Category: Music

The Centennial Season, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the historic theater, wouldn’t be a celebration without the Des Moines Women’s Club, who completed the theater in 1923 to accommodate their membership.
Midwest singer-songwriter Chad Elliott will perform at the DMWC’s 137th Opening Day at 1:00 PM on October 5 in the Hoyt Sherman Place Theater. Elliott blends folk roots, swampy blues and soulful writing to deliver an original Americana sound.
This event is FREE and open to the public. There will be a reception following the concert with cupcakes and beverages.

Noce Presents First Fridays w/The NOLA Jazz Band from 5-7PM the first Friday of each month. Doors at 4:30.

From their debut in The Basement of The Des Moines Social Club in March 2015, the NOLA Jazz Band has been in demand across the greater Midwest. They have also played numerous festivals across Iowa and the Midwest, and are highly sought after for larger private events in the Des Moines area. The band also continues to build their reputation regionally and across the U.S.
Band members have shared the stage with jazz greats and have been inducted into the Iowa Jazz and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame. They have also played at well-known Jazz clubs such as Spotted Cat in New Orleans and the Iridium and Smalls in New York City.

Fridays 5-9, DJs spin everything from classic Motown tracks to current funk-infused hits. $5 featured cocktail weekly + free bar snacks.
Those time-to-start-the-weekend vibes happen every Friday from 5-9pm at Nightingale Cocktail.
Des Moines’ best DJs spin everything from classic Motown tracks to current funk-infused hits while our bartenders prepare Des Moines’ best cocktail menu. Each week features a $5 signature cocktail, no cover charge, and complimentary bar snacks.
After work, after dinner, or as the warmup for our late night events, this is your destination for good times.
At Nightingale Cocktail we believe that a great cocktail is more than just a beverage, it’s an experience that starts with your first sip and extends all the way to the last delicious drop of an expertly crafted cocktail. We believe that every drink should be fresh, delicious, and properly prepared with exactly the ingredients necessary to create a perfect drinking experience—and nothing more. We believe that fresh ingredients, high quality spirits, and expert technique are the key to outstanding cocktails.
Check out our outstanding cocktail menu…

Antonio Collins learned to play the piano at age seven and has been performing ever since. As the son of a preacher and the oldest of seven kids, Antonio and his siblings sang together at churches throughout the State of Mississippi as they grew up. At the age of eighteen, Antonio attended college full-time, played the piano for three Southern Baptist churches each week, and had his own record label.
In 2013, Antonio moved to Davenport, Iowa. He performed in several musicals in the Quad Cities, including “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” at The Black Box Theater and “The Love of Motown: An All-Star Tribute” and “Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh” at the Adler Theater. As a student at Eastern Iowa Community College, where he minored in music, Antonio also accompanied the jazz choir. A member of the Masonic family, Antonio became known across the state when he served as Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge of Iowa from 2018 – 2021. He is the first African-American to become a Grand Lodge Officer in the 175-year history of the Grand Lodge of Iowa.
When he is not sitting at the piano, Antonio enjoys spending time with his family, good food, listening to live music, traveling, and hunting.

Noce is proud to present a show featuring Max Wellman alongside the Max Wellman Big Band, celebrating the life & music of Francis Albert Sinatra. Initially developed in 2015 following Sinatra’s centennial birthday, the show has been a consistent favorite at Noce, covering some of Sinatra’s early hits from Dorsey days such as All Or Nothing At All, or All Of Me, all the way through the famous concept albums like Only the Lonely & In The Wee Small Hours.
New & Revamped for 2022, the beloved show is back to its full 17 piece Big Band glory, pulling new selections from Sinatra’s extensive catalogue.
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Vocalist Max Wellman is enticing music lovers throughout the region. With a sound evoking the likes of Sinatra and Connick, Wellman’s recordings & performances promise that the Great American Songbook is alive & well for a new generation of listeners.
Wellman co-founded Noce, a state-of-the-art jazz club in the Western Gateway neighborhood of downtown Des Moines. Additionally, Wellman has appeared at some of the great clubs throughout the country, from Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center to Andy’s Jazz Club in Chicago to Dazzle in Denver & many in between.

Virtuosic saxophonist Chris Merz has put together an All-Star cast to celebrate the music of the great Wayne Shorter.

Multi-reed instrumentalist Christopher Merz has performed on 4 continents with members of the Brubeck family, including Dave Brubeck. During his 3-year stint as Lecturer of Jazz and Saxohone at the University of Natal in Durban, he performed with many of the giants of South African jazz including Hugh Masekela, Winston Mankunku Ngozi, and Barney Rachabane.
His recording credits include Steve McCraven, Darius Brubeck, John Rapson and Jon Snell, as well as his own projects; Counterculture, the Chris Merz/Bob Washut Duo, The X-tet, and Equilateral. His 1997 release with the X-tet, Mystery is My Story, prompted Dave Brubeck to write, “I am very pleased with this wonderful band. Naturally I would admire a group like yours that, to me, is a grand extension of what we were doing…when we were the ‘new thing’”. Current projects include Colossus Central (an exciting new big band led by UNI alum Michael Conrad) and the quartet, Christopher’s Very Happy. Band., which performs Merz’s originals exclusively. CVH.B.’s debut cd, We Are Bathed in Sunlight, was recently released on RealTown! Records. An accomplished composer/arranger for large jazz ensembles, Merz has received commissions from university and high school big bands throughout the country, and is published through UNC Jazz Press and ejazzlines. He is also a highly sought after guest soloist, clinician and conductor at university and high school jazz festivals nationwide, and is endorsed by Rico and TM Custom tenor saxophones.
Director of Jazz Studies at UNI, and the 2006 recipient of the CHFA University Book and Supply Outstanding Teaching award, Merz directs the award winning UNI Jazz Band One (which has recorded 13 compact disc under his leadership). He is the founder and director of the UNI Combo Camp, an annual event for high school jazz students and music educators, which takes place in June. He is also a Past President of Jazz Educators of Iowa (JEI).

Feature Band on Sunday, October 9 – Ortonville Circus! A string band, Ortonville Circus typically plays bluegrass, but with their own brand and style. The group has played in the Des Moines area, and across Iowa, for many years. A highlight for the band was playing with the Fort Dodge Symphony (you can find videos on YouTube). All four band members (Mark Movic, Jeremy Phillips, Tom Riehl and Lynn Swanson) are original to the group.
The Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation would like to invite you to enjoy our weekly Sunday Fall event – Local Bands, Brews and Bikes. Listen to local bands and enjoy a brew from the Des Moines Biergarten, a pop-up beer garden serving up German-style beers and craft beers Thursdays through Sundays until the end of October. Easily accessible by bike trails, this family (and pet!) friendly weekly event will run through the end of October.

Tai Verdes – HDTV Tour

Doors: 7:00 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
All Ages

$25 In Advance (General Admission)
$30 Day of Show (General Admission)

Tickets on sale Thursday, June 30th at 10:00 AM online at woolysdm.com or in-person at the Wooly’s box office which is open weekdays from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

About Tai Verdes

Doors: 6:30 PM
Show: 7:30 PM
All Ages
$25 (General Admission)
Tickets are now on sale online at www.woolysdm.com or at the Wooly’s box office which is open weekdays from 12:00 – 5:00 PM.
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2006. It consists of Mikel Jollett, Steven Chen, Adrian Rodriguez, and Daren Taylor. The band released its debut self-titled album in 2008 and released its follow-up album, All at Once, on April 26, 2011.

Fridays 5-9, DJs spin everything from classic Motown tracks to current funk-infused hits. $5 featured cocktail weekly + free bar snacks.
Those time-to-start-the-weekend vibes happen every Friday from 5-9pm at Nightingale Cocktail.
Des Moines’ best DJs spin everything from classic Motown tracks to current funk-infused hits while our bartenders prepare Des Moines’ best cocktail menu. Each week features a $5 signature cocktail, no cover charge, and complimentary bar snacks.
After work, after dinner, or as the warmup for our late night events, this is your destination for good times.
At Nightingale Cocktail we believe that a great cocktail is more than just a beverage, it’s an experience that starts with your first sip and extends all the way to the last delicious drop of an expertly crafted cocktail. We believe that every drink should be fresh, delicious, and properly prepared with exactly the ingredients necessary to create a perfect drinking experience—and nothing more. We believe that fresh ingredients, high quality spirits, and expert technique are the key to outstanding cocktails.
Check out our outstanding cocktail menu…

Doors: 6:00 PM
Show: 7:00 PM
All Ages

$12 In Advance (General Admission)
$15 Day of Show (General Admission)

Tickets on sale Friday, August 26th at 10:00 AM online at woolysdm.com or in person at the Wooly’s box office open week days from 12 PM to 5 PM.

Alyssa Allgood is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist, bandleader, educator, and composer who has been described as “assured and daring” by DownBeat Magazine and a “model of sophisticated song interpretation” by the Chicago Tribune. She brings a modern flair to the jazz tradition with her engaging arrangements, infectious swing feel, and lyrical focus of self-love, and human connection.
Wielding her instrument with extraordinary nuance and depth, Allgood has established herself as a leading voice in Chicago’s vibrant jazz scene and beyond. She has appeared at such distinguished venues as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Club in Shanghai, Birdland Jazz Club, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, Winter’s Jazz Club, the Jazz Estate and Noce Jazz Club. Allgood was named first place winner of the Inaugural Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Voice Competition, the David Baker Memorial Scholarship winner through the Jazz Education Network, Best Jazz Entertainer in the Chicago Music Awards, a Luminarts Cultural Foundation Jazz Improvisation Fellow, and a Semifinalist in the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition, where she performed for a jury presided by jazz legend Al Jarreau.
Allgood has released three albums to critical acclaim from publications such as DownBeat Magazine, All About Jazz, the Huffington Post and the New York City Jazz Record. Her 2021 release “What Tomorrow Brings” (Cellar Music) is her most sophisticated declaration yet, an introspective journey of self-discovery in the form of originals and refined interpretations of classics. Her previous albums “Out of the Blue” (Self-released) and “Exactly Like You” (Cellar Music) earned Allgood praise from critics for her instrumental approach and accomplished scat and vocalese singing.
Allgood is a passionate educator who empowers her students to learn with intention, vulnerability, and curiosity. She is currently pursuing her M.M. in Jazz Studies at DePaul University, where she is serving as a Graduate Assistant. She teaches private lessons through the Allgood Jazz Studio, and has previously taught at Elmhurst University, the Chicago Academy for the Arts and Merit School of Music. Allgood is a sought-after clinician and has presented masterclasses at many esteemed institutions including Drake University, the University of Chicago, the Illinois Music Educators Association, Illinois Wesleyan University, and the Valley Vocal Jazz Summit.

Feature Band on Sunday, October 16 – NOLA Jazz Band! From their debut in The Basement of The Des Moines Social Club in March 2015, the NOLA Jazz Band has been in demand across the greater Midwest. All band members have a common love for the “feel” of both traditional and current New Orleans based music – real, gutsy, raw, heartfelt, and entertaining. The band truly enjoys playing this fun music together and sees their audiences as part of their “family living room experience” for each performance. The NOLA Jazz Band loves to expose audiences to this traditional jazz music, its history, and emotion.
Learn more about NOLA Jazz Band
The Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation would like to invite you to enjoy our weekly Sunday Fall event – Local Bands, Brews and Bikes. Listen to local bands and enjoy a brew from the Des Moines Biergarten, a pop-up beer garden serving up German-style beers and craft beers Thursdays through Sundays until the end of October. Easily accessible by bike trails, this family (and pet!) friendly weekly event will run through the end of October.