strings!" and will feature Janice Baker. Assistant Professor of Dance at Iowa State University, leading dances for the children accompanied by the Belin Quartet. In addition to the concert, bird water whistles will be handed out, the Des Moines Symphony Academy will host an "instrument petting zoo," and Blue Bunny ice cream treats will be provided to all who attend the concert.

The Belin Quartet consists of alternating violinists Julie Fox Henson, John Helmich, Tracy Engman Finkelshteyn, violist Sherida Josephson, and cellist George Work.

I hope to see everyone at our final concert, and thank everyone that has made this season a successful one.

Jason Link - 2010 Belin Quartet Manager

Belin Quartet continues 2010 Summer Season

We are nearing the halfway mark of our 2010 Belin Quartet season. We have had a wonderful time with a season fortunate to have had near perfect weather, and great speakers such as Michael Morian from the Des Moines Register and Brian Waller with the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce. The Quartet has treated us to music from Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, and more. Nollen Plaza and the Downtown Des Moines Library are continuing to be great venues for our 2010 season.

We are looking forward to four more dates at Nollen Plaza, and two more dates at the Downtown Library finishing with our Children's Concert on the Library Lawn. This year's Children's Concert is themed "Splish, Splash, Strings!" This performance is always a favorite and will include fun activities for children, an "Instrument Petting Zoo" provided by the Des Moines Symphony Academy, along with complimentary ice-cream and a water themed toy. This Friday you will have the opportunity to vote on some of your favorite works by composers such as Gershwin, Vivaldi, and more. These will then be performed for our "Classical Favorites" concert at Nollen Plaza on July 2nd.

Other highlights include a performance at Simon Estes Amphitheatre on July 19th opening for the Iowa Shakespeare Experience's Family Night performance, and our pairing with local jazz musicians for our Jazz in July concert. The Jazz in July concert will be held on the Capitol Building Lawn on July 25th.

It has been a treat to see and chat with everyone that has come out for out 2010 season, and hope to see everyone at our upcoming dates. More information on the Quartet and our upcoming dates can be found at www.civicmusic.org.

Thoughts on the 85th Anniversary Season

Last Saturday night we concluded the 85th Anniversary Season with jazz singer Jackie Ryan. I honestly can't believe the Season is over and it is time to get ready for the 10/11 Season! It is always fun to reflect on the past season and think about my favorite memories. Here are a few to share:

--Having lunch at A Dong with Mark O'Connor and feeling completely star struck! He even asked my opinion on issues he was working on for his new string methods books. I was flattered and humbled to be discussing music education with such a famous musician and educator.

--Our Donor Appreciation Reception following the Kurt Elling concert at Lucca was a blast! At one point, Kurt Elling and his bassist were sitting in with the local piano player. It was also a great way to thank our donors while enjoying great food!

--Besides being a SOLD OUT concert the Vienna Boys Choir concert was amazing! I will never forget the group pulling up to Sheslow Auditorium on the tour bus and marching off in a straight line in matching coats and hats. Adorable and professional!

--The 85th Anniversary Gala was a HUGE hit! Thank you to Down to Details for their beautiful decorations and party planning. It was also wonderful to have music by Roxi Copland and the Belin Quartet prior to the evening's concert featuring the Russell Malone Quartet.

--The Poulenc Trio agreed to do two Partners in Music Education Programs in conjunction with their concert. The first was a workshop at East High School followed by a Master Class at Drake University. They were excellent with the students and it was fabulous to see so many at the concert that evening. Also, thank you to Alba for hosting a dinner for the Trio after the concert.

--Jackie Ryan was a delight! The highlight of this concert was my OWN personal concert at Hoover High School as Jackie and her accompanist rehearsed with local jazz musicians Steve Charlson and Jim Eklof. It is still hard to believe how little they needed to rehearse to create something so great! After the rehearsal, the group conducted a workshop for over 100 Hoover High School students. Jackie even had a student sing with her! After the workshop, the student approached Jackie and said, "This has been the greatest day of my life."

How do you top that?

Thank you to everyone who made the 85th Anniversary Season a success! I look forward to seeing you this summer at our FREE Belin Quartet Summer Series concerts and in September when we open the 10/11 Season with Esperanza Spalding.

2010/11 Season

Civic Music Association is pleased to announce its 2010/11 Season!
Season subscriptions and memberships are now on sale and available here.
Single tickets to each performance will not go on sale until August, so if you want to save money and get better seats, subscribe!


Esperanza Spalding
Saturday, September 18, 2010


Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
Friday, October 1, 2010


Boston Brass & Brass All Stars Big Band
"Christmas Bells are Swinging"
Saturday, December 4, 2010


Dave Holland Quintet
Saturday, January 22, 2011


Cantus
Saturday, March 12, 2011


Wycliffe Gordon Quartet
Friday, April 8, 2011

This is truly a season you will not want to miss! I am especially excited for our opening concert featuring Esperanza Spalding. She is the "it" girl in the jazz world with recent performances at Austin City Limits and the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

We still have two concerts left in the 85th Anniversary Season:

The Poulenc Trio
Friday, February 26

Jackie Ryan
Saturday, April 17

Join us!