“Up Close with Emily, Bruno, & Kit,” January 11

Family Concert: Saturday, January 11, 11 a.m.

MLK Center, 630 Ninth Street, Rock Island IL

Evening Concert: Saturday, January 11, 7:30 p.m.

Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA

Performing delightful selections for families in the morning and a classical repertoire in the evening, three Quad City Symphony Orchestra talents and narrator Misty Dais present two versions of Up Close with Emily, Bruno, & Kit on January 11, the respective concerts at Rock Island's MILK Center and Davenport's Figge Art Museum treating patrons to the skills of violinist Emily Nash, viola player Bruno Vaz de Silvis, and bassist Kit Polen.

Emily Nash graduated with her MM in violin performance while studying with Almita and Roland Vamos at Northwestern University, graduating early and with high honors. She received her BM in violin performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign while studying with Simin Ganatra, and she has has participated in master classes with the Silk Road Ensemble, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Wendy Sharp, Roland and Almita Vamos, John McGrosso, Kurt Baldwin, Rebecca Henry, and the Parker Quartet. Nash has spent years performing with both the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, where she serves as Associate Concertmaster and Assistant Principal Second, respectively. Nash also performs with the Milwaukee Symphony, Hawaii Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic, Lake Forest Symphony, and the Midwest Mozart Festival.

Bruno Vaz da Silva began studying viola in 2004 in his native Brazil at the Escola de Musica de Brasilia, and after one year, he placed in a solo competition and had the opportunity to perform with the Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia. He graduated from the conservatory in two-and-a-half years – a program that normally takes eight years to complete – and has subsequently performed with the Bensenville Chamber Orchestra, Renovo String Orchestra, North Park University Symphony Orchestra, Brasilia Philharmonic, University of Brasilia String Orchestra, and Art-Brasilia Orchestra, among other ensembles. As a soloist, Silva has won top prizes and has performed with Midwest Young Artists, Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia, North Park University Symphony Orchestra, Mode Ensemble and the Orquestra Art-Brasilia, also performing in various orchestras in both summer and winter music festivals.

Bassist Kit Polen performs regularly with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Philharmonic in addition to being a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Rockford Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed with many artists including the Argus Quartet, Chai Collaborative Ensemble, and Leon Fleisher. Equally comfortable outside the traditional symphonic setting, Polen has collaborated with CSO’s MusicNOW series, the Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, and has also been a part of multiple Grammy nominated R&B recordings. Polen has been based in Chicago since 2011, when he joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as Assistant Principal Bass, and prior to moving to Chicago, he earned his Master of Music from Indiana University and his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, near his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina.

With the event taking place at 11 a.m. at Rock Island's MLK Center, the Up Close with Emily, Bruno, & Kit ensemble will present a 45-minute family concert for kids ages seven and under, where moving, grooving, and making noise is welcomed. The performance will feature the string trio performing South American works with narration and concert activities led by QC Music Therapy founder Misty Dais, and before and after the concert, young audience members are invited try out Orff instruments (drums, marimba, etc.) sponsored by QC Music Therapy.

Later that evening, at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, the 7:30 p.m. performance of Up Close with Emily, Bruno, & Kit will feature a stunning repertoire that boasts works by: Johann Sebastian Bach (selections from The Goldberg Variations transcribed Gjorgji Cincievski); Gideon Klein ("String Trio," movements 1-3 [1); Robert Davidson ("Trio for Strings," second movement); Astor Piazzola ("Libertango" and "Oblivion"); Louis Sauter ("Les Noces de Chounette," third movement); Carlos Gardel ("Por una cabeza"); Cesar Carmargo Mariano ("Cristal"); Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Waters of March" and "Girl of Ipanema"); Caetano Veloso ("O Leaozinho"); Emanuel Bay and Jascha Heifetz ("Ao pe da fogueira"); Carmargo Guarnieri ("Dansa Negra"); Waldir Azevedo ("Brasilerinho"); and Zequinha de Abreu ("Tico-tico").

Admission to the 11 a.m. family concert is $13-18 and evening concert admission is $13-31, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)322-7276 and visiting OCSO.org.