Chicago Classical Music

Lei Hou, violin
Qing Hou, violin
Lawrence Neuman, viola
Kenneth Olsen, cello

Mozart - String Quartet No. 23 in F Major
Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8
Brahms - String Quartet No. 2

This event takes place in Buntrock Hall at Symphony Center.

Tickets and Information

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Robert Levin, piano

Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish)

 

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner and pianist Robert Levin, both known for their revelatory performances of Viennese classics, turn their attention to Beethoven’s poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. Schumann’s exciting Rhenish Symphony and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, an orchestral arrangement of one of his string quartets, complete the program.

Pre-concert lecture information »

Purchase Tickets

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Robert Levin, piano

Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish)

 

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner and pianist Robert Levin, both known for their revelatory performances of Viennese classics, turn their attention to Beethoven’s poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. Schumann’s exciting Rhenish Symphony and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, an orchestral arrangement of one of his string quartets, complete the program.

Pre-concert lecture information »

Purchase Tickets

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Robert Levin, piano

Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish)

 

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner and pianist Robert Levin, both known for their revelatory performances of Viennese classics, turn their attention to Beethoven’s poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. Schumann’s exciting Rhenish Symphony and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, an orchestral arrangement of one of his string quartets, complete the program.

Pre-concert lecture information »

Purchase Tickets

 St Charles Singers Presents

 

Faire is the Heaven

 ‘Songs of Serenity and Light'

 March 8, 2008, 7:30pm

Baker Memorial Methodist Church

St.Charles,  IL

 

March 9, 2008, 4:00pm

St. Michael Church

Wheaton

Tickets:  call 630.513.5272

Online at www.stcharlessingers.com

 Or at Town House Books

105 North Second Avenue

St. Charles

 St Charles Singers Presents

 

Faire is the Heaven

 ‘Songs of Serenity and Light'

 March 8, 2008, 7:30pm

Baker Memorial Methodist Church

St.Charles,  IL

 

March 9, 2008, 4:00pm

St. Michael Church

Wheaton

Tickets:  call 630.513.5272

Online at www.stcharlessingers.com

 Or at Town House Books

105 North Second Avenue

St. Charles

LaSalle Bank Piano Series

Alfred Brendel, piano

Haydn - Variations in F minor
Mozart - Sonata in F Major, K. 533/494
Beethoven - Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia)
Schubert - Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

 

Final Recital in Chicago!

One of the world’s preeminent pianists, Alfred Brendel returns for his annual performance at Orchestra Hall. Renowned for his masterly interpretations of the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Liszt, he is one of the indisputable authorities in musical life today.

Purchase Tickets

Free Interactive Concerts for Children
Indian Boundary Park
Cultural Center
2500 West Lunt Avenue (West Rogers Park)

The Grammy-nominated Chicago Chamber Musicians revels in miniatures and monuments at the March concerts.  Kurtag and Ligeti's chamber works encapsulate the intimacy of the art form while Hellendaal and Mozart embrace its majestic artistry.  Internationally renowned bassoonist Milan Turkovic joins the ensemble for Mozart's Gran Partita and Quintet Attacca, Grand Prize-winner of the prestigious Fiscoff Competition, performs Ligeti's Six Bagatelles.

Kurtag: The Little Predicament, Op. 15b
Hellendaal: Centone No. 10 (arr. Verne Reynolds)
Ligeti: Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
Mozart: Serenade No. 10 in B-Flat Major, K. 361 (Gran Partita)

Ensemble Artists
Michael Henoch, oboe
Larry Combs, clarinet
Dennis Michel, bassoon
Gail Williams, horn
Barbara Butler, trumpet
Charles Geyer, trumpet
Michael Mulcahy, trombone
Bradley Opland, double bass

Quintet Attacca
Jennifer Clippert, flute
Erica Anderson, oboe
Barbara Drapcho, clarinet
Collin Anderson, bassoon
Jeremiah Frederick, horn

Guest Artists
Alex Klein, oboe
Julie DeRoche, clarinet
Milan Turkovic, bassoon
Adam Unsworth, horn
Gabrielle Webster, horn
J. Lawrie Bloom, basset horn

The Grammy-nominated Chicago Chamber Musicians revels in miniatures and monuments at the March concerts.  Kurtag and Ligeti's chamber works encapsulate the intimacy of the art form while Hellendaal and Mozart embrace its majestic artistry.  Internationally renowned bassoonist Milan Turkovic joins the ensemble for Mozart's Gran Partita and Quintet Attacca, Grand Prize-winner of the prestigious Fiscoff Competition, performs Ligeti's Six Bagatelles.

Kurtag: The Little Predicament, Op. 15b
Hellendaal: Centone No. 10 (arr. Verne Reynolds)
Ligeti: Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
Mozart: Serenade No. 10 in B-Flat Major, K. 361 (Gran Partita)

Ensemble Artists
Michael Henoch, oboe
Larry Combs, clarinet
Dennis Michel, bassoon
Gail Williams, horn
Barbara Butler, trumpet
Charles Geyer, trumpet
Michael Mulcahy, trombone
Bradley Opland, double bass

Quintet Attacca
Jennifer Clippert, flute
Erica Anderson, oboe
Barbara Drapcho, clarinet
Collin Anderson, bassoon
Jeremiah Frederick, horn

Guest Artists
Alex Klein, oboe
Julie DeRoche, clarinet
Milan Turkovic, bassoon
Adam Unsworth, horn
Gabrielle Webster, horn
J. Lawrie Bloom, basset horn

"Omega: Earth and Fire"
Venue: Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL
7:30 p.m.

 

“Essential Art: Essential Elements” concludes with a searing, earth-moving performance featuring “Continental Divide” by Derek Bermel, “Ground Swell” by Steve Mackey with guest artist Hsin-Yun Huang (Violist), “Inner Demons” by Stacy Garrop, “Racconto dall'Inferno” by Louis Andriessen. In the beginning there was light and water, but in the end the earth rises up and is consumed in flames!

The audience is invited to stay for a post-concert reception and discussion with the composers and performers. There will be complimentary wine from VinDiVino and refreshments.

Featured Artist:
Hsin-Yun Huang, violist

"Continental Divide" - Derek Bermel
Midwest Premiere
"Ground Swell" - Steven Mackey
Midwest Premiere
"Inner Demons" - Stacy Garrop
American Premiere
"Racconto dall'Inferno"- Louis Andriessen

Below is information on upcoming school collaborative performances for the education initiative in 'Viols in Our Schools', a pilot-program of the Viola da Gamba Society of America and organized by Phillip W. Serna of the Spirit of Gambo - a Chicago Consort of Viols:

FREE ‘Viols in Our Schools’ Collaborative Concert

March 18, 2008, 8PM

J.S. Bach Concerto for Harpsichord in d-minor, BWV 1052, Movement IV

J.S. Bach Sonata No.3 for Viola da Gamba & Harpsichord in G-Minor, BWV 1029

G.P. Telemann Concerto in A-Major for Viola da Gamba, TWV51:A5

Dr. Phillip W. Serna, bass viol & Jason Moy, harpsichord

Frank Bridge Suite for String Orchestra, Movement III – Allegro Vivo

Neuqua Valley High School Chamber Strings

Neuqua Valley High School Auditorium

2360 95th Street, Naperville, IL 60564

- Funded by a generous Artists-in Residence-Grant from the Indian Prairie School District 204 -

‘Viols in Our Schools’ Residency, Demonstrating Music for Viols

May 19, 2008, Entire School Day (7:25-8:10. 8:15-9:00, 9:30-10:20, 11:05-11:55, 1:40-2:25)

Dr. Phillip W. Serna, treble, tenor & bass viols, violone

Neuqua Valley High School

2360 95th Street, Naperville, IL 60564

Viols in Our Schools endeavors to bring music for viols to adults and youth through classroom endeavors and collaborative programming. For more information, visit http://www.violsinourschools.org/. For information on harpsichordist Jason Moy, visit http://www.jjmoy.com/.

Dr. Phillip W. Serna, DMus

(847) 722-2093

info@violsinourschools.org

http://www.violsinourschools.org/

Viols in Our Schools - Bringing the Viola da Gamba to Wider Audiences
http://www.violsinourschools.org/

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About the Performers – ‘Viols in Our Schools’

Dr. Phillip W. Serna

A native of Houston, Texas, Dr. Phillip W. Serna (double bass and viola da gamba) is an active and enthusiastic performer of early music, as well as the contemporary, solo, orchestral, and chamber repertoires. Studying with Jeffrey M. Hill, Dr. Serna earned his high school diploma from the Instrumental Music Department at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, TX. Afterwards, he earned his Bachelor of Music in double bass performance with Stephen Tramontozzi at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1998. He later completed his Master of Music at Northwestern University School of Music in 2001 as a Civic Orchestra of Chicago Graduate Fellow. In 2007, Phillip Serna received the Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University where he studied double bass with international soloist DaXun Zhang and formerly with Chicago Symphony Orchestra member Michael Hovnanian. Additionally, he studied viola da gamba with Newberry Consort founder Mary Springfels.

Since 2003, Dr. Serna has been Principal Double Bass of the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he has performed regularly with other orchestras such as the Bach Chamber Orchestra & Choir, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic Orchestra, , Racine Symphony Orchestra, Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Virtuosi Chicago as well as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In March of 2007, Dr. Serna performed Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto No.2 in b-minor with the Waubonsie Valley High School Orchestra in Aurora, IL after having performed Estonian composer Eduard Tubin’s stirring Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra with Northwestern University’s Summer Orchestra under the direction of Robert Hasty in July of 2003. Dr. Serna is a member of the board of the Early Music Chicago arts advocacy and performance organization, as well as the current president of the Viola da Gamba Society Third Coast, the Chicago chapter of the Viola da Gamba Society of America. Dr. Serna regularly performs on violas da gamba (treble viol, tenor viol and bass viol), period double bass/ violone and vielle  with period instrument ensembles and organizations such as the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Ars Antigua, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Bottom Line Continuo Consort, Chicago Early Music Consort, Period Opera Cosi fan Tutte with Chicago Opera Theater, Classical Arts Orchestra, Comic Intermezzo, Early Music Chicago, the Janus Ensemble, the Newberry Consort, the Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival at Northwestern University, the Oriana Singers, the Second City Musick, the Spirit of  Gambo - a Chicago Consort of  Viols, the Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave Consort Cooperative, as well as the Concert for Compassion Viol Consort and the Forces of Virtue Ensemble and Choir, dedicated to raising money for disaster relief and other charities. In January 2007, the Viola da Gamba Society awarded Dr. Serna a grant as part of its Grants-in-Aid to Young Artists which will assist in Dr. Serna’s many early music endeavors.

In addition to his intense performance schedule, Dr. Serna teaches lessons on double bass, bass guitar, guitar, and viola da gamba. Dr. Serna also presents master classes and workshops on modern and period double bass, most recently for the Illinois American String Teachers Association Teacher Enrichment Workshop in Aurora, IL. As a passionate advocate of early music, Dr. Serna has championed the viola da gamba with his initiative ‘Viols in Our Schools,’ bringing solo and chamber music for viols into Chicago area classrooms. Additionally in 2008, Dr. Serna joins the viola da gamba faculty at the Music on the Mountain Winter Workshop, Whitewater Early Music Festival and becomes Ad Hoc Consort Coordinator at the Viola da Gamba Society’s Summer Conclave in 2008. Dr. Serna currently teaches at the Carl Sandburg High School in School District 230, Glenbard East High School and Glenbard South High School in School District 87, Willowbrook High School in DuPage High School District 88, Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville’s Indian Prairie School District 204 and Wheeling High School in School District 214. Dr. Serna formerly taught at Beautiful Music in Downers Grove, the Illinois Math and Science Academy, Maine Township West High School, Maine Township East High School, and Maine Township South High School in School District 207 and the Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago, IL. Dr. Serna lives in Plainfield, IL with his best friend and wife, Magdalena.

For more information about Phillip W. Serna, visit http://www.phillipwserna.com/.

Jason Moy

Harpsichordist Jason J. Moy holds the Bachelor of Harpsichord Performance and Master of Early Music Performance degrees from McGill University in Montreal, where he trained under Hank Knox and Luc Beauséjour.  In addition to his principal teachers, he received much valuable guidance from Bruce Haynes, Jory Vinikour, and other mentors.  Jason has concertized extensively in the United States, Canada, and Europe; currently based in his native Chicago, he wrapped up his Montreal sojourn this past year by performing J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with the McGill Baroque Orchestra.  While he loves the solo repertoire, particularly that of eighteenth-century Germany and France, Jason is especially fond of chamber music.  His continuo playing, on organ and harpsichord, has been described as both “highly rhetorical” and “sensitive and very vibrant.”

Jason began his harpsichord studies at Northwestern University, where he was its first Harpsichord Performance & Early Music Studies major and continuo player for the Northwestern University Early Music Ensemble. Since then, he has attended various international master classes and festivals where he trained with Early Music specialists like Arthur Haas, Huguette Dreyfus, Hervé Niquet, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.  Increasingly in demand as a chamber musician and accompanist, Jason has performed with many of the major Chicago Early Music groups, as well as the Miami-based Project Copernicus ensemble, of which he is a founding member.

For more information about Jason Moy, visit http://www.jjmoy.com/.

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‘Viols in Our Schools’ and all related website content is © 2008, Phillip W. Serna. Promotional use accepted.

Mezzo soprano Catherine Wyn-Rogers, appearing at the Lyric Opera in Eugene Onegin, regularly performs on the world's leading opera and recital stages, including the Royal Opera House, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Salzburg Festival and with the London Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic and Netherlands Radio Orchestras. Catherine Wyn-Rogers appears in recital with pianist Craig Terry at the Chicago Cultural Center. FREE EVENT

This one-time only concert will feature American folk violinist and composer Mark O'Connor, Celtic fiddler Liz Carroll, and violinist Rachel Barton Pine showcasing a full range of violin music.  Presented as a benefit for the music program of the International Music Foundation in the Chicago Public Schools, tickets are only $75 and include a post-concert dessert reception.  Tickets are available at 312.670.6888 or at www.imfchicago.org.

Showcasing violin and fiddle music in the folk, classical, and Celtic styles, internationally-renown musicians Rachel Barton Pine, Liz Carroll and Mark O'Connor team up for an evening of music-making to benefit the International Music Foundation's music programs in the Chicago Public Schools.

Presented in Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, tickets for this event are only $75 and include a dessert and champagne reception following the concert.  Tickets are available by calling 312-670-6888 or by visiting www.imfchicago.org.

 

Symphony Center, Chicago. Grainger Ballroom.

The famous masked Ridotto al Fresco masked balls of the 18^th century were held at London's popular Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Patrons arriving at the gardens by boat would be met by a grand orchestra boasting fifty musicians, and "the sound of the music ravishing the ear" according to one Irish visitor in 1752.

Join us for our own 18^th century spectacular - Masks optional!

For tickets call (312) 235-2368 or go online at www.baroqueband.org

 

Music Institute of Chicago, Nichols Concert Hall

The famous masked Ridotto al Fresco masked balls of the 18^th century were held at London's popular Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Patrons arriving at the gardens by boat would be met by a grand orchestra boasting fifty musicians, and "the sound of the music ravishing the ear" according to one Irish visitor in 1752.

Join us for our own 18^th century spectacular - Masks optional!

For tickets call (312) 235-2368 or go online at http://www.baroqueband.org/

  

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Hyde Park

 

The famous masked Ridotto al Fresco masked balls of the 18^th century were held at London’s popular Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Patrons arriving at the gardens by boat would be met by a grand orchestra boasting fifty musicians, and “the sound of the music ravishing the ear” according to one Irish visitor in 1752.  Join us for our own 18^th century spectacular - Masks optional! For tickets call (312) 235-2368 or go online at www.baroqueband.org

The Chicago Sinfonietta welcomes guest conductor Tania León to the podium in a program dedicated to the contributions that women have made to classical music. Ms. León conducts two of her own compositons, one of which features pianist Jade Simmons, plus other works by women from around the world. Trumpeter Alison Balsom guests on Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet.

Ellen Taafe Zwillich, Prologue and Variatons

Augusta Holmès, Irelande, poem symphonique

Tania León, Horizons

Tania León, Kabiosile

Franz Joseph Haydn, Concerto for Trumpet

Chen Yi, Ge Xu (Antiphony)

Lund Auditorium at Dominican University, 7900 W. Division Street, River Forest

For tickets and information, click here or call 312.236.3681 ext. 2.

A musical masterpiece of profound spirituality and one of the supreme creative achievements of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion speaks as urgently of conscience, compassion and hope today as it did when it was written nearly 300 years ago. This is music drawn on a vast emotional canvas, scored for double orchestra, performed with the power and passion Music of the Baroque always brings to Bach’s great choral works. It is certain to be one of the most important events of the classical music year.

J. S. Bach St. Matthew Passion

For tickets and more information, call 312.551.1414 or visit our website.

Acappellago is pleased to announce the second concert of its sixth season "Escape to...Wonderland". The program features music based on nursery rhymes, fairy tales and fantastic stories including:

John Rutter - Five Childhood Lyrics

Arrangements of the Disney hits: Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, I Wan'na be Like You and Can you Feel the Love Tonight

Songs from film and television: Peter Gunn Theme, Moon River, Over the Rainbow, William Tell Overture

And LOTS of fun surprises!

Performances will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 7:30 pm, Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st Street, Oak Brook and on Sunday March, 30, 2008 at 3 pm, Naperville Congregational Church, 1 Bunting Lane, Naperville. Tickets are $14, $11 for seniors and students. Children under six will be admitted free.

Call 708-484-3797 x. 2 or visit www.Acappellago.org for tickets and more information.

A musical masterpiece of profound spirituality and one of the supreme creative achievements of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion speaks as urgently of conscience, compassion and hope today as it did when it was written nearly 300 years ago. This is music drawn on a vast emotional canvas, scored for double orchestra, performed with the power and passion Music of the Baroque always brings to Bach’s great choral works. It is certain to be one of the most important events of the classical music year.

J. S. Bach St. Matthew Passion

For tickets and more information, call 312.551.1414 or visit our website.

Note: Student Rush tickets may be available one hour before the performance (6:30) for $10, cash only, to Harris Theater performances. Call the box office (312.551.1414) the day of the performance for availability.

Featuring Devin DeSantis and the Mercutio String Quartet

Ryan T. Nelson, conductor

Thursday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
Lutkin Hall

The 1993 collaboration between pop star Elvis Costello and England's renowned Brodsky String Quartet was inspired by reports of a Verona professor who was answering letters he found addressed to Juliet Capulet. The result was a critically acclaimed series of 20 dramatic ballads, influenced by the songs of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, in which male and female characters of varying ages and degrees of sanity tell stories of love, betrayal, and death. Don't miss this little-known theatrical, musical gem.

The Chicago Sinfonietta welcomes guest conductor Tania León to the podium in a program dedicated to the contributions that women have made to classical music. Ms. León conducts two of her own compositons, one of which features pianist Jade Simmons, plus other works by women from around the world. Trumpeter Alison Balsom guests on Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet.

Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Prologue and Variatons

Augusta Holmès, Irelande, poem symphonique

Tania León, Horizons

Tania León, Kabiosile

Franz Joseph Haydn, Concerto for Trumpet

Chen Yi, Ge Xu (Antiphony)

Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago 

For tickets and information, click here or call 312.236.3681 ext. 2.

With the Who's Your Daddy? Trio featuring Dan Trudell, Chris "Hambone" Cameron And Friends, and the Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church Gospel Choir

Friday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Unveiled in 1935 by Chicago's Hammond Organ Company, the Hammond B-3 Organ, with its distinctive whirling "tone cabinet" sound, was intended as a less expensive option to church pipe organs. But it quickly found a happy home in many other venues and musical styles. This concert celebrates the B-3's unique sound and flair in all its jazz, blues, soul, pop, gospel, and Stax Records musical glory.

Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Eight-time Grammy-winning classical and jazz clarinet and saxophone virtuoso Paquito D'Rivera is one of today's most gifted and versatile musicians. His many honors include the National Medal for the Arts, a 2005 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, and a 2007 Living Jazz Legend Award. Also a gifted composer, he won a 2004 Grammy for his Merengue as performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to his success in the Latin and jazz arenas, he regularly performs as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world. He is joined by his fellow trio members, pianist Alex Brown and cellist Dana Leong, as well as another longtime collaborator, harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy.
The Paquito D'Rivera Trio with special guest Howard Levy is generously supported in part by the Evelyn Dunbar Visiting Artist Fund.