Now in its whopping 105th season, Civic Music MKE – which supports music education and offers performance opportunities for young musicians, as well as honoring music teachers – hosts Live at the Ivy House, 906 S. Barclay St., on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
The free event is open to the public. It kicks off at 6 p.m. and includes performances by West Allis West Milwaukee Shining Strings, led by Mary Pat Michels, 2015 Educator Award recipient; Ben Piette and Friends, including 2019 High School Competition winner, saxophonist Casimir Riley; Milwaukee Trombone Quartet, with Civi Music board member Kent Tess-Mattner; and The Yardbird Ensemble, featuring current scholarship recipients, Adyn Hamann and Kue Xiong.
The event follows on Civic Music MKE's “Can’t Stop the Music” show at Ivy House in May.
"Civic Music MKE is committed to ensuring live music is available to everyone in our community," said Pete Lange, Civic Music MKE board president.
"We present our performances open to the public, free of charge, and in accessible venues. Live at the Ivy House continues this tradition while celebrating the wealth of musical talent we have here in the Greater Milwaukee community."
Civic Music Association of Milwaukee uses instruction, coaching, scholarships, performance opportunities and award programs to help creative young people realize their dreams.
It was founded in 1918 by Liborious Semmann, Dean of the College of Music at Marquette University. Initially, it was a membership-based organization supprted in part by the City of Milwaukee.
Nine years later, the group founded the Young People’s Orchestra under the direction of Rudolph Kopp.
In 2018, CMA celebrated its centennial with a gala featuring guest artist, trumpeter Doc Severinsen.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He can be heard weekly on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories.
