A feast for your eyes, ears, and tastebuds awaits at the Ainsworth Opera House next week as a southeast Iowa music ensemble returns for its fifth season of concerts incorporated with local historian Mike Zahs and the Brinton film collection.

Zahs and Red Cedar Chamber Music of Marion are traveling around the state this spring with 15 scheduled concerts titled “Brinton Surprise.” One of their first events will be held Thursday, April 21st at the opera house with a dinner beforehand. This will be Red Cedar Chamber Music’s first Ainsworth performance in over two years, and will feature previously composed music for the Brinton film collection, and new works that the group collaborated with French composers to make. Zahs says there are over 1,300 magic lantern slides and five hours of film in the collection to choose from, “What I found was at the University of Iowa they have many collections. And they didn’t even know the total number but they knew it was considerably over 2,000 collections. And the Brinton collection was one of two most-used collections at the University which is kind of a neat thing, I think.”

The musicians will be playing with antique instruments collected by Zahs, and prior to the concert will be a Venetian-themed dinner tying in with a George Méliès’ film that takes place in Venice, Italy. Cost to attend the dinner and concert is $25 and contact information to make a reservation is included here. Hear more about the “Brinton Surprise” during today’s Halcyon House Washington Page.