Flutist Jan Boland and guitarist John Dowdall commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War with 19th-c. American music that inspired the troops, supported the war effort and entertained those at home.

The performers bring an Iowa perspective to this era, interspersing the music with conversation about the war, including readings from Iowa diaries and letters and some of the earliest tunes published in Iowa.

Performed on period instruments, the concert features poignant ballads like Aura Lee, lively dance tunes like The Cruel War Quickstep, battle-inspired melodies like Ellsworth’s Funeral March, fife calls that led the troops into battle and nostalgic tunes sung by soldiers both North & South like Auld Lang Syne.

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