The Metro Marching Band Classic brings seven high school marching bands together from the Cedar Rapids and Marion area: including Jefferson, Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Marion, Prairie, Washington, and Xavier, featuring an opening act from the Iowa State marching band. MMBC committee members Carol Vester and Seth Hoffman are in the studio ahead of the 27th year …

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Artist John Paul Schafer recently joined Chorale Midwest, and the experience has inspired him to create a mixed-media series, Seasons of Song, featuring birds representing the four seasons. When the art is sold, John will share the proceeds with the Chorale. The Chorale kicks off its season with Sending Love, Joy, and Peace Through Song …

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Blues legend Bo Ramsey plays a rare Linn County show Oct. 12 at the Ideal Theater, with Joe and Vicki Price. The show will mark one of the very few times Bo and Joe have performed on the same bill since the two played together in the seminal Iowa Blues Band, Mother Blues, back in …

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Tim Hankewich is back and with him for his culture crawl debut is Orchestra Iowa’s new CEO, Eric Marshall. The orchestra’s second Masterwork of the season was inspired by cellist Philip Bergman and the music of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Cencerto for Cello & Orchestra. If you’re familiar with the martial arts film Crouching Tiger …

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The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts presents the latest in what has become a continuing series of shows celebrating the composers behind the music of the Great American Songbook. “Over The Rainbow” celebrates the work of Harold Arlen. Josh Sazon and Wes Habley have assembled a big band and singers to pay tribute to …

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Dylan Sires was a reporter for KWWL-TV in 2012 when Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook were kidnapped and murdered. Fourteen years later, the crime remains unsolved. In 2015, Dylan returned to the case and began shooting what would become the documentary “Taken Together,” now running on HBO. Along the way, Ned Muhamedagic and Kristian Day …

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Christine Toy Johnson and Bruce Johnson are actors-singers-writers-filmmakers from New York who recently made a swing through Iowa to exhibit their short film “Riding Out The Storm” at the Iowa Independent Film Festival. In a SUPER-SIZED episode, Christine and Bruce talk about the interesting paths two current projects took to fruition, a musical short film, …

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Cecilia Rokusek is back to preview the National Czech & Slovak’s Museum and Library’s huge event on September 27. NCSML is hosting a reprise of 1992’s Presidential visit as the presidents of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic appear at the dedication of the the Czech Village Clock Tower, which will house one of …

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Shade of Blue is back with Dave Rosazza and Saul Lubaroff in the studio ahead of the yearly reunion of the band. This year features “The Boys” of Shade of Blue featuring Anthony Hendricks on vocals. You can find them at Wildwood in Iowa Cit on Friday, September 27 from 8-11pm and the next day …

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It’s a big September for the National Check & Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML). Next week, two presidents come to town for the dedication of the Czech Village Clock Tower, which will house one of just eight Orloj in the world, modeled after the original astronomical clock in Prague. But this Friday, it’s the Museum’s …

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