Add these concerts on your calendar for this week!

from ChicagoMusic.org

Baroque Band

There’s something to be said for the classics. But there’s also something special about being able to see a composerand hear their work at the same time. Enter Contempo, a contemporary classical concert series featuring music only by living composers from University Chicago Presents. Contempo kicks off its 48th season Saturday night.

With works from University of Chicago faculty, Grammy-award winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird the Pacifica Quartet will be among several of the artists on hand to play during the performance. The concert will feature works composed by Pulitzer Prize winner and Contempo’s artistic director, Shulamit Ran, as well as Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer in Residence Augusta Read Thomas, and Mara Ptaszynska and Anthony Cheung.

Last May I graduated with a master’s degree in cello performance. I took entire semester-long seminars on Mahler, Schumann and Purcell, played in both large and small ensembles, gave a degree recital and received a diploma. Then, along with many of my colleagues, I started to freak out.

It’s not difficult to see why the members of Third Coast Percussion have such energy when they perform. The music is exciting. The rhythms are different. And the sheer action of playing percussion instruments doesn’t hurt either.

From ChicagoMusic.org

Check out these classical and new music happenings around Chicago this week.