Cedar Rapids, IA – The Opus Concert Café, located adjacent to the Paramount Theatre at 119 Third Avenue SE in downtown Cedar Rapids, along with KCCK FM 88.3, will launch the
First Friday Jazz Series on August 3, 2012 with renowned jazz pianist Tom Bourcier. Bourcier is on faculty at Luther College where he teaches improvisation, jazz theory and arranging, supervises jazz combos, and directs the Jazz Band and Luther College Jazz Quintet. He will be joined on stage by Cedar Rapids vocal sensation Lynne Rothrock. The two will reprise their successful “Half Price Chocolates In A Heart-Shaped Box” concerts that were held in Decorah, IA in February 2012.
The
First Friday Jazz Series features an eclectic mix of jazz, Latin, contemporary music and more in an intimate, upscale environment. Performances will occur the first Friday of every month. Doors open at 4:30 with live music performed from 5 pm to 7 pm. Admission is $10.
Opus provides a full-service bar for those 21 years of age and older and food service. The series will be broadcast live on KCCK FM Jazz 88.3 or online at
www.kcck.org .
The line-up for the first three months includes Jazz Faculty from Luther College, Drake University, the University of Northern Iowa, plus a diverse mix of music by Iowa composers, including Thelonious Assault on September 7 and the Iowa Composers Forum on October 5.
What:
First Friday Jazz Series presents pianist Tom Bourcier with Lynne Rothrock
Where: Opus Concert Café, 119 Third Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
When: Friday, August 3, 2012; doors open at 4:30 p.m. with live music from 5 – 7 pm
Price: Admission $10
Tom Bourcier has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America and the Caribbean, performing with and backing up musicians and acts such as the Dirty Dozen Band, Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Schwall of the Siegal-Schwall Band, Buddy Rich, Donald O’Connor, comedian David Brenner, Debbie Reynolds, and Jack Jones. From 1987-96 he led the Tom Bourcier Trio, and subsequently performed accordion with Bourcier, Julin, and Wolff. The group released a CD, Live at St. Andrews, in 2000. Tom also performs accordion with singer/ songwriter Robin Lee Berry on Going Driftless, a 2002 Red House Records retrospective of Greg Brown songs performed by female artists. His first solo piano CD, Steps, was independently released in 2002. Portals, a tango suite composed for movement theatre, was released in 2011 on the independent label 2Moons Records.
Tom received the Master of Music degree in composition from Western Michigan University. He served as Music Director/Assistant Professor in the Department of Dance at the University of Illinois from 1991-96, and premiered 17 original compositions in Illinois Dance Theatre and Illinois Repertory Theatre productions. His jazz chart In Walked Bo was recently recorded by the Composer’s Big Band in New York City. In 2004, I Saw Elvis for alto saxophone and electric guitar, received its European premiere at the Royal Conservatory of Music in London. Tom recieved the award for Best Original Music Score at the 2010 Iowa Motion Picture Awards for his music in the film Rebirth, directed by Francesca Soans.
At Luther College Tom teaches improvisation, jazz theory and arranging, supervises jazz combos, and directs the Jazz Band and Luther College Jazz Quintet. He resides in rural Decorah with his four sons
Lynne Rothrock is a jazz, blues, and cabaret singer whose mega-watt personality has graced stages in musical theatre, nightclubs and concert halls across the U.S., from Seattle’s Bumbershoot Arts Festival to the Manhattan Vocal Jazz Festival at Lincoln Center. She has produced three CD recordings: “This Is Me,” “Christmas,” and “I Love Being Here.”
Rothrock is a graduate of Luther College. She worked as a performer and arts educator in St. Paul, Seattle, and Nashville before returning to Cedar Rapids where she resides with her husband, accomplished blues guitarist Ron DeWitte.
The
Opus Concert Café opened in November 2011. Created by Orchestra Iowa as an upscale performance destination, Opus has become a home to a variety of performances including jazz, cabaret, chamber music, and comedy. It serves as a pre- and post-event lounge for Paramount Theatre events, and is the ideal setting for private receptions, meetings, and parties.