Harris Theater for Music and Dance Kicks Off Eat to the Beat Lunchtime Series

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance kicks off the third season of its celebrated Eat to the Beat lunchtime series on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 12 pm with "Eine Kleine Lunchmusik"-a performance by Harris Theater favorite, conductor and pianist Francesco Milioto and members of his dynamic New Millennium Orchestra. This spirited one-hour all-Mozart program, perfect to break up the monotony of the workday, is the first in a newly expanded lineup which now includes both music and dance performances. Patrons are encouraged to enjoy their lunch during the Eat to the Beat performances, and for the first time, food will be available for purchase from Chicago's finest food trucks located on-site during performances outside the Theater on Lower Randolph Drive.

Also new for this season is a Lunch Pass admission-an "all you can experience cultural buffet" ticket that allows patrons to enjoy the full Eat to the Beat five performance series for only $15. Individual performance tickets are also available for $5 each, ensuring that anyone can experience live music and dance during the workday. Lunch passes and individual tickets are available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

Geared towards those who live, work, attend school, or find themselves in the vicinity of the Harris during the workday lunch hour, this crowd-pleasing series also includes performances by renownEd Harris Theater resident companies and arts education partners, including Danceworks Chicago on Thursday, January 12 at 12 pm; the Music Institute of Chicago on March 1 at 12 pm; ChiArts on March 22 at 12 pm; and the Chicago Academy for the Arts on May 31 at 12 pm. Additional performances details will be released at a later time.

About the Artists

The musicians of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago are as versatile as they are virtuosic, bringing passion and a sense of adventure to the concert experience. Led by conductor Francesco Milioto, the members of the orchestra are truly specialists in all fields, with a repertoire that ranges from traditional and contemporary masterworks of classical and popular music, to genre-bending forays into live remixes, improvisations, world music, and multi-media performances. With its innovative programming, the New Millennium Orchestra breaks down the barriers between so-called classical and pop art forms and attracts new audiences to the orchestral soundscape. Hailed by Time Out Chicago as "one of the best additions to the city's scene," the New Millennium Orchestra has appeared at the Ravinia Festival, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the 2010 Sonar: Chicago Festival, the 2008 Museum of Modern Ice in Millennium Park, and Chicago's Looptopia festival, and has been a Performing Partner at the Chicago Cultural Center since 2005. Featured collaborators have included members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Grammy-award winning group eighth blackbird, DJ Spooky, Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident, saxophonist and composer Greg Ward, The Flashbulb, the garage-girl group Hollows, and the Grammy-nominated rapper Lupe Fiasco.

The Chicago Tribune named Francesco Milioto "one of the best young conductors working in the Chicago area." Since his Chicago debut just over a decade ago, he now balances a busy career conducting a wide range of orchestral and operatic repertoire while maintaining a full schedule as a pianist and vocal coach. He currently holds the positions of Co-founder/Conductor of the New Millennium Orchestra, Music Director of the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Chicago Cultural Center Summer Opera, Principal Conductor of the Highland Park Strings and Artistic Director/Conductor of Accessible Contemporary Music. Mr. Milioto is an assistant conductor and rehearsal pianist for both Chicago Opera Theater and the Ravinia Festival, where he works closely with Maestro James Conlon. He also makes regular appearances as a guest conductor with Opera Elgin and Opera on the James in Lynchburg, VA.

All programs, prices and dates are subject to change.

Founded in 2003, the Harris Theater's mission is to partner and collaborate with an array of Chicago's emerging and mid-sized performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929 and today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city's world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and international companies.

To learn more about the season at the Harris Theater, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org or call the box office at 312-334-7777 to request a brochure.

 

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