Music of the Baroque to Launch 2021-22 Season With Open-Air Celebration, Baroque-Inspired Commission & More

Music of the Baroque will kick off its 51st season in September with Baroque in the Park, an open-air performance on the stage of the Pritzker Pavilion on September 10 in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Music Director Dame Jane Glover leads the Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra in a festive evening of music from the Baroque era and beyond, including Handel's majestic Music for the Royal Fireworks, Vivaldi's uplifting Gloria, and the Baroque-inspired Spectacle of Light by Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop, specially commissioned for MOB's 50th anniversary. Rising star Ifetayo Ali-Landing, a Chicago native, makes her Music of the Baroque debut with the final movement of Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major. Joining the Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra is the Strong Voices Chorus, featuring singers from Music of the Baroque's arts education program in Chicago public high schools. Executive Director Declan McGovern commented, "We are delighted to open our doors to our entire community with a jubilant concert marking our 50th anniversary. Key to this will be Spectacle of Light, a glittering new work by Stacy Garrop, inspired by Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks. From Handel's premiere in London's Green Park in 1749 to Garrop's premiere in Millennium Park in 2021, we are reminded of the eternal power of music and its ability to lift us all through trying times." Baroque in the Park takes place Friday, September 10, 6:30 PM, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and is free to the public. More information is available here or by calling the box office at (312) 551-1414.

Music of the Baroque's 2021-22 season continues on a triumphant note a week later with Baroque Fireworks, featuring Handel's two majestic works for outdoor celebrations: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. The ensemble's principal players shine in Handel's "Concerto for two choirs" and Telemann's Concerto for 3 Trumpets. A reprisal of Music of the Baroque's first-ever Baroque-inspired commission, Stacy Garrop's Spectacle of Light , sets the stage for an illuminating evening. Baroque Fireworks will be performed on Sunday, September 19, 3:00 PM at the North Shore Center in Skokie, and Monday, September 20, 7:30 PM, at the Harris Theater. Single ticket prices range from $25 to $95 and will be available for purchase beginning Monday, August 30 at baroque.org or by calling (312) 551-1414. Discounts for groups, students, and seniors are available. More information about Baroque Fireworks is available here.

In October, renowned early music specialist John Butt, founder and director of Scotland's Dunedin Consort, joins Music of the Baroque for the first time to conduct Vivaldi & Friends. Known for his innovation and instrumental virtuosity, Antonio Vivaldi was on the cutting edge of Baroque trends. Vivaldi & Friends traces his accomplishments along with the people who inspired him-and whom he inspired, too. Featured works include Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto in C Major plus music by Corelli, Albinoni, and Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 1. Vivaldi & Friends will be performed Sunday, October 17, 7:30 PM at the North Shore Center in Skokie, and on Monday, October 18, 7:30 PM, at the Harris Theater. Single ticket prices range from $25 to $95 and will be available for purchase beginning Monday, August 30 at baroque.org or by calling (312) 551-1414. Discounts for groups, students, and seniors are available. More information about Vivaldi & Friends is available here.

Music of the Baroque also announced that students will be able to attend any of Music of the Baroque's seven performances at the Harris Theater during the 2021-22 season free of charge. "Although our music was created centuries ago, its power to inspire is limitless," Declan McGovern added. "Our 'Students Go for Free' program at the Harris Theater, as well as our invitations to community groups to attend concerts as our guests, embodies our goal to share this music with as many people as we can." Students can reserve up to two complimentary tickets per valid student ID by visiting baroque.org or calling (312) 551-1414 beginning August 30. Student tickets will also be available at the Harris Theater box office starting two hours prior to the performance.

Long recognized as one of the region's top classical groups, Music of the Baroque is devoted to the performance of eighteenth-century music. Despite the pandemic, the organization was able to retool its 50th anniversary to consist of six programs focused on intimate, string-dominated music well-suited to social distancing that were made available via livestream and On Demand. In addition to its virtual concerts, Music of the Baroque also keeps audiences engaged through other digital programming available on their website. A weekly series of broadcasts on 98.7/WFMT between August and October 2020 featured concert highlights from the past ten years, and in September 2020 the organization released a new recording of Bach's Mass in B Minor. Music of the Baroque also produced several video interviews, including a three-part conversation with Dame Jane Glover and renowned early music specialist Sir John Eliot Gardiner on the lives of Bach and Handel, and a three-part interview between Principal Guest Conductor Nicholas Kraemer and his dear friend Sir Simon Rattle. The ensemble also offered two free performances, "Baroque Beautiful-MOB's At-Home Gala" and "A Baroque Thanksgiving." More information on the ensemble's virtual programming is available at baroque.org/virtual.

BAROQUE IN THE PARK

Friday, September 10, 6:30 pm
Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago

Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra
Dame Jane Glover, conductor
Ifetayo Ali-Landing, cello
Strong Voices Chorus

BAROQUE FIREWORKS

Sunday, September 19, 3:00 pm
North Shore Center, Skokie

Monday, September 20, 7:30 pm
Harris Theater, Chicago

GARROP Spectacle of Light (world premiere)
HANDEL Water Music Suite No. 2
HANDEL Concerto a due cori No. 1 (for 4 oboes and 2 bassoons)
TELEMANN Concerto No. 1 for 3 Trumpets
HANDEL Music for the Royal Fireworks

Music of the Baroque Orchestra
Dame Jane Glover, conductor
Barbara Butler, Tage Larsen, & Channing Philbrick, trumpets

VIVALDI & FRIENDS

Sunday, October 17, 7:30 pm
North Shore Center, Skokie

Monday, October 18, 7:30 pm
Harris Theater, Chicago

CORELLI Concerto Grosso in F Major, op. 6, no. 6
VIVALDI Bassoon Concerto in C Major, RV 472
J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066
ALBINONI Oboe Concerto in D Minor, op. 9, no. 2
VIVALDI Concerto for Strings in A Major, RV158
VIVALDI Concerto for Flute, Oboe & Bassoon in F Major, RV 550

Music of the Baroque Orchestra
John Butt, conductor
Mary Stolper, flute
Anne Bach, oboe
William Buchman, bassoon