Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra to present Music on the Green, June 8
***Due to deteriorating weather conditions this afternoon, the Ottumwa Symphony Music on the Green concert will be held in the Hellyer Student Life Center on the Indian Hills community college campus. 7:00 PM, free admission.***
The Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra invites you to an evening of great music under the open sky. Music on the Green, an event that has become a favorite for attendees, will be held Sunday, June 8th at 7:00 pm on the Marge Dodd Stage at Indian Hills Community College. The theme for this year’s concert is Breezin’. Associate Conductor David Sharp will lead the orchestra in a concert of magnificent American music. Local radio personality Ellis Codjoe will be this year’s emcee.
Sharp states, “A musical highlight for me each year, I look forward to this performance and try to bring a variety of musical sounds to our diverse audience, and this year will be no different.”
This year’s performance will feature jazz guitarist Steve Grismore, an active performer throughout the state of Iowa who has performed with numerous jazz and notable popular artists. Steve was recently inducted into the Iowa Jazz Educators Hall of Fame.
Some of the music that will be performed includes Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind”, Seals & Croft’s “Summer Breeze”, a medley of tunes from the legendary jazz album by Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”, and a tribute to renowned guitarist George Benson. All of the music has been specifically arranged for this concert by Sharp.
Bring a picnic, your favorite beverage, a comfortable chair, and, of course, your friends and family. In case of rain or inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors to the Hellyer Student Life Center directly next to the stage. In the event of cancellation, the public will be notified by 3:00 pm. There is no charge for admission, though a free will offering will be taken.
Steve Grismore – (http://www.gizmojazz.com) is a recently retired Instructor of Jazz Studies at the University of Iowa (from 2000-2022). A prolific performer, Grismore has been playing guitar since 1965 and has degrees from G.I.T. (now called M.I.) and The University of Iowa (B.M. and M.A.). Currently Steve is performing with variations of his own jazz trio, a classic rock band the Beaker Brothers, the Dawg Bone Jazz Trio, and the jazz-funk fusion band Big Fun.
Steve has a long history of jazz education throughout the state of Iowa. He has given workshops at high schools and colleges throughout the Midwest. He has adjudicated numerous high school jazz festivals including those for the Southeastern Iowa Bandmasters Association, the Northern Iowa Area Community College, U of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Central College, Indian Hills Community College, Hoover Jazz Festival, Truman State University, the Tall Corn Jazz Festival, the Jack Oatts Jazz Festival, Liberty Jazz Festival, SEIBA, NEIBA, and many others.
He has taught at several private colleges in Iowa including Coe, Cornell, Central, Grinnell, and Iowa Wesleyan College. In addition, he taught at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA, Blackhawk Community College in Moline, IL, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL, and at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA.
In 1991, Steve, along with Mark Ginsberg, co-founded the Iowa City Jazz Festival. It continues to be a popular summer music destination for jazz lovers of all kinds. He was the festival director from 1991 to 2010.
Steve is married to Virginia Armstrong and has a son Alex.
For more information about the orchestra’s full season, visit ottumwasymphonyorchestra.org.
