Chicago Sinfonietta Presents Season Opening Concert FORCES + FATES

The nation's most diverse orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta is thrilled to present the standout 2019-2020 season opening concert, Forces + Fates: The Beauty and Volatility of Planet Earth, a performance centered on awe, imperfection and disorder found on Earth and how the future may rest in the hands of the human race. Forces + Fates looks not only to push boundaries, but also help raise awareness and spread knowledge on this critically timely topic through music.

Featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, the "fate" symphony plus a world premiere work commissioned by Sinfonietta, listeners will experience a musical journey that celebrates the beauty that surrounds us while posing the question of what do we need to do to protect the planet.

Chicago Sinfonietta's performances will occur Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 8 p.m. at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, and on Monday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Under the direction of 2019-2020 Assistant Conductor and Project Inclusion alum Jonathan Rush, Chicago Sinfonietta will open the season with Felix Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, Op.26, which allows audience members to explore the astonishingly geometric Fingal's Cave, known for its natural acoustics and spine-shivering harmonies in the British Isles. Music Director Mei-Ann Chen takes the podium for the rest of the concert and will conduct a world premiere piece commissioned by Chicago Sinfonietta, Earth Triptych, composed by Stefan L. Smith, Michelle Isaac and Fernando Arroyo Lascurain. A three-part co-composed work, Earth Triptych explores life before humanity, present time and the mystery of the future, in a dark, yet hopeful piece. The three composers of Earth Triptych each bring a distinct voice to this work, yet each movement leads cohesively to the next.

Referencing the rainmaking rituals and the evolving nature, Clarice Assad's Nhanderú showcases the worshipping rituals of the Amazonian Tupi-Guarani tribes when asking for help with their crops. Forces + Fates will also feature George Walker's Lyric for Strings and the concert ends with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Op. 6.

"The Chicago Sinfonietta is an orchestra that thrives on reflecting the important conversations of our society. Therefore, it is not surprising to see the Sinfonietta opening the new season with a very hot global topic which is also a very innovative one relating to orchestral repertoire," said Mei-Ann Chen, music director of Chicago Sinfonietta. Besides the obvious choices of works inspired by nature, such as in the case of Mendelssohn and also in the new work by our dear friend, Clarice Assad, our brand new Sinfonietta commission will feature three composers of diverse backgrounds piecing together a new symphonic sketch centered around Earth's past, present and future through the Earth Triptych. With our Mother Earth facing more detrimental threats than ever, we need Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to remind us that our fates are intertwined and only universality and the brotherhood/sisterhood of mankind can save our planet!"

"My relationship with Chicago Sinfonietta stems back to 2008 as a viola fellow in the Inaugural Class of the Orchestral Freeman Fellowship. Maestro Freeman gave me the opportunity to showcase the second movement from my first symphony during the annual Martin Luther King concert of 2009. So, I'm extremely excited to collaborate with them once again on this project," said Stefan L. Smith. "It is clearly evident that climate change is real, and I try to do my part in taking the necessary steps to contribute to helping this cause. It is only fitting that I feel called to musically create a change within us to respect our beautiful planet. My movement, entitled "The Soul of Gaia," takes the audience on a journey through the majesty of our planet before civilization. In the first movement, a serene flute solo leads the listener to constant changes of harmony, symbolizing the evolution of our planet. I feel that it accurately displays the vast, serene, and introspective qualities of the place we call home."

"Music is a powerful tool for experiencing empathy. Uncommon in a concert setting, Forces + Fates has an important theme of environmentalism, allowing Chicago Sinfonietta concert goers to both celebrate the beauty of the earth and to reflect on our responsibility to ensure the earth's longevity," said Michelle Isaac, Chicago-based composer and orchestrator. "As the composer of the second movement of Earth Triptych, I felt a responsibility to tell the tempestuous story of the present relationship between humans and earth. The middle movement illustrates a symbiotic relationship devolving into one of parasite and host, often putting the listener on edge. It is my hope that this piece, along with the rest of the program, invites a dialogue of empathy surrounding our current climate crisis."

Fernando Arroyo Lascurain, Composer and Violinist who is working with Chicago Sinfonietta for the very first time added, "Having composed pieces inspired by the social and natural climate of our world in the past, collaborating with such a talented group was a welcomed prospect. The third movement is a mixture of ominous grandeur, intimate introspection and uncertainty. In light of recent events regarding climate change, orchestral works like these provide a space to reflect on the consequences of our actions as a society and how it affects this beautiful planet we call home."

To celebrate the start of the 32nd season in advance of the Chicago performance, Chicago Sinfonietta's Associate Board is hosting Prelude 2019: Rhythm + Flow Monday, October 7, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at Symphony Center. The annual fundraising event features networking, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and silent auction and raffle, with the opportunity for local young professionals to interact with major players in the arts community. Tickets range from $40 to $100 each.

Since its inception, diversity, inclusion and bold and dynamic programming have been at the center of Chicago Sinfonietta's mission. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta was one of just 14 organizations in the nation to receive the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions - the "genius award" for nonprofit organizations. The Sinfonietta was also selected in 2016 by the Chicago Innovation Awards in recognition of its innovative approach to programming. Prior to that, Chicago Sinfonietta was named by ASCAP as the recipient of the 2011-12 Award for Adventurous Programming and in 2013 was dubbed, "the city's hippest orchestra" by the Chicago Tribune, always embracing the daring programming that has been part of its history.

Chicago Sinfonietta is grateful to concert sponsors Walder Foundation and William Blair. Season sponsors including BMO Harris Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Southwest Airlines, Fairmont Hotel, Hotel Indigo, Northern Trust and its season media sponsors including Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, Naperville Magazine, WBEZ and Chicago Tribune.

Tickets to Forces + Fates: The Beauty and Volatility range from $10 to $62 when purchased in advance online. For tickets or more information, please visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org.

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