Pianist Jim McDonough says that Christmas time is the one time of year that everyone, young and old, enjoys the same kind of music. He should know, as he’s in his 15th year of bringing a festive holiday show to venues all around Iowa. Holiday Grande 2017 features a 14-piece orchestra, four singers, and a …
Chorale Midwest presents their annual holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season” December 3 & 4 at St. Patrick’s Church in Cedar Rapids. Director Dr. Brad Barrett says in programming concerts like this, he works to create a balance for the repertoire that will give the audience the familiar holiday tunes they enjoy, but also provide …
Iowa City Community Theatre presents “It’s A Wonderful Life” Dec. 1 – 10. But this version presents the holiday classic as a radio play, with each character portraying not only their role in Wonderful Life, but also the “actor” portraying that character in the radio show. Plus, everyone also plays multiple parts in the radio …
CulturalCorridor.org has been re-designed. It now has a fresh look and is more mobile-friendly. Rebecca Larkin from the Iowa CulturalCorridor Alliance (ICCA) talks about the fresh look, and also offers her picks for weekend activities. www.culturalcorridor.org. Subscribe to the Culture Crawl podcast at www.kcck.org/culture or search KCCK Culture Crawl to subscribe on your favorite podcast …
Theatre Cedar Rapids presents the holiday classic “Annie,” opening November 17. Jim Kern, who played Daddy Warbucks in one of the three previous outings for the musical at TCR, directs the show this year. He says the show doesn’t get stale because there is always a fresh crop of kids, many experiencing the show for …
David Combs plays Scrooge in the Old Creamery Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” But the production has a unique twist: Five actors not only play all the roles, but also many of the props and set pieces, like a door or roaring fire. David talks about the challenge of keeping a straight face when …
Orchestra Iowa performs what is arguably the most famous piece of music ever composed, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Tim Hankewich gives us the inside tip on what to listen for (Spoiler: It’s not the first movement!). Also on the program, the Orchestra features its own principal pianist, Miko Kominami, performing a Mozart Piano Concerto that may …
Ethel Barker’s new novel “The Andersons of Eden” is the story of an Iowa farm family during the World War II era, whose lives are disrupted when the young men of the family go off to war. It’s a novel of historical fiction, but she incorporated thoughts and memories from real people such as well-known …
