All-star lineup for INDYCAR weekend in Newton this summer

NEWTON — Cars won’t be the only things revving their engines during the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, July 22 to 24, 2022, at Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Tim McGraw will perform before the INDYCAR Series race on Saturday, July 23, 2022, and Florida Georgia Line will hit the stage after the races.

Gwen Stefani will shift the crowd into high gear before the start of Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 on Sunday, July 24, and her husband, Blake Shelton, will fuel the scene afterward.

Concert admission is included with Saturday and Sunday tickets, and upgrades are available. The event also includes food trucks, kids’ activities and camping.

For details, go to hyveeindycarweekend.com.

Queen of Soul tribute coming to Hancher

IOWA CITY — In 2004, Aretha Franklin brought the house down in the original Hancher Auditorium. The late Queen of Soul’s spirit lives on, and will fill the new Hancher on March 10 with a multimedia tribute performance by created by Damien Sneed and jazz, gospel and soul musicians.

Sneed toured with Franklin late in her career, and the two developed a strong mentor relationship. Joining Sneed onstage will be gospel singer and four-time Grammy winner Karen Clark Sheard.

Show time is 7:30 p.m. at Hancher Auditorium, 141 E. Park Rd. Tickets are $30 to $50 adults, $10 to $45 college students, and $10 to $25 for youths, at hancher.uiowa.edu/2021-22/Damien_Sneed_Aretha_Tribute.

Orchestra Iowa concert salutes Women’s Week

CEDAR RAPIDS — During International Women’s Week, Orchestra Iowa is highlighting the accomplishments and influence of women in orchestra, during Saturday night’s Masterworks Series concert, “Symphonie Fantastique,” at the Paramount Theatre, 123 Third Ave. SE.

The evening begins with composer Ingrid Stolzel's piece, “City Beautiful,” portraying the beauty, variation and life found in a city's architecture.

Jane Walker, Orchestra Iowa’s principal flute player, will be featured in Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts.

The concert ends with “Symphony Fantastique,” a work in five movements by Hector Berloiz. Written when he was just 26 years old, each movement depicts episodes of his life, and his passion for Irish actress Harriet Smithson.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and masks are recommended, but no longer required. Stolzel and Walker will join Maestro Timothy Hankewich for an Insights discussion at 6:45 p.m. in the Paramount’s Encore Lounge.

Tickets are $16 to $56 at the Paramount Ticket Office, (319) 366-8203 or artsiowa.com/tickets/concerts/symphonie-fantastique Student tickets are available at the ticket office, 119 Third Ave. SE, or by phone.

British Invasion coming to Paramount Theatre

CEDAR RAPIDS — They came, they sang, they conquered. The next Broadway at the Paramount offering will showcase the music of the British Invasion, and how it impacted art, fashion, literature — changing pop culture and redirecting history.

The event features a live band with projections of period photos and original film footage, focusing on the music of such British bands as Manfred Mann, The Searchers, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Zombies, Freddie & The Dreamers, Herman’s Hermits and more.

Show time is 8 p.m. Sunday, March 13, 2022, at the Paramount Theatre, 123 Third Ave. SE. Tickets are $40 to $65 at creventslive.com/events/2021/britishinvasion.

Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com