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Talking Art with Marc Zyla

Photo by Nicholas Propes

Marc Zyla, the Principal Horn and Director of Education & Community Engagement for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, has a new podcast “Because.”  Twice a month, a new episode will be released during which Marc chats with artists and explores their stories of the people, places, and things that had to fall into place to make their careers happen.

The idea for this podcast was inspired by the chance discovery of a children’s book on the Target bookshelves - Because, written by Mo Willems and illustrated by Amber Ren. In this story, a young girl gets to attend a symphonic performance because her uncle became ill and there was an extra ticket.  Because a man named Franz was inspired to create his own music, because many other musicians loved and practiced their instruments, because the train conductor stopped at the grand concert hall station, because the workers swept the grand hall’s floors, because the ushers opened the door, and because the music was so extraordinary, the young girl was changed.  Following many other “because” events, the girl grows up to become a composer and conductor, changing other people’s lives along the way.

Listen to the conversation here with Marc Zyla about his own “Because” story, which is inextricably tied to the musical journey of his father, Luke Zyla; the importance of recognizing people in our own lives who have influenced us for the better; and the myriad creative ways in which the Quad City Symphony Orchestra is engaging with a wider audience.

“Because” is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including in the WVIK App.

Carolyn Martin joined WVIK as a host of Talking Art in 2017. A long-time fan of NPR programming with a love of storytelling and all art forms, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with creative people who beautify our community and make the Quad Cities region an even better place to live.
Marc Zyla joined WVIK, Quad Cities NPR in May 2022 as the Director of Community Engagement. Prior to that Zyla had been the Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, where he continues to perform as Principal Horn. Zyla believes that there is something for everyone in public radio and brings passion and creativity to his position as Director of Community Engagement.