Dave Barkley's Illinois Song

The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to welcome Dave Barkley to Our Front Porch on Sunday, December 13 at 7:00 pm. The Macomb native and Los Angeles based composer, producer, and musician will join us “virtually” to celebrate the release of his latest composition, Illinois Song.

Barkley intended the new composition to be a gift to his hometown and honor life in west-central Illinois. Barkley’s Illinois Song is a touching and inspiring contemporary instrumental adaptation of Illinois’ state song, written for acoustic piano and jazz tenor sax. With Barkley on the piano and fellow Illinois native, Mark Johnson, on tenor sax, the composition evokes wide-open space, taking us on a soulful and inspiring journey.

Museum Director Sue Scott will welcome Barkley to Our Front Porch via the Museum’s YouTube Channel and guests are welcome to join the live conversation using the comment section. We’ll discuss Barkley’s memories of growing up in McDonough County, and attending Western Illinois University before heading to Berklee College of Music in Boston. He’ll share his love for Disneyland and how he came to work in Los Angeles where his compositions are featured in productions from CW, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, CBS, Disney, and Sony Pictures, among others. The conversation will also get the low-down on his 1893 Steinway Studio Upright Grand, which he has named Gus, and has made its debut on this recording.

Dave Barkley’s Illinois Song can be purchased on his Bandcamp page starting December 11, 2020. https://barktunesmx.bandcamp.com/releases

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Two Rivers Arts Council.

For more information, please contact the Western Illinois Museum at 309.837.2750, or visit the museum’s Facebook page or website at www.wimuseum.org.