PROGRAM

Franz LISZT, arr. Müller-Berghaus Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Michael TORKE SKY (Concerto for Violin)*
I. Lively;
II. Wistful;
III. Spirited
Tessa Lark, violin

William DAWSON Negro Folk Symphony
I.The Bond of Africa;
II. Hope in the Night;
III. O, Le’ Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!

CONDUCTOR
Mei-Ann Chen

GUEST ARTIST
Tessa Lark, violin

*Chicago Premiere

On SKY: “The balance between the worlds of classical and vernacular music is masterly: one can bet that this work will soon be imposed as a classic of literature for violin and orchestra.” — Filippo Focosi, Kathodik

Chicago Sinfonietta’s 34th season begins with a dynamic concert drawing on the deep connections of community through works grounded in folk music. The rhythmic spontaneity and seductive expression of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 opens the concert, followed by violinist Tessa Lark’s compelling energy in Michael Torke’s SKY, a fusion inspired by Irish reel and American bluegrass. The evening closes with American composer William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, a Chicago Sinfonietta signature piece informed by traditional spirituals.

September 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm | Wentz Concert Hall
September 20, 2021 at 7:30 pm | Symphony Center

Approximately 70 mins, no intermission

PROGRAM

Franz LISZT, arr. Müller-Berghaus Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Michael TORKE SKY (Concerto for Violin)*
I. Lively;
II. Wistful;
III. Spirited
Tessa Lark, violin

William DAWSON Negro Folk Symphony
I.The Bond of Africa;
II. Hope in the Night;
III. O, Le’ Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!

CONDUCTOR
Mei-Ann Chen

GUEST ARTIST
Tessa Lark, violin

*Chicago Premiere

On SKY: “The balance between the worlds of classical and vernacular music is masterly: one can bet that this work will soon be imposed as a classic of literature for violin and orchestra.” — Filippo Focosi, Kathodik

Chicago Sinfonietta’s 34th season begins with a dynamic concert drawing on the deep connections of community through works grounded in folk music. The rhythmic spontaneity and seductive expression of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 opens the concert, followed by violinist Tessa Lark’s compelling energy in Michael Torke’s SKY, a fusion inspired by Irish reel and American bluegrass. The evening closes with American composer William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, a Chicago Sinfonietta signature piece informed by traditional spirituals.

September 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm | Wentz Concert Hall
September 20, 2021 at 7:30 pm | Symphony Center

Approximately 70 mins, no intermission

Aakash Mittal’s Nocturne suite offers listeners a reimagining of the night. The music places the density and sonic collisions of urban India alongside the meditations of a world at rest, night terrors conjured by the imagination, and the slow cadence of blue light melting into darkness. The second half of the program will feature Mittal’s new works for voice that explore dreams as a non linear space where memory, experience and premonition meet.

ARTISTS
Aakash Mittal | Alto Saxophone
Rajna Swaminathan | Mridangam
Miles Okazaki | Guitar
Jasmine Wilson | Voice
Shurmila Dhar | Voice
Eddy Kwon | Violin
Trevor New | Viola
Stephan Crump | Bass

Orchestra 2001 – Mark Loria, conducting

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) – Sexteto místico

Clarice Vasconcelos Assad (b. 1978) – The Book of Spells

Orlando Haddad (b. 1953) – Lendas Amazônicas (Amazon Legends) premiere

Orlando Haddad's commission generously funded by the Steven R. Gerber Trust.

Orchestra 2001 returns to Teatro Esperanza as part of Esperanza Arts Center’s VOCES series, featuring live-streamed performances that spotlight the arts and traditions of Brazil. Enjoy authentic Brazilian food while watching VOCES at home and support our local Latino-owned restaurants.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021 at 7pm
Virtual Livestreamed Event from Teatro Esperanza; recorded at World Cafe Live
Tickets $5 / FREE for Students & Seniors
Orchestra 2001 SOUNDING BOARD members can select a free ticket.

This is an online event with no live audience. We hope you will join us.

PROGRAM
Jessie Montgomery Starburst
Alice Coltrane Prema for Harp and Strings
arranged by Tom Cunningham of Urban Playground Orchestra
Adolphus Hailstork TULSA 1921 (Pity Theses Ashes, Pity This Dust) for Mezzo-Soprano and Chamber Orchestra
*World Premiere - libretto by Herbert Woodward Martin
Trevor Weston The People Could Fly for Violin Solo, Narrator and Strings
(Based upon an African-American folktale by Virginia Hamilton; featuring dancers from Harlem School of the Arts)

FEATURING
Amadi Azikiwe, Music Director and Conductor
Terrance McKnight, Host and Performer
J’Nai Bridges, Mezzo-Soprano
Jessica (Lady Jess) McJunkins, Violin
Ashley Jackson, Harp
With an orchestra comprising members of The Harlem Chamber Players. Also featuring dancers from Harlem School of the Arts.

PROGRAM

Piazzolla (arr. Steven Verhelst) Suite from Maria de Buenos Aires for Brass and Percussion
Valerie Coleman Suite: Portraits of Josephine
Victor Wooten La Lección Tres*
*World Premiere, Chicago Sinfonietta Commission

CONDUCTOR
Mei-Ann Chen

GUEST ARTIST
Victor Wooten, Bass

Chicago Sinfonietta closes its 2020-2021 season with a finale that honors the voice of the people in its many forms, tracing the line of stories told across time and place. Merging the present with the past, the orchestra presents a mesmerizing closing season concert. The orchestra welcomes back Grammy award-winning bassist and prized collaborator Victor Wooten for the commissioned world premiere of La Lección Tres, a merging of music and philosophy moved forward in exuberant bass lines. The orchestra marks the centenary of Astor Piazzolla's birth with an arrangement of the catchy Suite from his Tango Opera, Maria de Buenos Aires, followed by Valerie Coleman's musical portrayal of entertainer and activist Josephine Baker's life.

A joyous concert to come together after a challenging year to celebrate the season and our talented musicians. Featuring soloist Rafael Galvan-Herrera, and a brilliant composition by student-composer Kailyn Williams.

Please join us for our first in-person concert of the 2020-21 Season! With Special Guests: The Quintessentials & Furioso String Quartet. Compositions by Astor Piazzola, Antonio Vivaldi, Carlos Simon, Kailyn Williams, Luigi Boccherini, and more.

Date and Time:
Wed, Jun 2, 2021, 7:00 PM ET
Location:
The Woodland
60 Woodland Road 
Maplewood, NJ 07040

World premiere of new work by Chicago-based composer Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez

A plea for understanding. A multi-media Immigrant Mass performance/film reflecting the lives and struggles of those who have sought better lives in America. The goal of the mass is to humanize immigrants and their experiences through real interviews, striking visuals, and music. Through this multi-media lense, this message can be better communicated and understood.

The six movement Immigrant Mass is a fusion of the mass ordinary and immigrant experiences (collected by photo-journalist Greg Constantine). The purpose of this exploration is to examine how religion and government affect the lives of those seeking a better life (from war, poverty, and more). The Roosevelt University Conservatory Choir led by Dr. Cheryl Frazes Hill, will be singing the standard Greek/Latin text of the mass ordinary and fulfilling the role of religion and government. Soloists; Corinne Costell, Tori Darnell, David Chavez, and Austin Sanders will be singing and embodying first-hand accounts of immigrants who have been held at border detention camps.

The ultimate goal of this mass is to highlight the realities and resilience of humanity, particularly struggling families, and what our role and duty is to help them. Through this melting pot of sounds and visuals by the Chicago Composers Orchestra, Conservatory Choir, soloists, and Greg Constantine, it is my hope that this work - which has brought so many hard working people from different walks of life together - will inspire to aid the immigrant community through various organizations, donations, and change in perspective.