Cross-posted at ChicagoMusic.org

Known for the stunning blend of voices, the all-male a cappella chorus Chanticleer returns to Chicago next week for an annual Christmas concert.  The ensemble will perform at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Chestnut Street on December 4 and 5.

Gregory Peebles, the group’s assistant music director, is thrilled to be returning to the Windy City.  Peebles graduated from Roosevelt University and also performed with the Lyric Opera and Chicago Symphony Opera choruses.  For more information visit www.chanticleer.org

The Chicago Philharmonic Chamber Players starts a new season on Sunday, with a concert that promises to highlight some of the best music of the Russian Silver Age of music, literature and art.

The performance includes pieces by Anton Arensky, Paul Juan and Sergi Taneyev, all composers who studied together and were influenced by one another.

Karl Davies, who plays viola with the chamber orchestra, said that the music from the late nineteenth century certainly had that traditional "Russian" flavor, but had quirkier and more individual perspectives, which lends itself well for chamber music.

"You can hear that composer's voice in these songs. The music really talks to the history of the age, and demands a bit from the listener," said Davies. "I hope we take people on a journey to another era."

Fulcrum Point musicians, Flamenco dancer Chiara Mangiameli, and the Sones de Mexico Ensemble are creating quite the musical mashup next week, when arts education and new music and Latin culture come together.

In a performance benefiting Fulcrum Point’s Sound Tracks education programming, the Fiesta Latina is definitely a celebration of music and dance says Stephen Burns, executive director of Fulcrum Point.

Tuesday’s concert promises to be a combination of music and dance, and something Chicago-based flamenco dancer Chiara Mangiameli (who you might remember from the Looking Glass production of Rick Bayless’ Cascabel), has been working long and hard on with her students in Soundtracks. She says her own love of dance, particularly the story that comes with the flamenco music is really exciting for the kids.

When Inna Faliks launched Music/Words five years ago in New York City, the concept was born out of her own inspiration from the literature she loved.  The series brings together poets and musicians in performance, to find new creative energy and reach new audiences.  The program has featured musicians like Chicago cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Leon Livshin, and poets like Mark Levine, Sandra Beasley, and Jesse Ball.