Events

« March 30, 2008 - April 29, 2008 »
03 / 30 Chicago Sinfonietta: A Celebration of International Women's Month 2:30pm - 4:30pm 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. Music of the Baroque: The St. Matthew Passion 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
03 / 31 Acappellago presents "Escape to...Wonderland" 3:00pm - 5:00pm 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. Music of the Baroque: The St. Matthew Passion 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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. The Juliet Letters: Music of Elvis Costello, Paul Cassidy, and the Brodsky Quartet 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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. Chicago Sinfonietta: A Celebration of International Women's Month 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
04 / 1 In Praise of the Hammond B-3 Organ 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
04 / 2 Paquito D'Rivera Trio with special guest Howard Levy 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
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04 / 5 PLOrk: Princeton Laptop Orchestra 7:30pm - 9:30pm Maja Cerar, violin soloist Tomie Hahn, sensor-suited dancing conductor Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall Give your mouse a night off and enjoy the Chicago-area debut of the groundbreaking Princeton Laptop Orchestra (better known as PLOrk), cofounded by Dan Trueman and Perry Cook. Using customized laptop computers and individual sounds systems, this 20-member ensemble can sound like a full symphony orchestra, a jazz combo, or an electronica band. This exciting program will include works with solo acoustic violin, a work with a dancing conductor covered with electronic touch pads, and two world premieres. Far from being pre-programmed, PLOrk musicians independently control dynamics, rhythm and sound to create a true ensemble effect.
04 / 6 Osvaldo Golijov: Jewish Influences in My Music 2:00pm - 3:30pm Osvaldo Golijov: Jewish Influences in My Music Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago Sunday, April 6 at 2 pm Tickets: $20 \| $15 for Spertus members \| $10 for students Advanced tickets highly recommended. Call 312.322.1773 “one of the few composers today whose works are profoundly shifting the geography of the classical music world” — The New York Times Osvaldo Golijov is a Grammy award-winning composer of classical music, known for his brilliant integration of musical traditions from around the world. Guest host Henry Fogel leads an engaging conversation with Golijov about the development of his work and the ways Jewish influences and experiences have impacted his music. The program will include a live performance of Golijov's Lullaby and Doina by musicians from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Osvaldo Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in Argentina, surrounded by classical, Jewish liturgical, and klezmer music, as well as Astor Piazzolla's tango. After studying at the local conservatory, he moved to Israel and immersed himself in Jerusalem’s colliding musical traditions. He earned his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with George Crumb and was a fellow at Tanglewood. In the 1990s, Golijov began work with the St. Lawrence and Kronos quartets, the first to project his category-defying style. His recordings with them include Yiddishbbuk with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Golijov: The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, Caravan, and Nuevo with Kronos. Golijov also collaborates with other artists, including Romanian Gypsy band Taraf de Haidouks, the Mexican Rock group Café Tacuba, tablas virtuoso Zakir Hussain, and legendary Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla. A MacArthur Fellow, Golijov has been composer-in-residence at prestigious festivals including the 2007 Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. He is co-composer-in-residence, together with Marc-Anthony Turnage, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, through June of 2008. Other recent projects include Azul, a cello concerto for Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony, and the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's film Youth Without Youth. Bang on a Can All-Stars with Special Guest Glenn Kotche 7:30pm - 9:30pm Sunday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall The New York Times calls the Bang on a Can All-Stars "a fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble." Newsday praises the group for "present[ing] new music the way it should be presented - with passion, precision, dynamism, stylistic authority, and a welcoming informality." This ensemble is dedicated to commissioning, performing, creating, presenting, and recording contemporary music. With an ear for the new, the unknown, and the unconventional, Bang on a Can has been exposing innovative music as broadly and accessibly as possible to new audiences worldwide for two decades. Joining the group is the brilliant percussionist Glenn Kotche, whose "other" job is playing drums for the critically acclaimed rock band Wilco.
04 / 7 Mack Attack! A Celebration of the Music of Steven Mackey and John Mackey 7:30pm - 9:30pm N.U. Contemporary Music Ensemble Ryan T. Nelson, conductor Matthew Coley, percussion Monday, April 7, 7:30 p.m. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall Known for combining elements of pop, rock, jazz, and classical music, the brilliant contemporary American composers Steven Mackey and John Mackey are featured in a program celebrating their kaleidoscopic palette of sonic colors and compositional wizardry. This high-energy, entertaining program also features Matthew Coley playing traditional percussion instruments as well as an arsenal of toys and kitchen gadgets. Steven Mackey, Micro-Concerto for Percussion and Five Instruments John Mackey, Breakdown Tango Steven Mackey, Physical Property John Mackey, Juba
04 / 8 Lura 7:30pm - 9:30pm Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall She has been called "a young, African Portuguese, Lisboan Parisian Gladys Knight." Born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents, Lura has created an exhilarating new style that blends French Afro-pop, traditional African music, Cape Verdean song styles, jazz, and Brazilian rhythms. Her music, powerful voice, and scintillating dancing prompted theTimes of London to call her "the most dynamic performer in world music right now." Joining Lura is her exciting instrumental ensemble.
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04 / 10 The Juliet Letters: Music by Elvis Costello, Paul Cassidy, and the Brodsky Quartet 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
04 / 11 In Praise of the Hammond B-3 Organ 2:20pm - 2:20pm 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.
04 / 12 Paquito D'Rivera Trio with special guest Howard Levy 7:30pm - 9:30pm 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.
04 / 13 Erato Chamber Orchestra 3:00am - 4:00am March 20, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Richard Haglund 217.553.2801 Chicago’s Newest Chamber Orchestra to Present Spring Performance Chicago, Ill. – The Erato Chamber Orchestra, Chicago’s newest chamber ensemble, will present a Spring performance on Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 pm in the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, located in the Chicago Cultural Center. (78 East Washington St.) The performance is free and open to the public. Music Director, Richard A. Haglund, will lead the orchestra in performing four unique works. Repertoire will include: Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op.26 (Hebrides Overture, Mendelssohn; Chamber Symphony No. 2, Schoenberg; Nocturne for String Orchestra, Paul Yeon Lee; and Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, Mendelssohn – featuring guest violinist, Michael Antonelllo. Founded in 2007, by Richard A. Haglund, the Erato Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Chicago’s finest freelance musicians who love to make and share music from all genres. As the goddess Erato is the Muse of Lyric Poetry, the Erato Chamber Orchestra seeks to lyrically communicate music at the highest possible level. The orchestra’s style is characterized by virtuosic talent with warmth of sound, transparent textures and an infectious enjoyment of the pleasures of making music. The artistic goal of the Erato chamber Orchestra is to "devote a major portion of its programs to wonderful literature, both classic and contemporary, that is not ordinarily performed by large symphonies." For more information on the Erato Chamber Orchestra, go online to www.eratochamberorchestra.org. ### EVENT AT A GLANCE Event: Erato Chamber Orchestra Date & Time: Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 pm Admission: Free and open to the public Online: www.eratochamberorchestra.org Location: 78 East Washington Street, Chicago , IL Erato Chamber Orchestra 3:00pm - 4:30pm The Erato Chamber Orchestra, Chicago’s newest chamber ensemble, will present a Spring performance on Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 pm in the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, located in the Chicago Cultural Center. (78 East Washington St.) The performance is FREE and open to the public. Music Director, Richard A. Haglund, will lead the orchestra in performing four unique works. Repertoire will include: Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op.26 (Hebrides Overture, Mendelssohn; Chamber Symphony No. 2, Schoenberg; Nocturne for String Orchestra, Paul Yeon Lee; and Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, Mendelssohn – featuring guest violinist, Michael Antonelllo. Founded in 2007, by Richard A. Haglund, the Erato Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Chicago’s finest freelance musicians who love to make and share music from all genres. As the goddess Erato is the Muse of Lyric Poetry, the Erato Chamber Orchestra seeks to lyrically communicate music at the highest possible level. The orchestra’s style is characterized by virtuosic talent with warmth of sound, transparent textures and an infectious enjoyment of the pleasures of making music. The artistic goal of the Erato chamber Orchestra is to "devote a major portion of its programs to wonderful literature, both classic and contemporary, that is not ordinarily performed by large symphonies." For more information on the Erato Chamber Orchestra, go online to www.eratochamberorchestra.org Chicago a cappella: Voces latinas 7:30pm - 9:30pm The nine voices of Chicago a cappella presents a colorful explosion of the finest a cappella choral music to come from Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. Discover hot new sounds filled with rhythmic vitality and harmonic beauty from brilliant Latino composers, sung with the “beautifully blended sound and sheer exuberance” (Chicago Tribune) that Chicago a cappella always delivers.
04 / 14 The Chicago Chamber Musicians: Music of the Heart 7:30pm - 9:30pm The Grammy-nominated Chicago Chamber Musicians offers the second concert in the ensemble's contemporary music series Freshly Scored. "Music of the Heart" explores works inspired by or derived from emotion. All three beautifully written works powerfully convey the dramatic, fiery, pensive, playful and peaceful landscape of the human heart. Stephen Paulus: Concerto for brass quintet Robert Chumbley: Three More Self Studies - world premiere! Brian Prechtl: Visions of the Apocalypse (commissioned by ensemble artists Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer)
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04 / 18 Chicago Master Singers: Music of America and France 7:30pm - 9:45pm Chicago Master Singers, under the direction of Alan Heatherington, presents a concert of music of America and France Includes Vierne: Grand Mass and Lauridsen: Ave Maria and O Magnum Mysterium as well as music of Pierre Villette and Randall Thompson Friday April 18th at 7:30 pm Divine Word Chapel 2001 Waukegan Road Techny, IL For tickets, call 877-825-5267 www.chicagomastersingers.org This concert repeats on Sunday April 20th at 7pm Chicago a cappella: Voces latinas 8:00pm - 10:00pm The nine voices of Chicago a cappella presents a colorful explosion of the finest a cappella choral music to come from Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. Discover hot new sounds filled with rhythmic vitality and harmonic beauty from brilliant Latino composers, sung with the “beautifully blended sound and sheer exuberance” (Chicago Tribune) that Chicago a cappella always delivers.
04 / 19 Chicago a cappella: Voces latinas 8:00pm - 10:00pm The nine voices of Chicago a cappella presents a colorful explosion of the finest a cappella choral music to come from Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. Discover hot new sounds filled with rhythmic vitality and harmonic beauty from brilliant Latino composers, sung with the “beautifully blended sound and sheer exuberance” (Chicago Tribune) that Chicago a cappella always delivers.
04 / 20 Avalon String Quartet season finale with Paul Katz, cello 3:00pm - 5:00pm Final concert of the Avalon String Quartet's 2007-08 series in Buntrock Hall, Symphony Center, Sunday 4/20 at 3:00pm program- Ethan Wickman: "Namaste" for string quartet World Premiere Beethoven: String Quartet op. 135 in F Major Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, with Paul Katz, cello General admission $28, students $10; call Symphony Center box office: 312-294-3000 Ten complimentary tickets available for ccm.org readers, on first-come basis. Please email antolirob@yahoo.com. Details of Avalon's 2008-09 Buntrock Hall series will be released at the concert. www.avalonquartet.com Presented by Northern Illinois University: www.niu.edu/music Chicago Master Singers: Music of America and France 7:00pm - 9:15pm Chicago Master Singers, under the direction of Alan Heatherington, presents a concert of music of America and France Includes Vierne: Grand Mass and Lauridsen: Ave Maria and O Magnum Mysterium as well as music of Pierre Villette and Randall Thompson Sunday April 20th at 7:00 pm Divine Word Chapel 2001 Waukegan Road Techny, IL For tickets, call 877-825-5267 www.chicagomastersingers.org
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04 / 25 Chicago Sinfonietta Chamber Series at the National Museum of Mexican Art 7:30pm - 9:00pm The Chicago Sinfonietta presents the final concert of the Chamber Series at the National Museum of Mexican Art. This unique collaboration pairs members of the Sinfonietta with special guest artists in an exploration of the influence of Latin American traditional and folk music on the classical compositions that emerged from the region. Chicago's premiere Mexican folk Ensemble Sones de México will be joined by members of the Sinfonietta, featuring piaist Donald Neale. The program will explore the crossroads of folk and classical traditions. The concert takes place at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th Street, in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Call 312.236.3681 ext. 2 for tickets and information or click here.
04 / 26 Believing in Your Dreams: Part 1 7:30pm - 9:30pm Believing in Your Dreams: Part 1 Midwest Young Artists’ (MYA) Symphony Orchestra celebrates the end of their 07-08 concert season with a collaborative performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Chicago’s Civic Opera House on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 7:30 PM. The concert features both MYA’s Chorale and Symphony Orchestra with Northwestern University Choruses and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Concert Choir. MYA welcomes guest artists Nancy Pifer, soprano; Amanda Tarver, mezzo-soprano; Noah Stewart, tenor; and Charles Robert Austin, bass, as soloists for this grand work. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at www.mya.org or by calling 847-926-9898. With a vision to create an exceptional environment for young musicians, Midwest Young Artists (878 Lyster Road, Highwood, 847-926-9898) was founded in 1993. Currently reaching over 600 students from 74 cities in the metropolitan Chicago area, with students ranging in age from 2^nd through 12^th grades, MYA strives to provide the highest quality music experience for young musicians nationwide. MYA expects the best out of its students and provides a supportive and nurturing environment. It is a place where students are able to grow with their peers in a competitive, yet friendly atmosphere. MYA has 5 youth orchestras, more than 60 chamber music ensembles, 3 choral groups, an all-inclusive jazz program, and classes in music theory and history. Students have the opportunity to travel abroad and to perform in major venues throughout Chicago and around the world. Leading the nation in chamber music instruction, MYA's program is the most decorated and award winning chamber music program in the United MYA graduates are accepted at the most selective conservatories, universities and colleges in the country.
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