Barney Sherman

Decorah composer Ben Hippen studied music at Harvard in the 1980s, then programmed music software, then went in the 1990s to work on a feature film in Eritrea. The country touched something in him deeply and he stayed, teaching music and immersing himself in Eritrea's languages, songs and culture. What drove him away at the turn of the century was the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

Even long-time Iowans might not realize how many composers our state has produced. Here are five videos of their music being played by other Iowans. 

Finding solace in a distant star, mystery in an ancient site and magic in returning to Iowa, today’s wind-band music takes us far beyond parades and pep rallies. And in this thriving art form, Iowans produce some of the finest work. Here are three recent Iowa concert videos focused on 21st-century gems, including one composed by an Iowa native as a tribute to the school that trained her.

As you've probably heard, singer-songwriter John Prine passed away Tuesday, after being critically ill with COVID-19.

Since his first album was released in 1971, Prine's gentle humor and way with words have been an inspiration to many. Some members of IPR's staff each picked a favorite John Prine song to share.

With concert-giving on hiatus, here's another sampling of the rich variety of choral music in our state.

This week's batch of videos includes a motet from Shakespeare's day that offers reassurance, a new work by a Des Moines composer that affirms simple love, and a song by a Des Moines gospel choir that reminds us to listen for the voices of those in need.

Choral groups around our state have canceled or postponed concerts until it’s safe to congregate. Instead of “Big Lists Of Choral Events,” we're going to start sharing videos of some of our favorite choral performances from around Iowa. 

All across Iowa, choirs are planning impressive spring concerts in the coming months. 

Here's a list of everything we know about that's happening in March. If your concert is missing, email us, and please let us know what we should add!

As you're reading this, it's likely that someone in Iowa is practicing, memorizing, warming up or rehearsing for a choral concert in December. Iowans have planned over 60 of them from river to river, and we hope to give you a complete listing on this page. 

Week after week, choral singers across our state have been rehearsing diligently. Now, 'tis the season when we get to hear the results. Below is a round-up of Iowa choral concerts in November.

We'll be publishing a December "Big List," too, and we will update the November list as we learn about new concerts.

How can today's artists say something new and helpful about the Holocaust? For Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus and poet Michael Dennis Brown, the key was to focus on children.

In their multimedia oratorio “To Be Certain Of The Dawn,” the pair took inspiration from Roman Vishniac's photographs of Jewish children in pre-Shoah Europe. Brown, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, says the “children’s faces are the sun, moon and stars of this work.”

"Bach is the father, we are the kids,” said Mozart, maybe. The quote was reported 40 years after Mozart’s death by someone known to make stuff up and otherwise fall short of NPR sourcing standards. But even if it’s apocryphal, what makes it interesting is not who said it but which Bach he had in mind: not Johann Sebastian, but his second son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Let's call him CPE (1714-1788).

Tune in this afternoon at 1 to hear a live preview of the 2019 ChamberFest Dubuque - including music by founder Michael Gilbertson that the Pulitzer Prize committee praised for its "rare capacity to stir the heart."  Ten years ago, Michael invited some musical friends to join him in his hometown to play a benefit for his alma mater, the Northeast Iowa School of Music. It worked - the School is going strong - and the concert has evolved into the annual ChamberFest, which still benefits community music education in Iowa.

In the last two months of 2018, Iowans gave 100 choral concerts (we listed them!). But if December is "peak choral," the singing returns in February and especially in March and April. We won’t create another “big list” of every event, but will try to keep you updated with brief, occasional posts. As usual, let me know what I’m missing! Here’s a start:

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5th

A Choral Iowa post: Supermarkets began piping in holiday tunes in November, so you've probably heard all the standards just in the course of buying groceries. But below is a gem for which you need a choral group. Called Estampie Natalis, it reflects two of the enthusiasms of its Czech-born composer, Vaclav Nelhybel.

It's the perfect month for a choral concert, and Iowa's artists have been hard at work preparing. From university concerts to madrigal dinners to Handel in Clinton and Cedar Rapids and an Iowa premiere in Grinnell, here's what I hope will become a complete list.  I'm sure I've missed things, so please let me know of omissions or corrections (at choraliowa@iowapublicradio.org). The goal is to include everyone!

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“I shouldn’t tell you this, but she advocates dirty books… Chaucer… Rabelais... BALZAC!” It’s a laugh line that never falls flat, and it advances the plot of The Music Man. Broadway convention meant that Harold Hill and Marian Paroo must end up together, so Meredith Willson needed another dramatic tension, and he found it in priggish opposition to the library. And what bluenoses could be more hilarious - or more believable - than the mayor's wife and her cronies?

When pianist/ composer Nathan Carterette plays the Goldberg Variations in our Cedar Falls studio on Tuesday, March 13th, you can listen on-air, or stream the video at our Facebook page. Carterette has performed the Goldbergs live on radio before (using Mr. Rogers' old piano at Pittsburgh's WQED), but this is the first time you can watch if you choose.