Daily Herald – The Simple Gifts Concert Series of the Glenview Community Church, 1000 Elm Street, hosts a concert exploring the theme of peace on Sunday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Violinist Katherine Hughes, saxophonist Kevin Kizer, organist Gary Wendt, vocalist Tricia Melzer Swaydrak, the Artistrings String Quartet, jazz vocalist Jade Maze, and the rhythm section of Kent Wehman, Ken Haebich, and Neal Wehman, and singer/songwriter/multimedia artist Linda Marie Smith perform songs about peace in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary, including original compositions. After years of professional performance these versatile musicians are equally comfortable with jazz, classical and pop styles.
Collaborating with these musicians will be representatives of different faith communities including Dr. Koray Aydin, Dr. Ali Yilmaz and Hakan Barberson of Group Yakamoz, the Joyful Ringers Bell Choir and Elliot Dvorin and Doreen Kane of the Key Tov Orchestra.
Enjoy a post-concert reception featuring a peace-themed art show curated by Robin Woodsome with a demonstration of Ebru, the traditional Turkish paper-marbling art, by Meryem Askin. A free-will offering benefits Hands of Peace. Masks, please.
The concert is being organized by Katherine Hughes. Ms. Hughes is a professional violinist, performing in and around the area for over 45 years. She and her husband, Kevin Kizer, are long time Glenview residents. Kevin is a professional saxophonist who can be seen performing at the Green Mill, Andy’s and Constellation.
Katherine is a member of the Glenview Community Church and for the last 9 years has organized the Concert for Peace, which benefits Hands of Peace. Hands of Peace is a summer program sponsored by the church that brings Israeli and Palestinian teenagers to the United States to interact with local teens. The program teaches team-building and leadership skills, helps the participants learn about different cultures and religions, guides them in learning about the conflict from different points of view, and encourages them to take action to incorporate peace-building into their personal lives.
For information visit https://handsofpeace.org/summer-program/ .
Elliot Dvorin founded the Key Tov Orchestra as a Jewish wedding band 19 years ago. Since 2014 the Key Tov Orchestra has found success with its original music videos. Their highly popular YouTube performances have received millions of views by people all over the world. Their Hanukkah Song Mashup video has generated over two million views, landing them a TV appearance on FOX. Elliot recently got married to Doreen Kane, an Israeli singer, who together with Elliot enjoys performing duets
Jade Maze is a singer, composer, author and educator. She spent many years touring internationally singing jazz and contemporary music, then went on to earn her MM in classical vocal performance from Northwestern University. Jade is a teaching artist for Ravinia Festival and teaches voice throughout Chicagoland. She received the 2016 Clementine Skinner award for her contributions as a singer and educator to the black music culture in Chicago. Her memoir Walk Until Sunrise, winner of the 2018 Golden Aster Book World Literary Prize (Rome, Italy), has been described as “a stunning memoir of loss and redemption.”Currently, Maze is working on the next installment of her memoir, a short story collection entitled Tales from an American Singer, and several recording projects.
Singer/songwriter Linda Marie Smith has written songs for over 40 years. Her music focuses on feminine empowerment, perseverance, relentless courage, and resilience. Smith’s music is romantic, soulful, earthy, and mystical; her lyrics and melodies weave colorful stories of intriguing people and curious places. She is currently working on her latest project, Frida Kahlo~A Woman Who Dared.
This concert is part of the Simple Gift Concert Series of the Glenview Community Church. The Glenview Community Church is handicap accessible and has plenty of free onsite parking. It is 3 blocks west of the Glenview Metra North train station. The Glenview Community Church is an open and affirming congregation.
Visit http://www.gccucc.org or call 847-724-2210 for further details.