The Harris Theater Announces February 2012 Events

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance features an eclectic and exciting series of performances in February 2012. Highlights include:

Music
Guest conductor Leslie Dunner leads the Roosevelt University CCPA Conservatory Orchestra and Chorus in a free performance on February 2 featuring Beveridge’s Yizkor Requiem and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

On February 15, the University of Chicago Presents Contempo: Celebrating Sofia Gubaidulina which includes the world premiere of A Pilgrimage of Four, commissioned for Contempo by The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress and The Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Inc.

Nicholas Kraemer leads the Music of the Baroque Orchestra for an exhilarating program including Telemann’s Concerto for Flute and Recorder and a Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins on February 27.

Dance
On February 4, the always un-conventional Seldoms make their Harris Theater debut with This is Not a Dance Concert—a program where you will be asked to follow them through the lobbies, backstage and even on the stage itself, erasing the distance between artists and audience with up-close performances by twenty-four stellar dancers and musicians.

River North Dance Chicago presents their annual Valentine’s Weekend Engagement, February 10-12, featuring the U.S. debut by Mauro Astolfi, Artistic Director of Italy’s Spellbound Dance Company, who is creating a world premiere for the company showcasing his athletic and emotive contemporary style; works by Frank Chaves & Josephine Lee, and Sidra Bell will also be featured.

Jazz
Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón joins the Chicago Jazz Ensemble on February 24 to celebrate the rich musical legacy of the great Charlie Parker. Also featured are selections from the classic Parker recording Bird with Strings, enhanced by the lush sounds of a guest string ensemble.

Family
The Harris Theater Family series celebrates Black History Month with Afro-Beats!, a festive and interactive performance perfect for the whole family! Join the Fulcrum Point New Music Project for this 75-minute multimedia performance where children of all ages are invited to participate in drumming circles, traditional African dances, and soulful songs!

Tickets for these performances 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.

Complete program information for the month of February 2012 at the Harris Theater is as follows:

Roosevelt University CCPA Conservatory Orchestra and Chorus
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 7:30 pm
FREE Event

Leslie Dunner, guest conductor
Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, tenor
Jonita Lattimore, soprano
Cynthia Clarey, mezzo
Featuring Student Solo Competition Winner David Lakirovich, violin

Beveridge Yizkor Requiem

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

The Seldoms
This Is Not A Dance Concert
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm, 8:15 pm, & 9:30 pm
Performance tickets: $20 / 10th Anniversary Gala Ticket $100

The Seldoms make their debut at the Harris Theater in their conventional un-conventional fashion. You won’t be asked to take your seat, but you will be asked to follow them… through the lobbies, backstage and even on the stage itself! This performance really MOVES. This Is Not a Dance Concert erases the distance between artists and audience with up-close performances by twenty-four stellar dancers and musicians. The Opening Event of The Seldoms 10th Anniversary Season, This Is Not a Dance Concert is directed and choreographed by Artistic Director Carrie Hanson, with original music by percussionist/composer Tim Daisy and costume by celebrated designer Maria Pinto.

Tickets for This Is Not A Dance Concert are $20. Tickets for the 10th Anniversary Gala in the Harris Theater Donor Room are $100 and include admission to any one of the three performances. Doors open to the Gala at 8pm.

River North Dance Chicago
Valentine’s Weekend Engagement
Friday, February 10, and Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Tickets: $30 - $75

The critically acclaimed River North Dance Chicago proudly presents their annual Valentine’s Weekend Engagement. The red hot line-up features the U.S. debut by Mauro Astolfi, Artistic Director of Italy’s Spellbound Dance Company, who is creating a world premiere for the company showcasing his athletic and emotive contemporary style. Also, RNDC Artistic Director Frank Chaves will join forces with conductor/composer, Josephine Lee, Artistic Director of the Chicago Children’s Choir, who will compose an original piano suite for a new work by Chaves. Lee will be playing live for the premiere. The company also will present “Risoluta” by sought-after contemporary choreographer Sidra Bell with an original score composed by her father, acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Dennis Bell. Additional works from the company’s acclaimed repertoire will be announced at a later date.

University of Chicago Presents
Contempo: Celebrating Sofia Gubaidulina
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $5 - $25

This all-Sofia Gubaidulina program includes the world premiere of A Pilgrimage of Four, commissioned for Contempo by The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress and The Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Inc. The performance also features Gubaidulina's monumental Perception, which reflects her fascination with ancient mathematical principles of proportion.

The Chicago Jazz Ensemble
Ornithology: The Music of Charlie “Bird” Parker
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm
With Miguel Zenón, saxophone
Tickets: $18 - $48

Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón joins the CJE to celebrate the rich musical legacy of the
great Charlie Parker. Also featured are selections from the classic Parker recording Bird with Strings, enhanced by the lush sounds of a guest string ensemble. Zenón was one of the founding members of the SFJAZZ Collective, and in 2005 he was honored by Billboard magazine as one of the “Faces to Watch - 30 Under 30: Top Young Acts." In 2008, he received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and later that year he received a coveted MacArthur Grant, aka the “Genius Grant." He was a 2011 nominee for Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Fulcrum Point New Music Project
Afro-Beats!
Fela, Monk, and the Roots of American Music
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Tickets: $10

Idy Ciss, dancer
Thierno Dioubate, balofon
Jim Gailloreto, saxophone
Morikeba Kouyate, kora
Fulcrum Point Sound Tracks Students

Celebrate Black History Month with Afro-Beats!, a festive and interactive performance perfect for the whole family! Join the Fulcrum Point New Music as they explore the rich rhythms, sounds and images of West Africa in this 75-minute multimedia performance, featuring works by Fela Kuti, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Steve Reich, and traditional music from Mandingo and African-American cultures. Children of all ages are invited to participate in drumming circles, traditional African dances, and soulful songs in this spirited performance!

Music of the Baroque
Baroque Journey—Telemann, Vivaldi, Rameau, Purcell
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $30 - $75

Join Nicholas Kraemer and the Music of the Baroque Orchestra for an exhilarating program of works from Germany, Italy, France, and England. Telemann’s Concerto for Flute and Recorder and a Vivaldi concerto for four violins are featured in an evening of spirited, virtuoso music-making.