Visiting Artist Series wraps up Spring 2022 with brass, Mexican folk, jazz

The 48th season of Quad City Arts’ Visiting Artist Series will conclude with musicians presenting brass, Mexican folk and rock, and jazz in educational outreaches around the QCA.

Brass band quintet High & Mighty Brass Band will visit nine schools in the greater Quad City area during their March 22-25 residence. 

Since NYC drummer Evan Howard started the band back in 2009, there’s a reason legendary groups like Galactic, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, and Lake Street Dive collaborated with High and Mighty Brass Band. This rotating cast has toured all over the world, including major performances at Bonnaroo, The U.S. Open, and the Governors Ball Music Festival. They entertain crowds with both their original music and fresh take on current and classic cover songs.

High & Mighty Brass Band will perform as part of Quad City Arts’ Performing Arts Signature Series 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Stern Center, Rock Island. Individual tickets are $50 per person for the performance, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres, and are available at www.quadcityarts.com/pass.

The next visiting artist, Mexican folk/rock quintet Jarabe Mexicano, will visit the Quad Cities April 4-8 and present to nine area schools.

Jarabe Mexicano invites audiences on a joyride through a versatile songbook of Mexican Folk as well as rock & roll, Tex-Mex, Latin rock, and reggae-cumbia. Performing on stringed folk instruments accompanied by lively percussion, Jarabe’s dramatic, harmonized vocals in Spanish and English have gained them the admiration of audiences across the country.
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Jarabe Mexicano’s public concert will be 7 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the United Township High School, East Moline. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students, Tickets can be purchased in advance through Quad City Arts at https://sforce.co/3I4daFa  or at the door. This public concert reflects hosting partnerships that allows Quad City Arts to reach a different audience, expanding on our outreach efforts in new venues. Partnerships like this one are aimed at activating new spaces and reaching more people.

Jazz and R&B band LP And the Vinyl will be the final artist in residence for the 2021-2022 Visiting Artist Series.
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Four San Diego-based musicians came together with a purpose: explore the art of song in their own unique way! Renowned jazz, blues and gospel singer Leonard Patton teamed up with the critically acclaimed Danny Green Trio to form LP And The Vinyl. The band’s wide array of influences includes everything from jazz, R&B, and rock, to 80’s and 90’s hits, Brazilian music, and classical music. Blending these sounds together, LP And The Vinyl has created a highly unique and personal approach to music-making.

During their residency April 25-29, they will present to 10 area schools, Moline Public Library, the Butterworth Center, Moline, the Jackson Concert Series at Wesley United Methodist Church, Muscatine, and the Geneseo Public Library. All these events are free and open to the public!

For more information on public events during the spring semester of the Visiting Artist Series, visit www.quadcityarts.com/events.

The series serves students and community members in Clinton, Scott, and Muscatine Counties in Iowa, and Henry, Rock Island, and Mercer Counties in Illinois.

During the 2019-2020 season when artists last visited the Quad Cities, more than 26,600 students participated in the program. Experiences included drama workshops for high school students with an East Coast theatre ensemble, a technique discussion for junior high band students from a Toronto, Canada jazz ensemble, side-by-side concert performance with a Texas string quartet, hip-hop dance presentations on history and technique for elementary students— all arts experiences that students would otherwise not have access to.

Since 1974, the Visiting Artist Series has engaged Quad City residents of all ages in quality arts experiences with professional performing artists. Artists of various disciplines present demonstrations, workshops, and masterclasses at pre-K sites, elementary, intermediate, and high schools as well as college campuses and community organizations.
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For more information on this residency program, visit www.quadcityarts.com/vas.
 
Thank you to our Supporters
Quad City Arts receives significant support for the Visiting Artist Series from Regional Development Authority, Scott County Regional Authority, Bechtel Charitable Trust, National Endowment of the Arts, Iowa Arts Council, Illinois Arts Council, Quad Cities Cultural Trust, Rock Island Community Foundation, Melvin McKay Trust, Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Trust, Moline Rotary, Rauch Family Foundation I, Kiwanis Club of Davenport, and Quad City Arts donors.