Posted by Meredith on Sunday, Nov 1, 2015
Join the Iowa City Public Library as we celebrate all things musical with Music is the Word.
This special series of programming, to continue through May 2016, welcomes the University of Iowa School of Music building to downtown Iowa City. Here’s what’s happening in November:
Noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in Meeting Room A: Lunchtime Presentation with David Gier. Join us as David Gier, Director of the University of Iowa School of Music, gives an update on the progress of the new Voxman Music Building, which is scheduled to open in fall of 2016. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. with a free sack lunch provided for the first 50 people.
7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Meeting Room A: Spanish Culture’s Impact on Russian Literature and Music. Join University of Iowa adjunct professor Anna Barker for a conversation examining the influence of Spanish culture on Russian literature and music of the 19th century. She will be joined by soloist Sasha Burdin. This event is cosponsored with University of Iowa Arts Share.
4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in Meeting Room A: Black Art / White Space. Margo Jefferson and Monica Martin (lead singer of PHOX) will join a panel of guests to discuss the experience of working as black artists in white spaces. This event also is part of the Witching Hour Festival.
7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Meeting Room A: Documentary Screening – Note by Note: The Making of a Steinway L1037. Twelve months, 12,000 parts, and 450 craftsmen - from the selection of individual trees to a Steinway factory in Queens and to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, Note by Note follows the artisans of Steinway in the creation of a concert grand #L1037. (2007) 81 min.
10:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Meeting Room A: Homemade Instruments Preschool Storytime. Have you ever wanted to make your own instrument? That’s exactly what we'll do at this storytime! Bring your creativity and maybe even make something no one's heard of before.
7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Meeting Room A: Documentary Screening – Pianomania. As Steinway & Sons' Chief Technician and Master Tuner in Vienna, Stefan Knupfe is dedicated to the unusual task of pairing world-class instruments with world-famous pianists. Juggling the demands of the pianist, the piano, and the piece to find the perfect match requires boundless enthusiasm, but also endless patience and nerves of steel. No detail is too small or too inconsequential for Knupfe; not even the tiniest speck of dust on a piano string. (2009) 93 min.
Noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Meeting Room A: Music at Noon with Preucil School of Music. Join musicians from the Preucil School of Music as they share their joy in a live music performance.
6 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Meeting Room A: Piano Jazz Concert with Dick Watson and Eve Minkler. Dick Watson is a jazz pianist; Eve Minkler is a jazz singer, who happens to be Dick's daughter. They'll play standard jazz tunes to warm up your Friday evening.
2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in the Storytime Room: The Little Mermaid Sing-Along. Under the Sea, Princess Ariel dreams of walking on land. Will her dreams come true? Stop by for a special screening of The Academy Award-Winning classic, The Little Mermaid.
4 to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in Meeting Room A: The Costs of Success: Rap Music, Money, & Civics. Join us for a conversation between Dr. Michael Hill from the University of Iowa English and African American Studies and friends. From the moment that it appeared, rap music focused on money. Many commentators used this preoccupation to suggest a moral failing in the music. Touching on recordings from four decades, Hill shows that while bling dominated mainstream perceptions of the art form, rappers themselves were conflicted about riches. He argues that rap’s varied portraits of cash constitute a meditation on civic options in post-civil rights era America. This event is cosponsored with the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies.
5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at The Mill. Join us for the fall 2015 series of the B.Y.O.Book "Books In Bars" Book Club meetups! This month we will discuss Michael Chabon’s Telegraph Avenue. Registration is encouraged due to space limitations. Limited copies of the book will be available for check out from Info Desk staff on the Library’s second floor.
2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in Meeting Room A: Family Concert. Join members of the City Circle Acting Company as they give us a sneak preview of their upcoming musical, Oliver.
A listing of all Music is the Word events can be found at icpl.org/mitw.
For more information, contact the Library at 319-356-5200.