Chicago Sinfonietta: The Best is Yet to Come!

As we enter a new decade, we want to take a moment to reflect on important highlights in the Sinfonietta’s history and our impact in the field over the last ten years. We certainly couldn’t have done it without YOUR SUPPORT. Let’s take a look:   2010: Marked Maestro Paul Freeman’s final year as Music Director before he passed the baton to Maestro Mei-Ann Chen.   2011: CS presented its inaugural concert series at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville, IL.   2012: CS celebrated its 25th anniversary and released the critically acclaimed recording Delights & Dances with Cedille Records.   2013: Chicago Tribune critic John Von Rhein dubbed CS “the city’s hippest orchestra.”   2014: Successfully presented unique genre bending collaborations including Mucca Pazza, Redmoon, and Young Chicago Authors, and expanded Project Inclusion, the industry leading development program from early career and diverse musicians, to include conductors.   2015: Our beloved founder, Maestro Freeman, passed away. Later in the year, CS received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions – the “genius award” for non-profit organizations – for our impactful work.   2016: CS performed its first-ever concert dedicated to LGBTQ+ voices and expanded its educational programs to the western suburbs (since 2008, we have served over 22,000 middle and high school students).    2017: CS championed the music of contemporary and diverse women soloists and composers in Project W, a season-long initiative that culminated in the release of Project W – Works by Diverse Women Composers, which charted on the Billboard Classical Album Charts.   2018: CS presented its first Diwali themed concert celebrating the Hindu Festival of Light and was cited by John Von Rhein as being “indispensable” in the field due to our mission of diversity and inclusion.   2019: CS introduced its largest class of Project Inclusion Freeman Fellows to date. Through Project Inclusion, our industry-leading professional development program, we have served over 80 diverse and early career musicians, conductors, and arts administrators. Our fellows have won positions in orchestras and arts organizations across the country. This year, Project Inclusion went international when 6 fellows went to Kenya for a musical and cultural exchange with the Kenya Conservatoire of Music and Nairobi Philharmonic Orchestra. Thank your for your friendship and your continued support. We know that the best is yet to come as we continue to change the face of classical music in 2020 and beyond.   With gratitude,