Lowell Liebermann is in Chicago as the featured guest composer with The Chicago Chamber Musicians' Composer Perspectives concert on Wednesday evening, December 7 in Ganz Hall.  Composer Perspectives concerts feature a pre-concert talk, performance with the composer presenting the program and post-concert reception with the composer and artists.

Here are Chicago Classical Music's five questions for Lowell, and his responses:

CCM:  What do you listen to on your iPod?

LL: I'm not even sure where it is right now! The only thing on it is actually my own complete works: I only use it when travelling to do a residency at whichever university so that I don't have to lug a suitcase of cds. Otherwise, since I spend my working days either composing or practicing for performances, I tend not to listen to a lot of music in my down time. And when I do, I prefer it live.

One of the things that is particularly exciting to me about Chicago is learning about the classical music and cultural history here.  Many of the organizations have been established for decades, and it is so interesting to learn about how each has grown, changed, and make their mark in the community.

This week, I caught up with a co-artistic director and trumpeter of Chicago Chamber Musicians, Charlie Geyer, to chat about the organization’s twenty-fifth anniversary and what audiences can look forward to during the remainder of the 2011-2012 season and in the future.  The Chamber will be performing several pieces in the “Memories of Vienna” concert scheduled for November 6-7. For details visit www.chicagochambermusic.org.


How is Chicago Chamber Musicians celebrating its 25 anniversary?

We really tied our season around this idea of “collaboration”.  We thought about collaboration as a vision for the future of our organization also.

Special Guest, Courtney Perkins and Angela Golden in a dialogue about Million Dollar Quartet.

CP:  One of the benefits of running a blog, or having a co-worker/friend that does, is that you get invited to events with the comical name "blogger night" offering free tickets to an otherwise pricey show that I've wanted to see for some time.  Advertised on cabs and local buses everywhere, Million Dollar Quartet.

AG: I may have ignored those cabby signs, but I paid attention when I got an opportunity to get free tickets. 

CP: Blogger Night became our mantra leading up to the performance --it had a certain ring to it.

AG: But we bloggers didn't get any special recognition which was sort of disappointing.

Latest news is that Michael Jackson may have had some classical compositions in process.  

Not the only pop star turned composer, Paul McCartney quickly comes to my mind as another whos strictly classical creations including Liverpool Oratorio, and Ecce Cir Meum have been introduced to audiences. 

I'm always looking for something new, but not sure if songwriters writing pop songs - turned orchestral is all that.  

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Bass-baritone Alan Held will be performing the role of St. Francis on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27 as the Franciscans celebrate the milestone of the 800th anniversary of the founding of their order at a concert titled, “A Celebration of Hope and Peace.”