News : Vinton native Reed returning to Iowa to conduct Riverfront Pops Concert

Jeffrey Reed: Vinton native will lead Riverfront Pops Concert this weekend in Davenport.

Nearly 40 years after hanging out in Vinton with his Washington High School classmates, playing trumpet in the school band and listening to rock bands like the Eagles on the radio, Jeffrey Reed is returning to Iowa to lead a tribute to the 70s Rock & Roll Band – accompanied by orchestra music.

Reed will be the guest conductor for the Riverfront Pops Concert in Davenport this Saturday, and several of his high school friends plan to attend.

Currently the conductor of Orchestra Kentucky in Bowling Green, Reed will lead the Quad-City Symphony Orchestra in Saturday's event. Vinton classmate and musician Ed Knupp is organizing attendance of classmates who still live in eastern Iowa.

According to his web site, “Reed has been bringing back the memories as music director of the acclaimed Orchestra Kentucky. His concert presentations are singularly authentic, recreating the soundtracks of pop music’s greatest decades. From the 1940s to our time, his concerts celebrate anniversaries and popular music milestones, from Elvis, The Beatles and The Beach Boys to The Carpenters and beyond, drawing on some of the nation’s brightest musical talent.”

Along the way, Reed has worked with Glen Campbell, Keith Emerson, Peter Tork, Paul Williams and many others, working with his own orchestras as well as orchestras in St. Petersburg, Russia and South Korea. He has twice appeared with the Royal Philharmonic at London’s Royal Albert Hall at the request of Neil Sedaka.

Reed, who went from Vinton to the U of Iowa to earn his Master's Degree in Conducting, says two of his favorite Eagle songs are “Take it Easy” and “Lyin' Eyes.”

“A competent arranger can add orchestra music to anything,” Reed says.

Reed's booking agent is from London; he says his last visit to Iowa was about 10 years ago, although he conducted the Omaha Symphony last season.

See Reed's interview with the Quad City Times HERE.
The Quad-City Bank & Trust Riverfront Pops concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at LeClaire Park, Davenport. Cost is $20 for adults and $5 for kids. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit qcso.org.

For more information about Reed, visit www.JeffreyReed.info