Contact: Cindy Deppe, director of media relations, 641-269-3404

IOWA FLOODS MOVE MUSICIANS TO GRINNELL COLLEGE

What happens when 400 touring musicians are displaced by a flood in Cedar Rapids? They move to higher ground . . . at Grinnell College.

The Iowa Ambassadors of Music (IAM) planned to practice and perform in Cedar Rapids next week before leaving for a two-week European tour. The floods of 2008 changed their course. Instead the select musicians will arrive on the Grinnell campus on Sunday, June 29 for three days of intense rehearsal before a public performance on Wed., July 2.

Dave Newport, head administrator for the tour and band director at Grinnell High School, made the quick switch in logistics once it was determined that the Cedar Rapids’ venues were no longer viable. "We made the decision to move the tour group to Grinnell College because of its accessible location, the staff’s willingness to work with us, and for the safety and security of our musicians," Newport said.

Students in the 240-member band and 123-member choir are recommended by their high school music teachers for superior music skills and character. A limited number of tickets for the pre-tour concert will be sold for $5 at the door for the July 2 concert at 7:30 p.m. at Grinnell College’s Darby Gym. For directions to campus, go to http://www.grinnell.edu/aboutinfo/directions/drivinginstructions/. For further information about the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, contact Dave Newport, 641-236-6733.

This is the second group to use Grinnell facilities due to flood-related circumstances. The college also hosted a group of 40 Department of Public Health workers from Iowa and other states who needed accommodations as they assessed nursing and environmental needs in the flooded areas of the state.

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