The Wartburg Community Symphony Association will go on the road to Spillville on Saturday, Oct. 5, to offer an interactive taste of Czech culture and celebrate Czech composer Antonin Dvořák’s connections to Northeast Iowa.

The Experience Dvořák event includes a concert at Spillville’s historic St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, where Dvorak played organ during his 1893 summer sojourn in the community, and a tour and reception at the Bily Clocks Museum. Tickets are $45, which includes round-trip charter bus transportation from Waverly to Spillville, museum/concert fees and transportation from the church to the museum. No lunch will be provided, but traditional Czech desserts will be served at the reception. Participants are invited to pack a sack lunch and snacks for the day.

The concert will feature guest artists Ruth Marshall (cello), Karen Black (organ), Garrett Ross (piano) and Kylie Gougler (voice).

“We are excited to offer this event as a prelude to the Wartburg Community Symphony’s 72nd season,” said Rebecca Nederhiser, conductor and artistic director. She added that Marshall will perform Dvořák’s cello concerto at the opening WCS concert in Waverly on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Two of the guest artists for the Spillville event are members of the Wartburg College music faculty. Gougler, who teaches voice, is compiler and editor of “Czech Arias for Soprano: An Anthology” and “Czech Arias for Bass/Baritone: An Anthology.” She won the 2011 American semifinals of the Czech and Slovak International Voice Competition and competed in the international finals in Montreal, Quebec.

Black, professor of music and college organist, has performed as an organ recitalist throughout the United States and in Germany. She is president-elect of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, was North Central Regional Councillor of the American Guild of Organists and is an active member of the Organ Historical Society.

Non-refundable tickets are available at wartburg.edu/symphony on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to a maximum of 44. Email questions to wcs@wartburg.edu.

Experience Dvořák Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 5
10:15 a.m. Board Bus in Waverly (1st Ave NW between Wartburg Chapel/Bachman Fine Arts Center)
10:30 a.m. Bus Departs for Spillville
11:30 a.m. Bus Arrives at St. Wenceslaus Church
12-1 p.m. Concert at Church
1:30 p.m. Bus Arrives at Bily Clocks Museum for Tour/Reception
4 p.m. Reception Ends/Bus Departs for Waverly