CLINTON, IA – Quad City Arts continues its 51st season of professional performing arts residencies for the 2023-24 school year with the Visiting Artist Series at Clinton Community College, one of the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Two performances will be offered at CCC in October. Kulaiwi will perform on Wednesday, October 2 at 6 p.m. The Belgian folk band WÖR is scheduled for Wednesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. Both events will be held at the CCC Auditorium, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton.
Kulaiwi
Kulāiwi means ‘land of my ancestors.’ With soaring vocals, island harmonies and a folk vibe, along with an easy-going charisma and witty banter, they are committed to telling the stories of Hawai’i – the land and the people – from their Indigenous points-of-view. Their prodigious talents as lyricists and composers create music imbued with Hawaiian values and ways of seeing and living in the world. Both their original songs and their selections of Hawaiian classics are inspired by diverse musical styles and reflect their passionate commitment to their islands.
The debut album ‘Kulāiwi Native Lands’ by Kawika Kahiapo, Lehua Kalima and Shawn Pimental won the 2022 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for Group of the Year, Hawaiian Album of the Year and the prestigious Album of the Year. The 15 tracks feature a mix of new original songs from some of the most renowned Haku Mele in Hawaii and several timeless Hawaiian classic mele.
WÖR
WÖR (pronounced ‘were’) is a band of five musicians whose curiosity, passion and talent has led to a niche goldmine of melodies in stunning contemporary arrangements. Back to the 1780’s! If it sounded good back then, why not today? With their finely textured arrangements WÖR injects new energy into 18th-century melodies from the Flanders region of Belgium. Their music shines an inventive spotlight, with a modern twist, on the melodies in these manuscripts. Their music is a mix of folk, early music, and jazz, and they use instruments such as the bagpipes, accordion, guitar, violin, and saxophone.
They released 3 albums (‘Back to the 1780’s’ (2015), ‘Sssht’ (2017) and ‘About Towers’ (2021) and toured in Europe, Australia, Canada & the US (including the National Folk Festival, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Concertgebouw Brugge, Sunfest, Shetland folk festival). In August 2018 they won the German award ‘Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik’ with their album ‘Sssht’. In 2021 they were nominated for ‘Best live band’ at the Flemish Folk Awards’ and their album ‘About Towers’ made it into the ‘World Music Charts Europe’.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the calendar at
https://www.quadcityarts.com/events.html. The series serves students and community members in Clinton, Scott, and Muscatine Counties in Iowa, and Henry, Rock Island, and Mercer Counties in Illinois. Since 1974, the Visiting Artists Series has engaged Quad City residents of all ages in quality arts experiences with professional performing artists. For more information about the Visiting Artists Series residency program, visit www.quadcityarts.com/vas.
