An experimental and genre-defying concert will be performed on Saturday, May 11, at the Rust Belt venue in East Moline. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra has joined forces with Moeller Nights to present the R&B/pop performer Har Mar Superstar (whose real name is Sean Tillmann) in concert with the QCSO.
The Rust Belt, with its standing room industrial space and full-service bars is a stark contrast to the usual performance venues for an orchestra. But what the Quad Citizen will find that night is the eclectic pairing of two “sporty” chamber orchestra sets featuring Bach, Bartok, Stravinsky, and the contemporary composer Bettendorf, followed by a third set of the high-energy performer Har Mar Superstar’s favorite music in a modern setting.
Dr. Bill Campbell, Chair of the Music Department at St. Ambrose University, has done the arranging for the Har Mar Superstar set in conjunction with the guitarist Ethan Elseth. The composer Carl Christian Bettendorf (possibly related to the early Bettendorf family), whose original work Pamplisest will be played during the second set, will also be in attendance that night.
Listen to the conversation here with Marc Zyla, Director of Education & Community Engagement for the QCSO, about the experimental and artistic risks that the QCSO has been undertaking, the importance of appealing to a broader audience in classical music, and why you should witness this collaborative and creative event.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online.
