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Live on Stage kicks off new season in September

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Live on Stage Marshalltown will launch its 80th concert season at 2 p.m. Sept. 29 with a performance by the Celtic Angels, which consists of five female singers, a band and a group of Irish step dancers.

Live on Stage Marshalltown will launch its 80th concert season in September. The six-show lineup will feature classical music, Irish and Scottish tunes, a Latino brass quintet and more.

The 2019-2020 season kicks off 2 p.m. Sept. 29 with a performance by the Celtic Angels, which consists of five female singers, a band and a group of Irish step dancers.

“They really do sing like angels,” board member Bill Fitzgerald said.

All performances are held at Marshalltown High School/Community Auditorium. Fitzgerald said the acoustics at the auditorium rival if not exceed those found at facilities in Ames and Des Moines. It will be the first time performing in Marshalltown for all acts.

At 7 p.m. Oct. 17, M5 Mexican Brass will perform. Latin America’s most successful brass quintet, the musicians have an international following. LOS Board President Bonnie Lowry said M5 Mexican Brass will be talking with local students that day at 10 a.m. during a special free assembly.

“They are just charming, and our students will really enjoy their humor,” Lowry said.

Next in the series will be Loren & Mark guitar players, who come to Marshalltown 7 p.m. Nov. 16, playing a diverse collection of songs inspired by Americana, jazz, classical, bluegrass, gypsy jazz and more.

Jason Lyle Black’s performance will include piano playing and comedy, slated 7 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2020. He plays the keyboard sitting backwards or hanging upside down. He will also be doing a free school assembly that day at 10 a.m.

Lowry said having big-name musical acts interact with local students is a unique opportunity to help get kids interested in pursuing a career in music.

The Maxwell Quartet will perform at 7 p.m. March 10, 2020. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, they appear regularly on BBC Radio Scotland.

Closing out the 2019-2020 season will be a group that competed on America’s Got Talent — Sons of Serendip, 7 p.m. on April 28, 2020. Using a harp, piano, cello and vocals, the group emotionally expresses popular songs and encourages audience participation.

Every August, LOS board members travel to Nashville to watch around 30 acts audition 20 minutes each.

“Live on Stage Nashville does an excellent job of bringing in established artists that are good at their craft,” Lowry said. “We think this will be one of the best seasons ever.”

Next month, LOS board members will finalize the entertainment lineup for the 2020-2021 season.

Yearly membership is $60, couples $120, and families $135, with individual tickets costing $25 a piece. A subscription also allows entry to free shows through a reciprocity program with the Waterloo Metro Music Series and Jasper County Concert Association in Newton.

“So that means for $60 a person has the chance to see 16 total concerts. It’s very economical,” Lowry said.

Fitzgerald said LOS Marshalltown has around 1,000 subscribers on average — a rate it is always trying to increase.

“It’s cost-efficient to be able to see extremely talented people perform in small towns like Marshalltown,” he said.

LOS is run by an all-volunteer nonprofit board. Formerly called the Marshalltown Community Concert Association, in was founded in 1940.

To subscribe, visit losmarshalltown.org.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

641-753-6611 or

sjordan@timesrepublican.com

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