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Continuing the momentum and building on the critical success of its fall 2009 season, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park will present a winter/spring 2010 season of impressive and diverse performances by the city's most acclaimed music and dance institutions as well as world-renowned national and International Artists and ensembles through its Harris Theater Presents series.
The schedule for the Harris Theater winter/spring 2010 season includes a variety of acclaimed Chicago favorites, Chicago premieres and engagements with individuals and organizations that are seldom seen in Chicago. Joining such popular and acclaimed Chicago institutions as River North Chicago Dance Company, Music of the Baroque, eighth blackbird, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Chicago Opera Theater and Chicago Jazz Ensemble is highly anticipated return of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan; the introduction of the Harris Theater's Broadway Luminaries series, including engagements with composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and Chicago area native Christine Ebersole; the annual Contempo Double-Bill, featuring eighth blackbird and jazz musicians Kenny Werner and Chris Potter; classical guitarist Sharon Isbin and violinist Mark O'Connor; The Magnetic Fields; and the conclusion of the Harris' new Eat to the Beat $5.00 lunchtime dance series.
The Harris Theater is pleased to share that UBS is serving as the 2009-2010 Season Sponsor. The Harris Theater's 2009-2010 season has been made possible with support from United Airlines, the Harris Theater's Official Airline. Judith Neisser is the Presenting Sponsor of the Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo engagement; the Irving Harris Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the Sharon Isbin and Mark O'Connor engagement; the Feitler Family Fund is the Presenting Sponsor of the Stephen Sondheim engagement; BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois is the Lead Corporate Sponsor of the Christine Ebersole engagement; Lori Gray Faversham and Family is the Lead Sponsor of the Cross that River family series performance; The Slusar-Goldman Family is the Lead Sponsor of the DJ Beethoven family series performance. Windy City Media Group is the Media Partner for the Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Sharon Isbin and Mark O'Connor, Stephen Sondheim and Christine Ebersole engagements. The Harris Theater gratefully acknowledges the Irving Harris Foundation for its leadership support of the Presenting Fund. Rental subsidies for select user groups have been provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Lead Underwriter of the Harris Theater's Rental Subsidy Program. Additionally, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has provided support for collaborative partnerships with the Harris Theater to the following arts and cultural organizations: Alianza de las Artes Puertorriquenas, Chicago Opera Theater, eighth blackbird, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Music of the Baroque and Urban Gateways. All performances are on The Elizabeth Morse Genius Stage.
Tickets to all Harris Theater 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.Program information for the Harris Theater's 2010 winter/spring season is as follows:Classical MusicMusic of the Baroque "Glover Conducts Mozart-The Requiem" Friday, February 5, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30 - $75Jane Glover, conductor Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra Arianna Zukerman, soprano Phyllis Pancella, mezzo-soprano Scott Ramsay, tenor Stephen Morscheck, bassMozart's great Requiem Mass under Jane Glover's baton is an extraordinary musical experience. Mozart's Symphony No. 29 is also on the program.W. A. MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A Major RequiemRoosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra Tuesday, February 9, 7:30 pm Tickets: FREE
Stephen Squires, conductor Featuring Student Solo Competition Winners Katie Ventura, harp; Leila Bowie, soprano; Marta Botelho-Vieira, violin
Ravel Introduction and Allegro Respighi Dieta silvane Sarasate Zigeunerweisen Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra presents its annual series of free concerts featuring some of the school's most gifted performers and world-renowned faculty. Music of the Baroque "Handel and the Royals" Monday, March 1, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30 - $75Jane Glover, conductor Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra Christine Brandes, soprano Daniel Taylor, countertenor Nicholas Phan, tenor Neal Davies, bass-baritoneThe superb Music of the Baroque chorus shines in brilliant, rarely heard works written for important occasions at court.HANDEL Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, "The ways of Zion do Mourn" Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, "Eternal source of light divine" Anthem for the Wedding of Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Coburg, "Sing unto God"Harris Theater Presents Sharon Isbin and Mark O'Connor Saturday, March 6, 2010, 7:30 pm Tickets: $45 - $75Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin and virtuoso violinist Mark O'Connor will make their Chicago premiere performing together as duo recitalists in a program highlighting Sharon's new release on Sony Classical, Journey to the New World, a voyage in song from the British Isles to the New World. The disc features the world premiere of O'Connor's folk-inspired Strings & Threads Suite for violin and guitar and the Joan Baez Suite by John Duarte for solo guitar, both of which will be performed as part of Sharon and Mark's debut at the Harris.
Acclaimed for her lyricism and technique, Sharon Isbin is considered "the preeminent guitarist of our time." Her catalogue of more than 25 recordings - spanning Baroque, Spanish/Latin to jazz-fusion - reflect her versatility and ability to expand the guitar repertoire with some of the finest new works of the century. Sharon last performed in Chicago with the Grant Park Music Festival in 2006. Fresh off the release of the critically acclaimed world premiere recording of his most ambitious work yet, the six-movement "Americana Symphony" (performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop), Mark O'Connor is on the rise and considered one of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music today. A product of America's rich aural folk tradition as well as classical and flamenco music, O'Connor has melded and shaped these influences into a new American Classical music, and a vision of an entirely American school of string playing.
The Irving Harris Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the Sharon Isbin and Mark O'Connor engagement.Asturias Isaac Albeniz (transcribed by Andrés Segovia) (1860-1909)Recuerdos de la Alhambra Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)Andecy Andrew York (b.1958) Waltz Opus 8, #4 Agustin Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944) Sharon Isbin, guitarSelections to be announced from the stage Mark O'Connor, violin
Joan Baez Suite, Opus 144 (2002) John Duarte (b. 1919) (written for Sharon Isbin -- Commissioned by the Augustine Foundation) Sharon Isbin, guitar
Selections to be announced from the stage Mark O'Connor, violin
Strings & Threads Suite Mark O'Connor (b. 1961) Violin & Guitar adaptation written for Sharon Isbin 2006 Mark O'Connor, violin/Sharon Isbin, guitar
Harris Theater and Bella Voce Chamber Choir Present Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 - The 400th Anniversary Monday, March 29, 2010, 7:30 pm Tickets: $35
Hear one of Western music's most celebrated masterworks when Bella Voce Chamber Choir performs the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 with Rachel Barton Pine. A collection of sacred pieces demonstrating Monteverdi's mastery of composition and religion, the Vespers of 1610 elegantly and seamlessly combines the prevalent compositional styles of the day into one of the most intricate and beautiful tapestries of celestial sound. Join Bella Voce Chamber Choir as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of this joyous and majestic work.
Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Virgine (1610)Music of the Baroque "Double Play-Bach, Mozart, Haydn" Wednesday, March 31, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30 - $75Jane Glover, conductor Music of the Baroque Orchestra Robert Waters, violin Robert Morgan, oboe Mary Stolper, flute Alison Attar, harpVirtuoso principal players take center stage for a program that includes Bach's concerto for violin and oboe, and Mozart's concerto for flute and harp.J. S. Bach Concerto for violin and oboe W. A. MOZART Concerto for flute and harp HAYDN Symphony No. 6 in D Major (Le Matin) Symphony No. 87 in A MajorHarris Theater Presents Lang Lang, piano Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra Sunday, April 11, 2010, 3:00 pm Tickets: $45 - $95
Hailed by The New York Times as "the hottest artist on the classical music planet," Lang Lang will perform an impressive two concerto program at the Harris under the baton of his mentor Maestro Christoph Eschenbach with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (SHFO), one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. The challenging program for Lang Lang's debut at the Harris and the Chicago premiere of SHFO includes Mozart's Piano concerto No. 17 and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 3.
Beethoven "Leonora No. 3" Overture, Op. 72a
Mozart Piano concerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453
Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 (Classique) in D Major, Op. 25
Prokofiev Piano concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
Music of the Baroque "Gloriously Baroque-Telemann and Bach" Friday, May 7, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30 - $75
Nicholas Kraemer, conductor Music of the Baroque Orchestra and Chorus Suzie LeBlanc, soprano Colin Ainsworth, tenor Sanford Sylvan, bass-baritoneThe concert season concludes with dramatic cantatas by J. S. Bach, plus the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and music by Telemann.J. S. Bach Cantata No. 50, "Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft" Cantata No. 130, "Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir" Cantata No. 19, "Es erhub sich ein streit" Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major TELEMANN Suite in D Minor for three oboes, bassoon, and stringsJazzThe Chicago Jazz Ensemble with Artistic Director Jon Faddis Celebrating "The Great Summit": The Music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Friday, January 15, 2010, 7:30 pm Tickets: $15 - $45
The Chicago Jazz Ensemble performs Duke Ellington favorites from The CJE's library and special Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York arrangements of Armstrong classics, including "What A Wonderful World," "Swing that Music," and "Stardust." This concert officially kicks off the third annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration (LALPC), The CJE's educational initiative for students in Chicago Public Schools.Double-Bill: Where Jazz and Contemporary Music Intersect Presented by Harris Theater and Contempo featuring Cliff Colnot, conductor Susanne Mentzer, mezzo soprano eighth blackbird Chris Potter, saxophones Kenny Werner, piano Saturday, January 16, 2010, 7:30 pm Tickets: $25 for students, $40This exciting co-presentation of Contempo's Double-Bill: Where Jazz and Contemporary Music Intersect features important Chicago premieres and combines the best of living composers, cutting-edge performances by contemporary artists, and memorable appearances by jazz musicians. Featuring Grammy Award-winning sextet eighth blackbird and renowned mezzo soprano Susanne Mentzer, who performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus this past October and wowed both critics and audiences with her portrayal of Dido in Dido and Aeneas with Chicago Opera Theater in 2006, as well as jazz musicians Chris Potter and Kenny Warner, Double-Bill will include the Chicago premiere of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer Bernard Rands' work, now again - fragments from Sappho for ten-piece ensemble, along with Kurt Weill's September Song. The performance will also feature the Chicago premiere of Taiwanese composer Yu-Hui Chang's Binge Delirium for solo percussion and conclude with a jam session with jazz musicians saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Kenny Werner.
Shawn Brogan Allison Towards the FlameBernard Rands now again - fragments from SapphoKurt Weill September SongYu-Hui Chang Binge Delirium for solo percussionSet with Chris Potter, saxophone, and Kenny Werner, pianoThe Chicago Jazz Ensemble with Artistic Director Jon Faddis "The Chicago Jazz Ensemble Past, Present, and Future" with special guests Alioune Faye on sabor and Baba Faye on djembe Wednesday, March 5, 7:30 pm Tickets: $15 - $45Join The Chicago Jazz Ensemble for an exploration of Jazz: Past, Present and Future, the American premier of Jon Faddis' "Teranga" compositions (from his critically-acclaimed album) arranged for big band by Michael Philip Mossman. The concert also features Slide Hampton's "Africa" (music commissioned in 2004-2005 by The CJE for Mr. Faddis' first season as Artistic Director) and arrangements by The CJE's founder, William Russo. Special guests on "Teranga" and "Africa" include Alioune Faye on djembe and Baba Faye on sabar. Dana Hall, The CJE's Music Director and drummer, also will be featured.
New/Popular/Country MusicThe Old Town School of Folk Music Presents Rosanne Cash Friday, January 29, 8:00 pm Tickets: $42, $45Johnny Cash's daughter has held her own since she ventured into the country music scene in the late '70s. With what Rolling Stone calls "a voice that floats like smoke," plus an ability to "belt it out," the Grammy Award-winning Rosanne Cash has topped Billboard's charts and earned acclaim for both country and crossover songs. With the recent release of "The List," a celebrated new album of 12 covers culled from a list of 100 essential country songs her father gave her in 1973, Cash collaborates with Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Wilco. New country fans and traditionalists alike tip their hats to this star in her own right. Radio sponsor for Rosanne Cash is WXRT.
Public on-sale is Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 pm.
The Old Town School of Folk Music Presents The Magnetic Fields Sunday, March 7, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30, $35
The Magnetic Fields are the music and brainchild of New York songwriter-producer-instrumentalist Stephin Merritt, whose dramatic musical tales are often compared to those of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. SPIN gives him 10 out of 10; Rolling Stone described his songwriting as "gorgeous;" and The New York Times hailed his work as "genius."MusicNOW Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Monday, March 15, 8:00 pm Tickets: $20, $10 for studentsJ. Lawrie Bloom, clarinet Michael Ward-Bergeman, hyper-accordionJOHN LUTHER ADAMS Qilyaun OSVALDO GOLIJOV Postlude from The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind JOHN LUTHER ADAMS for Jim (rising) Michael Ward-BERGEMAN/Golijov Patagonia JOHN LUTHER ADAMS ...and bells remembered... OSVALDO GOLIJOV Tekyah
The 2009-2010 MusicNOW season concludes with music by CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Osvaldo Golijov, John Luther Adams and Michael Ward-Bergeman. John Luther Adams has been deeply influenced by the Alaskan geography and culture-his music reflects the musical traditions of indigenous peoples and evokes images of the northern landscape. Adams' experience as a percussionist is manifest by the rhythmic complexity of his compositions and their use of Inuit drumming techniques. Featured on this concert are Adams' "Qilyaun," for four bass drums; "for Jim (rising)," for trumpet-trombone sextet; and "...and bells remembered...," for five percussionists. Sharing the bill are Golijov's "Tekyah," for klezmer clarinet, hyper-accordion, horns, trumpets, trombones and shofars; the Postlude from Golijov's klezmer string quartet with solo clarinet, "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind"; and "Patagonia," written for hyper-accordion by Michael Ward-Bergeman, who also appears as soloist, and arranged by Golijov to include string quartet.
Fulcrum Point New Music Project Myths: Heroes and Demons: Legends of Urban, Latin and Native America Tuesday, March 23, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30; $15 for students and seniorsMyths grow stronger-and more meaningful-as cultures overlap, cross borders, dance together. Each of these pieces evokes the ancient power of storytelling through new, surprising juxtapositions. Indigenous Mexican tales are set in motion anew as Luna Negra Dance Theatre debuts a work to Paredes score. The spellbinding power of myths-the layers, the loss, the loves-provides The Common bond for four rappers' reinvention of urban myths transformed in Woolf's multimedia world premiere.Evan Ziporyn Sulvasutra (2006) Midwest premiere
David Dzubay Wintu Dream Song (2008)
David Dzubay Kukulkan II (2008)
Hilda Paredes óox;él ik'il t'aan (2007) Stephen Burns, trumpet American Premiere with World Premiere choreography by Luna Negra Dance TheaterRandall Woolf Urban Legends - World Premiere Based on the artistry of Rappers Tongo Eisen-Martin, Wordisbon, and Liza Jesse Peterson; Commissioned by Music Aliveeighth blackbird with Rinde Eckert and Steven Mackey Slide Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30Slide is both a poignant tale of human frailty and a work about the seduction and manipulation of the American psyche. This multi-media, multi-art form production features renowned collaborators Rinde Eckert (director/actor) and Steve Mackey (composer/guitar) alongside eighth blackbird in a Chicago premiere.Steven Mackey & Rinde Eckert SlideFulcrum Point New Music Project Machines: Computers Come Alive! Wednesday, May 19, 7:30 pm Tickets: $30; $15 for students and seniorsFeaturing turntable music by Music Alive composer-in-residence Randall Woolf, computer-driven Interactive Audiovisual Improvisation Environment and Performance Art by the Chicago Fluxus Ensemble led by Simon Anderson.Tomi Räisänen Elevator Music on Mars (2003) American Premiere Christopher Burns Fabrications (2000) and Sawtooth (2009) Chicago Premiere
Luciano Chessa Cinque Quadri da una città fantasma (2003) For piano, slate board, and 3 turntables Midwest Premiere
George Brecht For a drummer (Fluxversions 2,4,6,7) (1966)Randall Woolf Blues for Black Hoodies (2008) for DJ turntablist and strings Midwest Premiere
Broadway Luminaries
Harris Theater Presents Stephen Sondheim A Life In The Theater Thursday, March 4, 7:30 pm Tickets: $35 - $65
Marking a first-ever Harris Theater Presents dialogue and what promises to be an important moment of the 2009-2010 theater season in Chicago, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim will offer a personal and engaging view of his life in the theatre and present a rare look into the mind of the most important artist to work in the American musical theater over the past half century. Sondheim, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 22, 2010, has not only collaborated on more than a dozen landmark shows and written countless standard songs but has also been the single most influential force in bringing the Broadway musical into the modern age. During the live, unscripted conversation at the Harris, Stephen Sondheim and moderator Gary Griffin, Associate Artistic Director at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, will reminisce about his career including his collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins and Tim Burton; predecessors, including his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II; the state of American musical theater; the differences between film and theater; and, in a very personal series of reflections, his own creative process, speaking specifically on works ranging from his early shows Gypsy and West Side Story to such later classics as Company, Follies and Sweeney Todd. Following the conversation, Sondheim will conduct a Q&A with audience members.This intimate dialogue program may be repeated with other noteworthy speakers in future seasons at the Harris.The Feitler Family Fund is the Presenting Sponsor of the Stephen Sondheim engagement.Harris Theater Presents Christine Ebersole An Evening with Christine Ebersole Thursday, March 25, 7:30 pm Tickets: $45 - $75Having received virtually every Off-Broadway award and her second Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical for her "dual role of a lifetime" as Edie Beale and Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens, and following a critically acclaimed cabaret engagement at New York's Café Carlyle, Christine Ebersole will make her Harris Theater debut and present a unique line-up of Broadway show tunes and standards for this special performance at the Harris.Noted by The New York Times as having "the voice of a nightingale," Chicago native Christine Ebersole has enchanted audiences throughout her performing career, from the Broadway stage to cabaret performances, television series and specials, films, concert appearances, and recordings. Ms. Ebersole is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit as Elvira and this past fall she delighted audiences by participating in the Opening Night Gala of Carnegie Hall's 118th Season. After making her debut with the Boston Pops two years ago, she returned to Boston's Symphony Hall and Tanglewood last season to star as Desiree Armfeldt in a concert version of A Little Night Music with the Boston Pops. BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois is the Lead Corporate Sponsor of the Christine Ebersole engagement.OperaChicago Opera Theater Gioacchino Rossini
MOSÈ IN EGITTO
April 17, 21, 23, 7:30pm; April 25,3pm
Tickets: Subscriptions (available now): $90 - $345; $45 - $105 student and youth (in sections B-D); Single Tickets (available March 1, 2010): $30 - $120; $15 - $40 student and youth (in sections B-D)
Conductor: Leonardo Vordoni
Director: Andrew Eggert
THE BUZZ: Opera lovers of Chicago were invited to choose an opera for performance by COT in 2010. Mosè in Egitto garnered the most votes-making it the People's Opera Winner!
THE HISTORY: There has only been one performance of Mosè in Egitto in Chicago - in 1863 at the McVicker's Theatre on Madison and State. Be part of this historic second performance in Chicago, when COT presents the U.S. premiere of top Rossini scholar Philip Gossett's new edition of the opera.
THE HIGHLIGHT: Yes, you'll see Moses part the Red Sea. But you'll also hear what some consider Rossini's most beautiful music in "Dal tuo stellato soglio" ("From Thy starry throne") sung by Andrea Concetti as Mosè, Manuela Bisceglie as Elcia, and supported by a chorus of 20 young singers playing the Hebrews and Egyptians.
(Sung in Italian with English supertitles).
Chicago Opera Theater Francesco Cavalli
GIASONE
April 24, 28, 30, 7:30pm; May 2, 3pm
Tickets: Subscriptions (available now): $90 - $345; $45 - $105 student and youth (in sections B-D); Single Tickets (available March 1, 2010): $30 - $120; $15 - $40 student and youth (in sections B-D)
Conductor: Christian Curnyn
Director: Justin Way
THE CHARM: Cavalli cleverly mixed the myth of Jason and the Argonauts with bawdy humor, breaking all the operatic rules of the day. The result: Giasone became the most popular opera of the 17th century!
THE CHOICE: Despite its stature in the operatic repertoire, this is the first time Giasone will be performed in Chicago by a professional opera company. Chicago Opera Theater continues its mission of bringing never-performed-here works to this city. Giasone also anchors the City of Chicago's first annual Early Music Festival.
THE CONDUCTOR: Christian Curnyn is one of the most heralded young opera conductors of today. The Guardian called his 2008 performance of Giasone one of "great panache," and credited Curnyn with ensuring "that the sheer variety and power of Cavalli's score comes across."
THE EVENT: The legendary Frederica von Stade makes her first appearance with Chicago Opera Theater in this opera written especially for her by Jake Heggie, of Dead Man Walking fame.
THE STORY: A glamorous stage actress reveals a shocking secret of their family's past to her two adult children facing dark challenges of their own. Based on a short play by Terrence McNally with a libretto by Gene Scheer.
THE SCORE: Jake Heggie's intimate score features just 11 musicians, and will be performed with Heggie himself at the piano. "Jake Heggie has a true gift for soaring and meaningful melody, a great ear for orchestral effects, a talent for picking good source material, and a knack for crafting affecting melodrama (in the best sense of that word) that can move an audience to tears." -Opera Today
Tickets: (Available to subscribers only now; available to the general public on March 1, 2010):$25 - $80; $12.50 - $27.50 (in sections B-D)
In addition to her starring role in Three Decembers, Frederica von Stade presents her final concert in Chicago before retirement. Accompanied by Jake Heggie, she will sing a program of Heggie's own works, as well as Copland, Hammerstein, Sondheim, Bernstein, and Bizet-just to name a few!
Chicago Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
HAIRSPRAY (Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park)
7.4% of votes
2.
RENT (Highland Park Players)
7.3% of votes
3.
THE WIZARD OF OZ (Up and Coming Theatre/Elgin Summer Theater)