Visiting Artist Series residencies get a remix. Schedule an artist at your school today!

​On the surface, the nine artists and ensembles visiting the Quad Cities this fall and next spring for Quad City Arts’ Visiting Artist Series don’t seem to have much in common.

A pianist. A brass ensemble. A string trio. A ballet company. Of course, they share a level of professional accomplishments and artistic talent. But that’s not all.

Each of the artists presenting educational outreach in the Fall 2021-Spring 2022 series present a unique twist, a remix on the standard of the genre or the ensemble.

Pianist Barron Ryan, whose website advertises his work as “Classic meets cool” describes his third solo album, “First of Its Kind,” as “the funkiest, ‘countriest’, most calypso-y classical music you’ve ever heard”. LowDown Brass Band pushes their instruments beyond traditional brass to a uniquely strong representation of Chicago Music culture. The band leans heavily on dancehall and street beat rhythm, with the energy of hip hop, jazz, reggae, and soul. String trio Time for Three performs at the intersection of Americana, modern pop, and classical music. Ballet company Hiplet creates in the space occupied by both traditional ballet and hip-hop and rap. And on top of that, they are all moving beyond the stage and the studio to present engaging outreach for students and community members.

Danny Green, pianist with LP And The Vinyl said, “All of the members of LP And The Vinyl have been very fortunate to have learned jazz from some incredible teachers. We love any opportunity to pay forward the lessons that we have learned. This residency gives us the opportunity to reach so many students and share our passion for music with them.”

Pianist and composer Barron Ryan said about his reasons for choosing to participate in a residency, “I love using music to inspire students. Everything that makes you successful at music—creativity, discipline, patience, enthusiasm, and more—can make you successful at any other pursuit. Helping students realize that and put it into practice means that my work can make the world better for many years to come.”
The season’s first residency is Oct. 4-8 with Invoke, a modern/bluegrass/jazz quartet from Austin, Texas. The series continues through April 2022. For the full lineup of artists, visit www.quadcityarts.com/vas.

Past artist in residence Andrew Collins Trio said after their September 2019 visit, “I think this is an incredible program.  How can we expect children (or anyone) to appreciate a wide range of arts if they are never exposed to a range of what's out there?  I would highly recommend this residency to any colleagues and we would love to partake again any time.  Thank you for including us this year.”

Residency activities take place in schools and community sites in Clinton, Scott, and Muscatine Counties in Iowa, and Henry, Rock Island, and Mercer Counties in Illinois. Host sites can sign up for outreach engagements ranging from all-school performances to hands-on workshops or performance opportunities with artists in residence.

The Visiting Artist Series makes it possible for students to see live professional performances right in their school building or classroom and for teachers to use these artists, a world-class educational resource, for a nominal fee.

To schedule a residency for your students or clients, visit scheduling page at www.quadcityarts.com/vas-scheduling.

Green said, “We hope that the experience we bring to the students will inspire them to want to learn more about jazz and music in general. For the students who are already musicians, we hope that our program will provide them with new tools in creative expression. For the non-musicians, we hope that our program gives them a deeper understanding of what goes into creating music. Ultimately, we want to share the joy that music brings the world.”

Along with their outreach for students and the public, most artists will also give informal public performances and full-length concerts. Visit our calendar to view all public events at www.quadcityarts.com/events for updated concert and ticket information. Follow us on Facebook to get breaking announcements on our events for the Visiting Artist Series and our other programs.

Chicago Dance Crash said after their January 2020 residency, “The coolest part for the dancers was seeing the excited kids from the school shows bring their parents to the full Saturday night show. We saw them get a taste of just the hip hop side of what we do at the schools, and then get this wide spectrum concert dance setting for the full show to push their minds open even further from the type of dance they might be used to.”

BOOK AN ARTIST IN YOUR SCHOOL TODAY!