Assistant Conductor Kalena Bovell conducts Antonin Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances Opus 46 No. 2 & Slavonic Dances Opus 72 No. 7
Program features young musicians from
Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir,
Civic Orchestra of Chicago, The People’s Music School, Merit School of Music
and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra playing and singing side by side with
Sinfonietta members
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie,
January 14
Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville,
January 15
Symphony Center, Chicago,
January 16
December
8, 2016 (Chicago, IL) —Chicago Sinfonietta, led by Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, continues its 2016-2017 season with its
Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a cherished
Sinfonietta tradition since its founding in 1987 by the late Maestro
Paul Freeman. The 2017 tribute concert will celebrate the boundless
optimism of youth as the orchestra is joined by young
musicians who embody the next generation of Dr. King’s legacy. The
concert will be performed three times: first, in the Sinfonietta’s debut
at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie,
Saturday, January 14 at 8 pm, next in the western suburbs at Wentz Concert Hall of North Central College, Naperville,
Sunday, January 15 at 3 pm, and finally in its downtown Chicago home of Symphony Center,
Monday, January 16 at 7:30 pm.
This
year’s program includes a never-before-seen performance featuring young
musicians from every corner of the city playing and singing “side by
side” with the orchestra. The
signature Sinfonietta performance will highlight the next generation of
diverse musicians being developed in Chicago and celebrate the city’s
intergenerational dedication to the messages of Dr. King. The tribute
concert begins with Williams’ masterpiece
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis performed by young musicians from three area music programs followed by Vivaldi’s rhythmic and intense
Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello Opus 3 No. 10 B minor Opus
featuring young violin soloists Maria Arrua, Teddy Wiggins, Tomer Marcus and Tara Lynn Ramsey from the
Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Chen, a fierce proponent for and mentor of young conductors, welcomes
Assistant Conductor Kalena Bovell to the podium for Antonin Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances Opus 46 No. 2 & Slavonic Dances Opus 72 No. 7. Chen returns to the podium to lead the rest of the
transformational and uplifting concert ending with an epic performance of
Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. featuring the Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir
and vocal soloists Nicholas Davis (bass), Jared Esqurerra (tenor), Kimberly Gunderson (soprano) and Louise Rogan (alto), led by
Cheryl Hill Frazes, conductor of the Conservatory Chorus.
“We
are thrilled to honor Dr. King's legacy and celebrate the next
generation in these Tribute concerts, which will include young voices
from throughout the city, including the members of the
Civic Orchestra (under the umbrella of the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra) being the soloists for the Vivaldi
Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello Opus 3 No. 10 B minor Opus, and young musicians from the
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra,
Merit School of Music and
The People’s Music School playing side by side with the Sinfonietta musicians in Vaughan Williams breathtaking
Fantasia on Theme by Thomas Tallis for multiple string ensembles,”
says Chen. “These concerts also honor the memory of our late founder,
Maestro Paul Freeman, especially with some of his favorite works such as
Dvořák's
Slavonic Dances, conducted by a former Freeman Fellow and current Sinfonietta Assistant Conductor,
Kalena Bovell, and Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Choral Symphony featuring Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir, prepared by the incredible
Dr. Cheryl Frazes Hill.”
This year’s MLK Tribute Concert is sponsored in part by Exelon, Lead Sponsor, Hyatt, Molex, Aon, and PWC, Supporting Sponsors.
Title:
|
Chicago Sinfonietta
presents the Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
Dates:
|
Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 8:00pm
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie
Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 3:00pm
Wentz Concert Hall of North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Avenue, Naperville
Monday, January 16, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Orchestra Hall of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
|
Tickets:
|
Single
tickets range from $18-$99 for concerts at Symphony Center, $48-$60 for
concerts at Wentz Concert Hall, and $29-$58 at the North Shore Center
for the Performing Arts,
with special $10 pricing available for students at all concerts.
Tickets can be purchased by calling Chicago Sinfonietta at 312-284-1554
or online at
www.chicagosinfonietta.org.
|
Program:
WILLIAMS
|
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
|
VIVALDI
|
Concerto for 4 Violins
and Cello Opus 3 No. 10 B minor Opus
|
DVORAK
BEETHOVEN
|
Slavonic Dances Opus 46 No. 2 & Slavonic Dances Opus 72 No. 7
Ode to Joy
|
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Kalena Bovell, guest conductor
Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir
Nicholas Davis
(bass), Jared Esqurerra
(tenor), Kimberly Gunderson (soprano) and Louise Rogan (alto),
vocal soloists from
Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir
Maria Arrua,
Teddy Wiggins, Tomer Marcus and Tara Lynn Ramsey, violin soloists from Civic Orchestra (Molly Walker, Orchestra Manager on the Civic Orchestra)
Young musicians from: Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, The People’s Music School
and Merit School of Music
Now in its 29th
season, Chicago Sinfonietta has pushed artistic boundaries to provide
an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking about a symphony
orchestra and is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, racial
and cultural equity in the arts.
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. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta
was the proud recipient of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective
Institutions (MACEI). This award recognizes exceptional organizations
that are key contributors in their fields. The orchestra
also received the Spirit of Innovation Award at this year’s Chicago
Innovation Awards. Learn more at
www.chicagosinfonietta.org.
Chicago
Sinfonietta is grateful to its season sponsors including Cedar
Concepts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Southwest Airlines,
Fairmont Hotel, Hotel
Arista and NBC5. Chicago Sinfonietta also thanks its BRIDGE Audience
Engagement sponsors Macy's and PWC, as well as its season media sponsors
including WXRT, Chicago and Naperville Magazines, and Chicago Reader.
# # #
Comments by email:
1) William, Thank you as always for your support and the lovely write ups.
~Kalena [Kalena Bovell]
2) Diverse musicians undoubtedly, but not a single black composer. Sigh.
Suzanne Flandreau
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