Harris Theatre Features Renee Fleming, Pinchas Zuckerman, 3/9

On Wednesday, March 9, 2011, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance presents Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman: A Celebration of Joan W. Harris on Her Birthday, an extraordinary performance that is certain to be the musical event of the season. Preeminent soprano Renée Fleming and virtuoso violinist Pinchas Zukerman headline this exceptional concert to benefit Harris Theater programs. They will be joined by the spectacular Emerson String Quartet, acclaimed cellist David Finckel and impassioned pianist Wu Han of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the electrifying Escher String Quartet, and Stephen Burns, brilliant trumpeter and artistic director of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project. The evening begins at 5:30 pm with a champagne reception for all guests in the Theater lobby and is followed by a 75-minute concert at 6:30 pm. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime performance begin at $100 and are on sale now 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.
 
"There are few individuals who have made a greater impact on Chicago's cultural landscape than Joan Harris," said Abby McCormick O'Neil, Chairman of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance Board of Trustees. She continued, "Although she has made a profound impact on countless organizations both throughout the city and across the country, her most visible and enduring gift has been the Harris Theater for Music and Dance."
 
"As the primary benefactor and a driving force behind the Theater, Joan helped to create an institution dedicated to presenting today's most innovative and provocative performances by leading artists while also fostering artists and companies of the future," said O'Neil. "Thirty-five of the city's emerging and mid-sized music and dance institutions finally have the home they deserve-with additional financial and administrative support that allows them to focus on presenting art of the highest caliber. In just seven years, Joan's visionary leadership has developed the Theater into Chicago's premier destination for world-class music and dance. It is the bricks and mortar realization of her lifelong passion."

While a committed group of arts lovers, and private and public civic leaders understood the unique 21st Century challenges facing Chicago's emerging and midsize music and dance organizations, Joan Harris was a prominent force behind the construction of the Harris Theater. "Over twenty-five years ago, Joan Harris and I first began talking about the possibility of creating a home for Chicago's mid-sized arts organizations," said Past Chairman of the Harris Board of Trustees Sandra Guthman. "We shared a common vision for what we believed was possible and were fully committed to the long task of turning that vision into reality. Now years later, the success of the Harris Theater has exceeded our wildest hopes and dreams. Thirty-five of Chicago's finest music and dance organizations have the much needed home they deserve, allowing them to present their extraordinary work to its finest artistic potential. Joan's uncompromising standards and insistence for excellence ensured that the theater would have the superior acoustics and outstanding sightlines that have earned critical acclaim. Joan is a remarkable woman and I am extremely proud of our work together in creating the Harris Theater-a lasting legacy for the city of Chicago."
 
Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley has also witnessed the impact that Joan Harris has made on the city of Chicago. "I have had many opportunities to work with Joan on projects that have contributed to our city's stature as a world-class center of culture and learning," said Mayor Daley. "The Harris Theater is an essential part of Millennium Park, which is revered around the world.  I am grateful to Joan for her special blend of civic commitment and cultural vision.  What she has accomplished in her lifetime will endure for many years and benefit our residents for generations to come."
 Harris Theater Trustees Louise Frank, Sandra Guthman, Caryn Harris, and Alexandra Nichols serve as co-chairs of this remarkable benefit concert brimming with artistic tributes to Joan Harris, an "uncommon woman" whose philanthropic legacy will live on for generations. 

Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman: A Celebration of Joan W. Harris on Her Birthday was named for award-winning composer Joan Tower's most notable work, Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman-a series of five fanfares written as tributes to women who are risk-takers and adventurers. The fifth and final work is dedicated to Joan Harris, commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival for the 1993 opening of the festival's Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall.  This remarkable fanfare was also performed at the 2003 opening of Chicago's Harris Theater. Trumpeter Stephen Burns, of the Harris Resident Company Fulcrum Point New Music Project, will lead a performance of Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman to begin the evening's tribute to Mrs. Harris.
 
"Joan Harris' true desire for audiences to embrace our country's rich cultural traditions has earned her the respect and gratitude of the American classical music community," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. "It is only fitting that we honor her incredible contributions with a benefit performance featuring luminary figures Renée Fleming, Pinchas Zukerman, the Emerson String Quartet, David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, the Escher String Quartet, and Stephen Burns, the Founder and Artistic Director of Fulcrum Point New Music Project."  He continued, "Each of these legendary classical musicians has a personal relationship with Joan-they understand the role she plays in making it possible for artists to achieve their best work. Each wants to be a part of this breathtaking evening of world-class music to benefit Harris Theater programs, allowing the Theater to continue presenting performances you simply cannot find elsewhere in Chicago."
 
Soprano Renée Fleming is one of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, captivating audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. This three-time Grammy winner continues to grace the world's greatest opera stages and concert halls.
 
Pinchas Zukerman has remained a phenomenon in the world of music for four decades. His musical genius, prodigious technique and unwavering artistic standards are a marvel to audiences and critics. Pinchas Zukerman is equally respected as violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue, and chamber musician.
 
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han,  Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world. The duo has appeared each season at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States and around the world to unanimous critical acclaim. 
The Emerson String Quartet stands alone in the history of string quartets. Accolades include nine Grammy® Awards, three Gramophone Awards, the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, and cycles of the complete Beethoven, Bartók, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich string quartets in the world's musical capitals.
 
Stephen Burns, trumpet virtuoso and conductor, has performed in the world's greatest concert halls and is acclaimed for his varied performances encompassing recitals, orchestral appearances, chamber ensembles, and innovative multi-media presentations.  He is the founder and artistic director of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project in residence at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
 
Critically acclaimed for its individual sound and unique cohesiveness, the Escher String Quartet has performed at the world's most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Louvre in Paris, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and many more. Within months of its inception in 2005, the quartet was invited by Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman to serve as quartet-in-residence at each artist's summer festival.
 
Additional artists may be added to the program.
 
All proceeds from Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman: A Celebration of Joan W. Harris on Her Birthday benefit performance will support Harris Theater programs, including:
Harris Theater Presents Series-bringing world-class artists to Chicago audiences, complimenting the work of the Theater's 35 resident companies.
Resident Companies Initiative-partnering with emerging mid-sized performing arts and cultural organizations, offering subsidized rent with additional marketing, audience development, and box office support
Family Enrichment Programs-advancing arts education for children and adults through family programming

About Joan Harris
 
For more than three decades, Joan Harris has been on a personal mission to ensure the value of the arts in society. Through her vision, advocacy, and generosity, she has made an immeasurable impact on the national artistic landscape, ensuring that the arts are accessible, diverse, vibrant, and integral to the lives of Americans. 
 
"Joan Harris knows that art makes us human, and how the beauty that musicians and dancers make can fill the heart with awe.  And she wants us all to share in that, too," said Louise Frank, Harris Theater Trustee and Benefit Co-Chair. "Her high standards and high ideals guide so many in their own pursuit for creativity and excellence.  The Harris Theater for Music and Dance provides a home for arts organizations and performers in Chicago, across the nation and around the world, and for the audiences who appreciate their work. We are all proud of this remarkable woman who continues to dedicate her life to providing real opportunities for artists to thrive and for audiences to be uplifted."
 
A person who has influenced and nurtured great art in her lifetime, Joan Harris has worked tirelessly as a board member for twenty-three of our nation's most distinguished arts and cultural organizations, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Columbia College Chicago, League of American Orchestras, The Juilliard School, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Smart Museum at the University of Chicago.  She served as Chairman of the Harris Theater from 2004-2010.
 
"Joan Harris is one of the most respected and beloved cultural supporters in our country," said Alexandra Nichols, Harris Theater Trustee and Benefit Co-Chair. "Her stewardship, leadership, and generosity have supported countless organizations both in Chicago and throughout the country.  Her values and sense of civic responsibility are extraordinary.  I am thrilled to be a part of any evening that celebrates her tremendous accomplishments and the cultural legacy she has created."
 
Joan Harris has also served as a panel member of the National Endowment for the Arts, was appointed to the President's Commission on the National Endowment for the Arts, and most recently, played a key role in the Obama Presidential campaign's National Arts Advisory Group. Recognized as an influential policy maker, she served as the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago, the President of the Illinois Arts Alliance, and as a member of the Illinois Arts Council.
 
 Joan Harris's extraordinary commitment to arts education has nurtured multiple generations of young musicians and professional artists through her generosity and vision.  Through her stewardship, Joan has made it possible for young people to pursue their artistic aspirations, allowing them to nurture their unique voice, creativity, and curiosity as they make their way in professional performance.  She has twice presented the critically acclaimed Sphinx Chamber Orchestra and Harlem Quartet at the Theater, and, through the Irving Harris Foundation, provided sponsorship support for the development of a new Sphinx Performance Academy program for young aspiring African American and Latino string players, hosted by Roosevelt University's Chicago College of the Performing Arts.  She also sponsored the Harris Theater appearance of Daniel Barenboim's internationally renowned West-Eastern Divan Youth Orchestra.
 
Joan is also a major benefactor of The Academy, a joint program of Juilliard, Carnegie Hall, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.  This two-year fellowship program for the finest young professional musicians develops the artistic values and skills necessary for careers that combine musical excellence with education, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership.
 
"Joan Harris is an extraordinary woman, and I am proud to have her as my mentor. Her integrity, intellect, kindness, and remarkable philanthropy have made an enduring impact on Chicago and have earned her the respect and admiration of the entire community. I am so grateful for all that she has shared with me and feel privileged to have the opportunity to honor her with this benefit and celebrate her immeasurable accomplishments," said Harris Theater Trustee and Benefit Co-Chair Caryn Harris.
 
Joan Harris has been honored with more than a dozen awards for her life-long commitment to the arts including the prestigious Americans for the Arts - Frederick R. Weisman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts.
About the Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Opened on November 8, 2003, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance is a national model of collaboration between a philanthropic community and performing arts organizations.  Now in its seventh season, the Theater remains committed to presenting today's most innovative and provocative performances, supporting the growth and development of its resident companies, and presenting young, emerging companies to audiences that they otherwise could not reach. 
 
The Harris Theater proudly partners and collaborates 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.  In 2003, 12 companies called the Harris Theater home.  That core group of 12 resident companies has grown to include over 35 diverse and exceptionally talented performing arts organizations, including Hubbard Street Dance, Chicago Opera Theater, and Music of the Baroque. More than ever, the Harris remains committed to its founding vision of meaningful partnership with the companies that are fueling the promise of innovation and creativity in Chicago's arts community.
 
Since its inception, the Harris Theater has been a staunch advocate of new and innovative work. The Theater strives to push the exploration of the art form by bringing to Chicago audiences unique works in which artistic enterprise, diversity, and experimentation dictate innovation.  Through the Harris Theater Presents series, the Theater achieved widespread recognition as a vital cultural anchor in the city.  Daniel Barenboim, Laurie Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Lang Lang, Dame Evelyn Glennie, the New York City Ballet and many other world renowned artists and ensembles have all graced the Harris's stage through this series.
 
Benefactors for the Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman: A Celebration of Joan W. Harris on Her Birthday include Caryn and King Harris and The Irving Harris Foundation.
 
Patrons of the event include Judith Neisser, Alexandra and John Nichols, Abby O'Neil and Carroll Joynes, The Peninsula Hotel, Pritzker Foundation, Laura and Ricardo Rosenkranz, and UBS.
 
Sponsors include Joan and Robert Feitler, Sandra and Jack Guthman, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Susan and Lew Manilow, Brenda M. Shapiro, and The Northern Trust Company.
 
The Champagne Reception is sponsored by Ariel Investments LLC.

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