September 17, 2023 – June 24, 2023
Jul 2023
Brahms Requiem - Diction Coach
Grant Park Music Festival • Chicago
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Christopher Bell, chorus director
Maeve Höglund, soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Joel Thompson: Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem
Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra with the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus and soloists in Johannes Brahms' choral masterpiece A German Requiem*, written for the bereaved after the death of the composer's mother. The concert opens with another choral tribute, Joel Thompson' chilling cantata Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. Each movement is a setting of the last words uttered by seven unarmed men who were killed by police officers or by vigilantes—Kenneth Chamberlain, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, John Crawford, and Eric Garner. The Festival welcomes soloists Maeve Höglund and baritone Hugh Russell.
During the Brahms Requiem, members of the Grant Park Orchestra will play instruments provided by Violins of Hope, a private collection of violins, violas, and cellos that once belonged to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. The presentation of these instruments is hosted by JCC Chicago.
Jul 2023
Brahms Requiem - Diction Coach
Grant Park Music Festival • Chicago
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Christopher Bell, chorus director
Maeve Höglund, soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Joel Thompson: Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem
Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra with the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus and soloists in Johannes Brahms' choral masterpiece A German Requiem*, written for the bereaved after the death of the composer's mother. The concert opens with another choral tribute, Joel Thompson' chilling cantata Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. Each movement is a setting of the last words uttered by seven unarmed men who were killed by police officers or by vigilantes—Kenneth Chamberlain, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, John Crawford, and Eric Garner. The Festival welcomes soloists Maeve Höglund and baritone Hugh Russell.
During the Brahms Requiem, members of the Grant Park Orchestra will play instruments provided by Violins of Hope, a private collection of violins, violas, and cellos that once belonged to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. The presentation of these instruments is hosted by JCC Chicago.
Jul 2023
Marin Alsop Conducts Esmail and Beethoven - Guest Chorus Director
Chicago Symphony Orchestra • Highland Park
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Marin Alsop, conductor
Benjamin Rivera, guest chorus director
Janai Brugger, soprano
Ashley Dixon, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Adrian Dunn Singers
Ayodele Drum & Dance
Jim Gailloreto Trio
Senn High School Choir
Program:
Reena Esmail: See Me
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (with African percussion and jazz interludes; “Ode to Joy” text by Tracy K. Smith)
Jul 2023
Poulenc Gloria (etc.) - Diction Coach
Grant Park Music Festival • Chicago
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Christopher Bell, chorus director
Lindsey Reynolds, soprano
Tai Murray, violin
Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ave verum corpus
Gabriel Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine
Francis Poulenc: Gloria
Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot takes the reins of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus for a feast of choral masterpieces, including the achingly beautiful Ave verum corpus by Mozart, the evocative setting of the hymn Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré, and the spellbinding Gloria of Francis Poulenc. Also on the program, violin virtuoso and Chicago native Tai Murray plays the Festival premiere of the Violin Concerto by New Orleans jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. The Festival also welcomes the debut of another New Orleans native, soprano Lindsey Reynolds.
Jul 2023
Poulenc Gloria (etc.) - Diction Coach
Grant Park Music Festival • Chicago
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Christopher Bell, chorus director
Lindsey Reynolds, soprano
Tai Murray, violin
Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ave verum corpus
Gabriel Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine
Francis Poulenc: Gloria
Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot takes the reins of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus for a feast of choral masterpieces, including the achingly beautiful Ave verum corpus by Mozart, the evocative setting of the hymn Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré, and the spellbinding Gloria of Francis Poulenc. Also on the program, violin virtuoso and Chicago native Tai Murray plays the Festival premiere of the Violin Concerto by New Orleans jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. The Festival also welcomes the debut of another New Orleans native, soprano Lindsey Reynolds.
Jun 2023
Riccardo Muti Conducts Beethoven Missa solemnis - Chorus Assistant Conductor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra • Chicago
Few mass settings pose more questions of listeners than Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. A fervent meditation on faith and doubt, the piece spans moments of ecstasy and angst, soaring beauty and near-operatic theatricality. Riccardo Muti leads this rarely performed score with a thrilling quartet of international singers and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti conductor
Erin Morley soprano
Alisa Kolosova mezzo-soprano
Giovanni Sala tenor
Kyle Ketelsen bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Donald Palumbo guest chorus director
Jun 2023
Riccardo Muti Conducts Beethoven Missa solemnis - Chorus Assistant Conductor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra • Chicago
Few mass settings pose more questions of listeners than Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. A fervent meditation on faith and doubt, the piece spans moments of ecstasy and angst, soaring beauty and near-operatic theatricality. Riccardo Muti leads this rarely performed score with a thrilling quartet of international singers and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti conductor
Erin Morley soprano
Alisa Kolosova mezzo-soprano
Giovanni Sala tenor
Kyle Ketelsen bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Donald Palumbo guest chorus director