Clinton Community College is pleased to offer more performances for the 2018 Visiting Artist season. This is the 44th year that CCC has offered these performances for the community, as part of the Quad Cities Arts, a program that strives to make the program accessible to people of all walks of life, including students, Seniors, and working people.
Two upcoming performances include a storyteller and reed quintet. Both performances are in Clinton Community College Technology Center, 1951 Manufacturing Boulevard, Clinton, IA. For more information, contact Clinton Community College at 563-244-7001.
Tuesday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m.: Charlotte Blake Alston, Storyteller
Charlotte Blake Alston is a nationally-acclaimed storyteller, narrator, instrumentalist, librettist ,and singer who performs in venues throughout North America and abroad.
She breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African American traditions. Her performances are often enhanced with traditional instruments such as sjembe, mbira, shekere, or the 21-string kora. The tradition may be the strongest in the West African countries of Senegal, Cambia ,Guinea, and Mali. There, history was preserved and is still passed down orally through the words and music of the griots, or jalis. Stories were the way the beliefs, mythology, cultural identity, history, and shared community values of a people were taught and preserved.
Alston’s narrative voice can be heard on documentaries including “Plenty of Good Women Dancers,” “The Peddie School,” and “Crosstown.” She has produced several commissioned works for orchestras and opera companies, including original narrative tests for “Carnival of the Animals” and “Scherezade.” She has received many honors, holds two honorary PhD’s, and received the “”Circle of Excellence” Award from the National Storytelling Association.
Wednesday, April 18, at 12:30 p.m.: Akropolis Reed Quintet
Akropolis Reed Quintet, an ENCORE event (ENrichment COurses for Retirees)
Championing the next generation of maverick musicians, Akropolis delivers impactful school outreach. Their dynamic concerts feature accessible contemporary works, framed by invigorating arrangements of classical music.