Images from the new Heartland Connections “Spreading Holiday Cheer” video.

John Taylor of Cambridge, Ill. – a local cultural guru behind Heartland Connections, the Levitt AMP Galva Music Series and the Ca d’Zan concert series – has been a busy Christmas elf the past couple weeks.

He has helped produce several holiday videos featuring area musicians. A “Spreading Holiday Cheer” video from Heartland Connections is more than an hour long, and features performances of many musicians in Illinois and Iowa.

You can see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3-pohv2udk and https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandConnections/posts/3607327219492911.

“Originally, I started putting this program together for senior facilities, but once word got out I realized there were many others — healthcare

Identical twins Walter and Wagner Caldas, better known as the Brazilian 2wins, perform in the holiday video.

workers, churches, hospitals, and more — who were eager for a little extra holiday cheer,” Taylor said Thursday. “So, I decided to make the program available to anyone who wanted it.

The video project was created to bring a little holiday cheer to folks who have been isolated from friends and family due to the Covid pandemic. “As the holiday season approached this year, senior facilities, caregivers, hospitals, churches and others began contacting us and asking if we could put together a holiday program like this,” he said. “We put out an open call for songs and stories and this is the result.”

Taylor also helped produce these other holiday-themed videos:

Images from the new Heartland Connections “Spreading Holiday Cheer” video.

Tom Campbell & Chris Stevens all-holiday show:

https://www.facebook.com/3053338498225122/videos/2564401373684813/

The Nice List live:

https://www.facebook.com/3053338498225122/videos/3741123442605456/

A Celtic Winter Solstice:

https://www.facebook.com/3053338498225122/videos/1287797294937087/

Cambridge Junior/Senior High Christmas Program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVXcZWIf76M

Kewanee Salvation Army Christmas Program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO3Bzdafglc

Knox-Galesburg Symphony Christmas Program:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=vUOJjQ-O4JE&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy and Merry Christmas to all!!

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.