Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mei-Ann Chen
Music Director
Music Director
Conni Ellisor
Victor Wooten
Program includes Chicago premiere of Conni Ellisor and
five-time Grammy® Award winning artist Victor Wooten ’s The Bass Whisperer featuring Wooten
himself plus guest performances by Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir
Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville,
January 17
Symphony Center, Chicago,
January 18
CHICAGO – The
Chicago Sinfonietta, led by Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, continues its 2015-2016 season with its
Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a long-standing
Sinfonietta tradition started by its founder, the late Maestro Paul
Freeman. The highly popular annual tribute concert will explore themes
of brotherhood, struggle, adversity, triumph and
love to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and will be performed twice:
first, in the western suburbs at Wentz Concert Hall of North Central
College, Naperville,
Sunday, January 17 at 3 pm, and then again in its downtown Chicago home venue of Symphony Center,
Monday, January 18 at 7:30 pm.
Maestra
Chen said of the concert, “I am very excited to bring two Chicago
premieres to the Sinfonietta's very important annual Tribute Concert to
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- the Bass Whisperer featuring bass virtuoso Victor Wooten and the
Fourth Chickasaw Variations by Michael Gandolfi (based on
‘I've Been Buked and I've Been Scorned’ sung by Mahalia Jackson before
Dr. King made his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech). Also joining the
Sinfonietta is the incredible Apostolic Church
of God Sanctuary Choir with various Gospel selections.”
This year’s program opens with Richard Smallwood’s
Anthem of Praise followed by Conni Ellisor and five-time Grammy® Award winning artist Victor Wooten’s
The Bass Whisperer featuring Wooten on bass. The second half of the concert opens with Michael Gandolfi’s
Fourth Chickasaw Variations and continues with Gospel music
performed by the Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir, including
It Ain’t Over, In Bright Mansions, and a special arrangement of John Legend’s
Glory with spoken word performed by Tony Briscoe. The choir, with
whom Maestro Freeman frequently collaborated, will honor and celebrate
the late Maestro Freeman with moving tributes from our guest artists and
of course Paul’s signature closing
piece, We Shall Overcome.
In
keeping with the themes of the night, before the concert and at
intermission, audiences will have the opportunity to explore an
exhibition of several
never-before-seen images of Dr. King in Chicago from the Chicago History Museum archives. Additionally, the Sinfonietta will
activate Symphony Center in a peace rally, inviting audience members to make a personal commitment to peace and non-violence in their community.
Title:
Chicago Sinfonietta presents the Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dates:
Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 3 pm
Wentz Concert Hall of North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Avenue, Naperville
Monday, January 18, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Orchestra Hall of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Tickets:
Single tickets range from $18-$60
for concerts at Symphony Center and $48-$60 for concerts at Wentz
Concert Hall, with special $10 pricing available for students at both
concerts. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chicago Sinfonietta
box office at 312.284.1554 or online at
www.chicagosinfonietta.org.
Program: SMALLWOOD
Anthem of Praise
ELLISOR/WOOTEN
The Bass Whisperer (Chicago Premiere)
GANDOLFI
Fourth Chickasaw Variations (Chicago Premiere)
BROWN; It Ain’t Over
ARR., GREENE-JOHNSON In Bright Mansions Above
LEGEND;
Glory
ARR., GREENE-JOHNSON
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Dr. Willetta Greene Johnson, guest conductor
Brian Rice, guest conductor
Victor Wooten, bass
Jolade Freeman, soloist
Tony Briscoe, spoken word
Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir
Musical
America, the bible of the performing arts industry, recently named
conductor Mei-Ann Chen as one of 2015's 30 influencers. The 30
influencers, as described by MA.com
editor Susan Elliott, are "...defined as people who are making a
difference in our business, either by virtue of their position, their
creativity, and/or their dedication-folks about whom you could say 'When
they speak, we listen.'"
This year, the Chicago Sinfonietta will also dedicate its 10th annual
Arts & Diversity Reception to Paul Freeman’s incredible
legacy, and will bring together citywide leaders in the field of
Diversity & Inclusion to honor Maestro Freeman’s dedication and
commitment to creating an orchestra that represents the broad community
it serves. The Arts & Diversity reception is invitation only and
will take place before Tribute to MLK at Symphony Center on January 18
at 5:30 pm.
Chicago
Sinfonietta is grateful to its season sponsors including Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Illinois, Nicor, Southwest Airlines, Fairmont Hotel,
Hotel Arista,
WXRT, and DiversityMBA. We thank our MLK Tribute Concert sponsors for
their support, including Exelon, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hyatt, Korn
Ferry, and Molex. Special thanks to our Arts & Diversity reception
sponsors including Exelon, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Hyatt, and Korn Ferry. The Sinfonietta thanks its Community Partners
both Chicago United and Chicago History Museum, as well as its Concert
Media Sponsors including ABC-7 Chicago, Chicago and Naperville
Magazines, and Chicago Reader.
In its 28th
season, the Chicago Sinfonietta has pushed artistic and social
boundaries to provide an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking
about a symphony orchestra. Led by Music Director Mei-Ann Chen since
2011, each concert experience blends inventive new works with classical
masterworks, each from a diverse array of voices, to entertain,
transform and inspire. Learn more at
www.chicagosinfonietta.org.
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