Jazz music meets Chamber music as Miera Kim and Carey Bostian of Red Cedar have commissioned leading Iowa jazz players Blake Shaw and Dan Padley to write new music for this “all strings but different strings” group, dubbed the Crossover Quartet. Also on the program will be some new arrangements of jazz standards, along with …

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Scott Chrisman & Eric Freesem are in the studio ahead of the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival coming up April 4-6 at the Collins Road Theatres. There’s something for everyone, so head over to their website (crifm.org) and check out the festival schedule and film synopses.  For tickets and more info visit crifm.org.  Subscribe to …

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As the grounds of the Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center begin to come to life, Leslie Schwarting and the staff at Prairiewoods prepare for their 24th annual event, “Spirituality in the 21st Century.” This year’s event, “The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality & Our Quest for an Inspired Life,” will focus on mental health …

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Kirkwood Community College presents “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson, a five person play that explores the life of hearing impaired female astronomer Henrietta Leavitt as she defies odds in the early 1900s. In the studio to talk about the show are cast members Madeline O’Donnell (Henrietta Leavitt), Reuben Thomas (Margaret Leavitt), and Lyova Merkle (Peter …

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Cedar Rapids Opera is gearing up for “Song of the Nightingale,” a contemporary opera by Lisa Despain and Melisa Tien. Here to tell us more about it is Zara Zemmels (Collector), Sophia Formella (Nightingale) & Simon Brea (Curator). This family friendly, short (by opera standards) production will be at Kirkwood’s Ballantyne Auditorium March 22 at …

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TKM Productions presents “Over the River & Through the Woods” by playwright Joe DiPietro. Tom Milligan and Adam Burnham are in the studio with the rundown on this cleverly hilarious play. It’s March 29-30, Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm at The Amana Performing Arts Center.  For tickets and more info visit …

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Educator and singer Mary Jane Knight is releasing an album entitled “Rising Free” at a concert on March 23 at Riverside Theatre. Mary Jane says the album is a deeply personal collection of original mantras and musical pieces that have benefited her own life journey, but the album is designed for any listener looking for …

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Young Footliters Imagination Studio presents “Penguin Goes to Flight School,” a musical based on the children’s book Flight School by Lita Judge. Director Keegan Colletta Huckfeldt and cast members Ella Schmitz and Lucy Polyak are in the studio to fill us in on all the details. The show is suited for kids (and adults) ages …

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Under the direction of Dr. Gerry Kreitzer, the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale has been preparing for their upcoming performance of the Grammy-nominated three-part Oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson, Considering Matthew Shepard. The music celebrates and honors the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was brutally attacked and murdered in 1998.  …

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Miera Kim & Carey Bostian with Red Cedar Chamber Music have been busy this year with their violin and cello concert program, Cultural Passport. This program highlights folk music representing cultures from around the world and covers a range of compositional styles.  Upcoming performances for the public will be Saturday 3/8, 12pm at Marion Library, …

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