Culture Crawl 773 “Portable Instrument” Roxanne Layton has been a member of Mannheim Steamroller since 1995, performing on recorder and percussion. She is a is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, and attended Ellis Marsalis’s school in New Orleans with Wynton and Bradford. Roxanne joined the band after striking up a friendship with founder … Continue reading

Tim Hankewich has just returned from New York, where he served as assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic’s concert simulcast of “Jurassic Park.” He says that while the Phil is certainly as good as advertised, there isn’t as much space between that orchestra and ours as you might think. Next up for the Orchestra … Continue reading

Tim Hankewich’s birthday is Nov. 7, and as a part of Orchestra Iowa’s 100th season, he is giving a rare performance on piano with his friend, world-renowned cellist, Zuill Bailey, as well as the Orchestra’s Madeline Capistron, violin. They’ll perform a program that Tim says is pretty challenging for a “recovering pianist,” including Chopin and … Continue reading

Family Folk Machine, Iowa City’s non-auditioned, intergenerational folk choir presents “Carry On: Songs for Living,” Nov.13 , 3pm at the Englert Theatre. Jean Littlejohn and Jon Ranard say the program consists of tunes ranging from They Might Be Giants to Robert Plant, sharing a theme of inclusiveness and offering each other our support during tough … Continue reading

Progressive rock group The Beaker Brothers have added a new member. Pianist, guitarist, and singer Steve Protsman went to high school with Steve Grismore, and when Steve P relocated to the Iowa City area, it didn’t take long for Steve G to recruit him for the band. The new lineup of the popular band performs … Continue reading

Culture Crawl 768 “Greatest Hits” Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, and is kicking things off with “Norman and Abigail,” October 28 at CSPS Hall. The event pairs baritone Norman Garrett, who made his professional debut with Cedar Rapids Opera, with soprano Abigail Rethwisch, who despite being an Eastern Iowa native, … Continue reading

Culture Crawl 767 “One Particular Audience Member” Nicholas Meyer is a UI alumnus who has gone on to write and direct hit movies like “The Seven Percent Solution,” “The Day After,” and pretty much all the “good” Star Trek movies. He’s back in Iowa to appear at ICON, the Iowa Sci-Fi and Fantasy convention, where … Continue reading

Culture Crawl 766 “Sur-Realism” Kate Kunau from the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art shares details about two unique exhibits at the museum. “Dreamscape: Surrealism from the Collection,” takes a look at both classic Surrealism (Dali, deChirico, Escher) of the 1930s and 1940s as well as more modern and contemporary artists working in this style. “The … Continue reading

The Eastern Iowa Orchid Society presents its annual orchid show and sale, “Orchids Are A Scream!” to the Elks Lodge in Cedar Rapids, October 22 and 23. EIOS member Nile Dusdieker says orchid societies from all over the midwest will be exhibiting their best. With plenty of opportunities for you to learn how to take … Continue reading

Miera Kim and Carey Bostian are in the midst of 19 performances of “Fresh Folk,” a show focusing primarily on new compositions (with a little Dvorak thrown in), with folk melodies from a variety of cultures as their base. The tour culminates with two main programs, Oct. 22 at Mt. Mercy’s Chapel of Mercy, and … Continue reading