Clef Notes Chicagoland Journal for the Arts - Summer 2013

Clef N tes

JEWEL

Chicagoland Journal for the Arts Summer 2013

We go one-on-one with the artist as she gets set to make her Ravinia debut this summer.

SUMMER PILLOW at the

Rest your head at the epicenter of dance this summer

AMERICA'S Self-Image Smart Museum exhibit focuses on the national identity

ďƒŠ

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Top Vineyards Just a short drive from the Windy City

4th Anniversary Issue

2•CNCJASummer 2013

Contents Summer 2013

CNCJA

FEATURES

10 Interview with Violinist Karen Gomyo From the time she walked into Dorothy Delay's studio at Juilliard at age 10, she's known one thing: "Music is not a sport."

Kathryn Bacasmot fleshes out that wisdom in an interview with the red hot violinist.

12 Top Midwestern Viticultural Havens Napa Valley isn't the only U.S. geological source for sublime wine consumption. We in the Midwest know a thing or two about great winemaking, and we give you the best and brightest vineyards just a hop, skip and a jump away.

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29 In This Quarter Year 10

Eclipse Theatre's Woman in Mind, Lyric Opera's Rigoletto, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Staatskapelle Dresden Chamber Orchestra and the Monterey Jazz Festival are only a few of the Chicago area performances we review "In This Quarter Year."

58 Wonder to Behold The Adler Planetarium's state-of-the-art Grainger Sky Theater has launched a dazzling new show that brings the cosmos right to your fingertips in a way never before seen.

Photos counter-clockwise from top: Acclaimed violinist Karen Gomyo (photo by Jose-Luis Cortez; a bottle and glass of Marechal Foch wine from von Stiehl Winery in Algoma, Wisconsin (photo courtesy of von Stiel Winery; and the cast of Eclipse Theatre's Woman In Mind (photo courtesy of Eclipse Theatre).

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Summer 2013CNCJA•3

From the Publisher’s Desk

Photo by Taylor Crichton

After the kind of spring we’ve had, I think it’s pretty safe to say that there aren’t a great many things Chicagoans are looking forward to now more than the thrill of one of the Windy City’s famous summers. And, yes, the change in temperatures is a welcome one, but even more than that, Chicago summers have a way of awakening the explorers in all of us. Cabin fever has a peculiar way of doing that. And so we begin the task of planning the great escape of 2013.

After all, few things can invigorate like world class travel. And spoiled with the level of arts performances we see here in Chicago, where we travel, there must also be great culture.

That’s why for our fourth anniversary issue, we decided to get out with the rest of the city and explore some of the fantastic culturally-rich travel the world has to offer.

Of course, with the level of talent that comes through our own doors each year, the bar is set pretty high. But Emily Disher lets us in on the sweet spot for cultural travel this summer with a feature on a place the New York Times calls “the dance center of the nation,” western Massachusetts’ bucolic summer retreat, Jacob’s Pillow. With the world’s most remarkable dance companies making the rounds amid their outdoor performance space and its magnifiPittsburg's Continuum Dance Theatre performs at Jacob's Pillow's free Outside/In dance series cent Berkshire Hills in their stunning outdoor performance space set amid the beautiful Berkshire Hills of western backdrop, National Massachusetts.

Medal of Arts recipient Jacob’s Pillow represents just the kind of arts-based travel Chicagoans crave every year, matchless opportunity for artistic bliss wrapped seamlessly in serene, world class hospitality.

Dan Scurek also sets the stage nicely for an arts-infused trip to New York City in pursuit of Broadway's finest. Likewise, our travel and culture section features a number of tempting arts-based summer travel awaiting restless Chicagoans, this year.

Of course, all it really takes is a short jaunt along our amazing north shore to the sprawling lawns of the Ravinia Festival to see why so many people from around the globe make their way here each year to enjoy Chicago's summer fare. And this year, guests get a chance to hear the incomparable chart-topping singer/songwriter, Jewel, in her Festival debut—undoubtedly one of the hottest concerts this season. We had a chance to sit down with Jewel this spring and got a candid reflection on what has kept the artist so grounded over the last 20 years of multi-genred success, and how she embraced the process of her burgeoning career while avoiding the pitfalls of celebrity so many others don't. We enjoyed learning just what drives the artist and her work, as will you.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this anniversary issue, just the beginning of what awaits in a fantastic summer season of exploration.

Before you indulge, however, be warned: if you're not too careful, you just may find yourself on a flight somewhere gorgeous to absorb some of the global culture the coming months have in store.

Enjoy,

D. Webb Publisher 4•CNCJASummer 2013

Clef N tes Chicagoland Journal for the Arts Summer 2013

Publisher D. Webb

Editorial Editor

Patrick M. Curran II

Associate Editors Christopher Hopper Scott Elam Meaghan Phillips

Editorial Support Rachel Cullen

Staff Writers and Contributors Kathryn Bacasmot Raymond Benson David Berner Fred Cummings Emily Disher Wendy Foster Don Fujiwara Cathlyn Melvin Donna Robertson Amanda Scherker

Art & Design Art Director

Carl Benjamin Smith

Contributing Photographers Colin Lyons Jason M. Reese

Graphics & Design Specialists Chelsea Davis Angela Chang

Advertising Tel. 773.741.5502 Jason Montgomery Jason.Montgomery@ClefNotesJournal.com Subscriptions Clef Notes is published quarterly (March, June, September and December) each year. An annual subscription to the magazine may be purchased by mailing a check or money order for $18 to Clef Notes Publishing, Inc., 5815 N. Sheridan Road, Suite 1107, Chicago, IL 60660. Bulk rates are also available. Credit card purchases may be secured online at ClefNotesJournal.com or by calling 773.741.5502. © 2013 Clef Notes Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA.

Contents

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Summer 2013

14 CNCJA

DEPARTMENTS

14 Shall We Dance? Summer at the Pillow

If you're looking to take a culturally-infused trip this summer, there's no better place than the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival has been home to the world's most amazing dance each summer.

22 Preview: Broadway Bound

Need to get your fix for great live theater this off-season? Orlando Bloom in Romeo and Juliet with a twist is just one of the gems you'll find when you take a cultural bite out of the Big Apple this summer.

24 Curator's Corner: America's Self-Image

The Smart Museum of Art utilizes works from its own expansive collection to delve into the American identity from the perspective of artists spanning 100 years in the life of our country.

On the Cover: Chart-topping singer/ songwriter Jewel; photo by Troy Jensen. Above: Brian Brooks Moving Company.

40 Artist Conversational with Jewel

For 20 years now, Jewel has been topping charts and surprising audiences with multi-genre hits and artistic gold. We had a chance to sit down with the artist before she makes her Ravinia debut this summer, in what has to be one of the hottest tickets this year.

Summer 2013CNCJA•5

scuttlebutt

Letters from our readers...

Photo By Heather Stone

Kids Need Culture Too!

I recently read the article on Lookingglass Theater's (Springglass) camp you published last month. The story focused on a young man whose life had apparently already been dramatically impacted by years in their summer arts programs.

The story resonated with me as I, myself, was introduced to live theater at a very early age....That experience forever changed my life and the way I view the world around me.

J. Packard Richton Park, IL

Artful Insight

Morris Topchevsky. Boy with Pots, c. 1925.

Collection of William J. Asher.

Photo Courtesy of Lookingglass THeatre

Young visitors enjoy Unboxed: Adventures In Cardboard, an exhibit at The Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

Sam Clendenning and other members of the Lookingglass Springglass Camp's Young Ensemble 2012 in Warmth in the Windows at Lookinglass Theatre.

Amanda Scherker's profile of They Seek A City ("A City Found"- CNCJA Spring 2013), at the Art Institute held a very interesting take on the influences of art on life and life on art.

There were some great connections (she) made with regard to the changing face of Chicago's art community during one of the most fundamental shifts in Chicago's population. That the exhibit serves as a kind of archeological documentation of that change is obvious, but that you can also extrapolate a shift in artistic styles and techniques resulting from the Great Migration was a keen observation.

Treating the exhibit as a kind of artistic archeological study of our city's art community, we learn so much about what influences these shifts have had on Chicago artists today.

As a student of art and photography, I appreciated the insight. It was insight that served me well upon viewing the sow.

Thank you.

Readers may submit letters to Feedback, Clef Notes Publishing, Inc. 5815 N. Sheridan Road, Suite 1107, Chicago, IL 60660 or via E-mail to Scuttlebutt@ClefNotesJournal.com.

6•CNCJASummer 2013

It's so nice to see the level of attention you give to children's arts programs in Chicago. With the school system continually decreasing arts education, parents have to rely on such programs to support more well rounded experiences for kids in the city....I appreciate the focus Clef Notes puts on programs like (Unboxed: Adventures in Cardboard) that open kids up to new experiences and ways of exploring their own creativity.

Without programs like After School Matters and the Chicago Children's Museum, some of the area's children might very well be lost.

I hope you continue to shine a light on such initiatives.

D. Keller Chicago - Hyde Park

No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher. Clef Notes Publishing makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s content.

However, we cannot be held responsible for any consequence arising from errors or omissions.

A. Carson Chicago - Lincoln Park

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Out and About

(L to R) Ensemble members David Schwimmer, Andrew White, Joey Slotnick and Kevin Douglas.

(L to R) De and Paul Gray,Shawn Donnelley, Les Coney, Lisa and Randy White.

8•CNCJASummer2013 2013 8•CNCJASummer

Photos byRobert Carl

O

n Saturday, March 2, 2013, Lookingglass Theatre’s Board of Directors, Gala Committee and ensemble celebrated one of Chicago’s most highly anticipated events of the season, the 2013 Lookingglass gglassquerade at The Four Seasons in downtown Chicago.

Stephen Colbert, of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, hosted the glamorous event celebrating the Regional Theatre Tony Awardwinning company’s 25th anniversary season and was presented with the Lookingglass Civic Engagement Award.

Lookingglass’ 2013 gglassquerade saw more than 500 guests celebrate late into the night following an intimate VIP reception with Colbert, an elegant supper, and live and silent auctions. The event attracted Chicago’s corporate, cultural, and social leaders, including Mayor & Mrs. Rahm Emanuel, David Schwimmer, Rick Bayless, Gigi Pritzker Pucker and Richard Dent, among others.

The exclusive event raised one million dollars, which will advance the company’s commitment to new theatrical works and increase its work with Chicago-area students and families through educational and community programming reaching thousands of community members annually.

(L to R) Andrew White, Jon Harris, Jill Meier, Stephen Colbert, and Marc and Beth McCormack.

(L to R) DeEtta and Richard Dent and Allie and Jon Harris.

(L to R) Mayor Rahm Emanel and Amy Rule with Lookingglass ensemble member David Schwimmer.

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n Friday, March 15, 2013 the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum hosted their 2013 Costume Ball to celebrate the museum’s latest costume exhibition, Inspiring beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair.

Over 400 guests attended this gala held at the museum. The event raised over $400,000 to benefit the Council’s mission to support the Chicago History Museum’s costume collection, which has grown to be one of the world’s premier costume collections with over 50,000 pieces dating back to the 1720s. It's the second largest costume collection in the United States.

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Luminary

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Violinist Karen Gomyo has a great sense of who she is as an artist. Born in Tokyo and reared in the cities of Montreal and New York, Gomyo has a very definite cosmopolitan view of the world around her. She’s performed with some of the greatest orchestras on the planet, not the least of which are the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the L.A. Phil and the New York Philharmonic. Yet, she is as grounded a luminary concert artist as you’ll ever find. The Cleveland Pain Dealer called her “captivating, honest and soulful, fueled by abundant talent but not a vain display of technique.”

And no matter what the setting or circumstance, she seems to always keep her place in the performance of the greatest master-

Photo by Gabrielle Revere

By KATHRYN BACASMOT

10•CNCJASummer 2013

works in perfect context. It’s not at all about her undeniable talent or uncanny sensitivity. With Gomyo, it’s all about the music. This summer, she's returning to the Pritzker Pavilion stage in a performance of the electrifying Sibelius Violin Concerto. It’s only her second appearance at The Grant Park Music Festival, and Gomyo is already one of the most highly anticipated artists on the season's calendar. After a conversation with the violinist, it’s easy to see how her undeniable focus underpins that admirable sense of humility she seems to express about such amazing talent, talent and drive that have catapulted her to the incredible level of acclaim she’s enjoyed so early on in her career.

toire, so her mission with me was just to learn the (Sibelius)...So, every week I would bring a new movement, so I would have been 11 or 12 when I learned it for the first time…I never played it with orchestra until I was 19 or 20, so that was the point where I really started to delve into that piece. And then I played it a lot up until two years ago...so, this summer will be the first time in three years I’m playing it, and I’m really excited to see what new things I might feel in it.

What was it like entering a studio as prestigious as Dorothy Delay’s at the age of ten?

The surprises are always pleasant ones, because when you do find something new in a work as a result of stepping away from it for a period of time, you feel as though you have opened a new window of insight into the piece of music, which is, needless to say, very exciting! Honestly, it is a testament to how incredibly rich and profound music is; there is always more to be discovered.

Photo by Gabrielle Revere

Well, it was very exciting…I knew that Midori had come out of Ms. DeLay’s studio, and even at that age I remember just being absolutely terrified. I grew up in Montreal where people were relatively friendly and laid back, and traveling to New York for the first time…everything towered over me, and the pace was so fast, and the school was really intimidating. But it’s something that, without question, I felt was right at that point, to make the sacrifice to leave everything behind.

So, to make that move without knowing what the future would look like, and the competition and that sort of thing, we were definitely a little bit blind.

Have you found that when you return to a work you've stepped away from for such a great length of time that there are ever any surprises, artistically?

With an outdoor venue like Pritzker Pavilion, you're bound to confront elements you rarely encounter in a traditional concert hall or auditorium that perhaps fight against a smooth performance (i.e. sirens, traffic and the errant bird or insect). Are there any elements of an outdoor performance venue like that of the Grant Park Music Festival that you find particularly additive to performance?

I feel in a way that I was blessed that I didn’t have anyone musical around me in my family, because my mother had absolutely no idea what we were getting into. She would always remind me that music is why we moved. I say this because Juilliard has so many talented kids. A lot of them come from musical backgrounds, and a lot of them come from parents who are trying to live their dreams through their music.

Photo by Minoru Kaburagi

And for someone who didn't come from an overly "musical" background, how did you find the experience of being immersed in all things music at Julliard?

Also, there is something pleasant about seeing a park when looking around you. So, I take it for what it is. I give it my best, and if a fly lands on my finger while playing, I will just have to treat it as part of the experience!

Well, actually, when I joined Ms. DeLays’ studio I was very behind my peers; I was about 11 years old, and there were kids around that age that were playing the Tchaikovsky (Violin Concerto), and really big pieces that I had not yet done. I showed up at her studio with the Suzuki reper-

Photo by Gabrielle Revere

Then it’s about winning and not becoming an artist. So, what protected me there was my mother focusing on the musicality, and blossoming that, rather than playing better. Music is not a sport.

How did you first come to begin studying the Sibelius?

You simply have to look at the performance experience differently as the player. You don't have the acoustics of a hall to play off of, nor do you have the stabilized temperature of an indoor space, not to mention the other obstacles you (mention) and more. But, you are in a more casual, festive environment, and you find yourself connecting to a more relaxed audience, and perhaps a wider range of listeners that simply want to have a good night out in the park.

Without a doubt, Gomyo's July 26 and 27 Grant Park Music Festival appearance will be an experience you won't want to miss. She performs Sibelius' firey Violin Concerto with the Grant Park Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Hannu Lintu.

Summer 2013CNCJA•11

VITICULTURAL HAVENS

M i d w e s t e r n

l o v e r s

o n

t h e

g o

Chateau Chantal Winery & Inn

Old world meets new world at the von Stiehl Winery in Co Algoma, Wisconsin. Listed ur in the Federal Historic t Registry, a viticultural getaway to von Stiehl is as historical as it is agricultural. In addition to a top flight of tastings, the winery offers fascinating tours that include a visit to the Civil War era arched, underground limestone caverns, where wine is fermented and aged. Visitors can learn how wine is created, then sample over 25 varieties of vibrant grape and fruit wines, including a particularly intense varietal made with Door County cherries.

Yearly events at the vineyard include everything from live music concerts to one-of-a-kind grape-stomping, all amid the serene setting of Lake Michigan.

Ph ot o

y

Iner ehl W

ti on S of v esy

City WInery

Photo by Colin Lyons

What's great about City Winery in Chicago's west Loop isn't just the fact that it's the city's first and only fully functioning winery.

It's that it also boasts a 300-seat venue that brings some of the best talent from folk to jazz to blues and country before its audiences every night—and that's just for starters.

Brainchild of New York entrepreneur Michael Dorf, City Winery is the second of Dorf's urban winery babies (NYC being his flagship location). Dorf's wineries are urban venues that pay homage to his two greatest loves: wine and music...and in that order.

In its second year in Chicago, City Winery has brought us artists like Experanza Spalding, Mavis Staples, Lisa Loeb and Mason Jennings. Artists this summer include an eclectic mix from The Carolina Chocolate Drops to Chicago favorite Susan Werner.

Oh, and there's wine too....loads of it! City Winery sources its grapes from some of the finest vineyards around the globe. Being a winery in a big city gives them that luxury, helping to provide not only great wine, but a great wine consumption experience.

Clockwise from top right: Chateau Chantal Winery and Inn in the Old Mission Peninsula of Northern Michigan; Chardonay grapes from Galena Cellars in Galena, Illinois; A bottle of Seyvard Wine produced by Minnesotta's Morgan Cree Vineyards; Chicago's City Winery; a flight of award winning wines from Algoma, Wisconsin's von Stiehl Winery.

From very dry to lightly sweet, Chateau Chantal offers a wide variety of fine wines to savor on site. A six-time gold medalist in the 2009 Taster’s Guild International Wine Competition, Chateau Chantal cultivates varietals from premium grapes grown on their Old Mission Peninsula vineyards in Northern Michigan, as well as their 55 acre vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina, from which they produce a scintillating rich Malbec red wine.

A visit on Thursday evenings in June will yield free performances from local favorite The Jeff Haas Trio. Stay the day and tour or make a weekend of it in the estate’s charming, amenity-laden bed and breakfast.

Resting amid the restaurants, wineries, and historic agriculture of Old Mission Peninsula, Chateau offers the perfect get-away if you want to experience a fuller viticultural experience but lack the time and tolerance for extended travel.

Photo © Chateau Chantal Winery

von Stiehl Winery

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w i n e

Galena Wine Cellars

Photo Courtesy of Galena Cellars

f o r

Chicagoans don't really have to travel cross-country to get a great viticultural experience. Some of the best wineries are just a short drive away.

With acres of sprawling farmland hosting 22 distinct specialty grapes and producing 60,000 gallons of wine per year, Galena Cellars in Galena, Illinois offers your best bet for a short jaunt to one of the Midwest’s premier winery experiences.

Galena has developed 40 wine varieties, and gives you three inviting tasting rooms in which to sort them all out.

With a view of the area's gorgeous rolling hills, Galena Cellars gives the total experience.

Morgan Creek Vineyards

Established in 1993, Morgan Creek Vineyards is a veritable baby amongst the more tenured Midwestern wineries. It enjoyed its first vintage season in the fall of 1998 with the opening of Minnesota's only underground winery and hasn’t stopped making great varietals since. Apparently, the underground earth shelter provides perfect cellar temperature for wine production and aging. It also makes for a cozy tasting room experience.

Morgan Creek specializes in growing and producing German, French, and American style wines (no small feat) including Minnesota cold-hardy varietals. The winery offers a cycle of seasonal events that celebrate the joy of living and the art of fine winemaking.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Creek Vineyards

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Travel & Culture

SUMMER PILLOW

at the

For lovers of dance, there's no better cultural journey to make this summer than to the bucolic Berkshires of Massachusetts for the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Photo by Christopher DugGan

By EMILY DISHER

A National Historic Landmark and National Medal of Arts recipient, Jacob's Pillow is nestled in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts and hosts its world-renowned dance festival June 15 through August 25, 2013.

14•CNCJASummer 2013

F

Far from the metropolitan epicenters of arts and culture, nestled in a mountaintop farm in the beautiful East Coast Berkshires, sits a most unlikely cultural mecca. Here, amid the green foliage and gorgeous views, dancers can be found performing in an eighteenth-century barn; rehearsing beneath the trees on an outdoor stage; or taking classes from some of dance’s greatest teachers, studio doors flung open to the fresh air and curious eyes of the public. This is a venue like none other, one of the oldest performance spaces in the nation, and a U.S. magnet for dance—this is Jacob’s Pillow.

When the Carter family settled the Becket, Mass. farm in 1790, they certainly couldn’t have imagined what Jacob’s Pillow would come to mean throughout history. Jacob’s Pillow, true to its name, has always been a site nurturing dreams and lofty ambitions. Those familiar with the "Book of Genesis" may recall Jacob’s story, in which he lays his head upon a rock and dreams of a ladder to heaven. Because the former stagecoach road that winds its way up the mountain to Jacob’s Pillow resembles a ladder reaching up toward the heavens, the eighteenth century biblically-minded settlers of the region dubbed the road “Jacob’s Ladder.” It was only fitting then that the farm atop this “ladder” would earn the title “Jacob’s Pillow.” The pioneering spirit of Jacob’s Pillow has persisted as the location has become an important haven for cultural exploration both historically and artistically. The site was an important hideaway for the Underground Railroad during pre-Civil War years.

And in the mid-1900s the property became an oasis for dancers, culture lovers, and tourists to witness the newest inventions of great dance artists.

Shall We Dance?

It was famed dancer, teacher, and choreographer Ted Shawn who revived Jacob’s Pillow’s spirit of innovation after he purchased the property in 1930. Shawn saw potential amongst the crumbling paint, overgrown brambles, and overall dilapidated appearance of the farm. He immediately began transforming the largest barn on the property into the later-named Bakalar Dance Studio, which is still in use today. He began training his company of eight men, his Men Dancers, as they were called, at the site. This group not only helped to launch the artistic reputation of Jacob’s Pillow, but also to break down negative stereotypes about male dancers, proving their athleticism both on stage and on the farm, as they helped to build many of the structures used at the venue today.

During Shawn’s lifetime, Jacob’s Pillow underwent much expansion and change, even as Shawn struggled to address the debt that repeatedly threatened the life of the property. His creative solutions worked by bringing on lessors who brought new ideas to the Pillow (as it is affectionately called by those in the dance world), and ultimately helped institute and shape the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. The festival, now an annual, summer-long event, has become the area's greatest claim to fame, bringing hundreds of visitors to the farmstead from all over

Summer 2013CNCJA•15

Photos by Christopher DugGan

16•CNCJASummer 2013

the country and the world every year.

After Shawn, the venue continued to blossom and evolve under the direction of many passionate leaders, and the site has become unparalleled in its significance to the global dance community. Jacob’s Pillow has been instrumental in the careers of great artists such as Alvin Ailey, José Limón, Mark Morris, and companies including Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Parsons Dance Company, and Trey McIntyre Project.

Performers from cities across the globe, including Chicago, can cite the influence of Jacob’s Pillow in their

Travel & Culture development. The work of Joffrey Ballet founder Robert Joffrey was first seen at the Pillow’s Choreographers’ Workshops in 1952 and 1953. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has become a Pillow favorite over the years, performing at the site a dozen times in the past decade, and Luna Negra Dance Theatre made its debut at the 2012 Festival.

It falls to the artistic director to decide who will perform during each summer festival—a daunting task, no doubt. I was very interested to learn how one makes such selections, and so I sat down with Ella Baff, artistic director for the festival, under whose 15 years with Jacob’s Pillow the organization has grown and thrived.

Her passionate spirit and deep love for the unique site and dance festival exudes with her discussion of all things Pillow.

When asked how she selects the performers for each festival, Baff explains: “I always have people suggesting companies to me—audience members, board members, staff. I watch hundreds of videos sent to me from all over the world….

When selecting performers for the festival, I think about what audiences might want see or should be seeing. (Even within the field) we tend to get myopic, because some of the insiders have heard of certain people, but when you go beyond that, you (discover) artists even a sophisticated audience is unaware of.

We are very much about building audiences for dance. People should be exposed to many, many different kinds of dance. You’ll see hip hop, ballet, tap, something a little bit ‘out there’ contemporary. The more people see, the more they will develop an appetite. Their preconceived notions about dance will be expanded and disarmed…. I love finding new talent and introducing it to the public.”

Just as Shawn invited the public to learn about dance by watching demonstrations over tea, the Pillow continues its commitment to educate viewers and to make dance accessible to those with little past interaction with the art form. To that end, Jacob’s Pillow is an idyllic setting for tourists to visit, relax, hike, and enjoy a getaway from the everyday.

“Jacob’s Pillow is a place where you can come and spend the day doing many different things,” Baff explains. “There are artists everywhere, interns, students… You can peek into the studios, watch class, take a class in the morning, picnic, go to the café, shop at the

Shall We Dance?

Jacob’s Pillow is a casual space that breaks down the formalities of traditional theaters, allowing audiences to engage with dance in a unique way. Artists mingle with audience members, they give talks, they relax at the Pillow pub after shows. It is a very different experience for both audiences and performers. store, visit the Pillow Pub. It is very friendly and relaxed in this versatile and engaging environment. We offer free outdoor performances, and exhibits in different spaces.”

History lovers can appreciate the Pillow's rich past. It has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, and still houses some of the original Carter farm buildings. Nature lovers can bask in the gorgeous natural setting of the Berkshires; the area is rich with outdoor activities including hiking, skiing, and kayaking. Arts lovers, of course, can indulge in dance at the Pillow, but can also find more culture nearby at Massachusetts MOCA, the Brookshire Theatre Festival, Williams College Art Museum and more.

Like few other destinations, the Pillow is addictive with cultural ambiance. As Baff points out, it's so welcoming, “once people visit, they will probably want to come back.”

During this summer’s festival, which runs June 15 though August 25, visitors will find 52 different companies from four continents and seven countries, who perform in three different performance spaces. There will be more than 350 free and ticketed dance performances, talks, tours, exhibits, films, classes, and community events.

The lineup this summer is as stellar and eclectic as one would expect of Jacob’s Pillow. In the tradition of introducing new companies to Counter-clockwise from top left: Yaa Samar Dance Theatre performs at The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival; Visitors enjoy an evening at the popular Pillow Pub; Jacob's Pillow Festival artistic director Ella Baff receives the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2011; Inset: Eminent choreographer Bill T. Jones talks with guests during one of the Festival's popular Pillow Talk sessions.

Summer 2013CNCJA•17

the U.S., Israeli dancer/choreographer Sharon Eyal and underground art and events producer Gai Behar unveil their new company L-E-V to U.S. audiences this summer. Chicagoans may remember Eyal and Behar’s unforgettably unique collaboration “Too Beaucoup,” which Hubbard Street Dance Chicago premiered at Harris Theater for Music and Dance in 2011.

The 2013 festival will also feature a brand new piece entitled “Restless Creature” created by four male choreographers for one of the greatest ballerinas of our time—New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan. Her choreographers include HSDC’s resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, along with Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, and Brian Brooks. Baff notes, “Whelan chose these choreographers because they are all phenomenal dancers and great choreographers. They happen to all be men and

Photo by Christopher DugGan

Photo by Sarah Scott

Photo by Todd Burnsed

Photo by Hector Perez

Photo by Heiko Kalmbach

Travel & Culture

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have some association with the Pillow.”

In addition to introducing new collaborations and companies, the Pillow also brings back past favorites. 3e étage—soloists of the Paris Opera Ballet—will return to the Pillow this summer, after their wildly popular debut during the 2011 festival. The soloists will showcase their inventive and clever twist on classical ballet in a series of performances, including the world premiere of “Le Pillow Thirteen” by choreographer/ director Samuel Murez. The work was commissioned by and created especially for the festival.

This summer’s festival will also include: premieres by contemporary ballet choreographer Jessica Lang; a new work by European master choreographer Nacho Duato, performed by the Martha Graham Dance Company; performances by the newly revitalized Counter-clockwise from top left - Artists from The 2013 Jacob's Pillow Festival Roster: Tobias Wegner of LEO; Shantala Shivalingappa; Myriam Allard of La Otra Orilla; Compagnie Kafig; Katherine Crockett Circe of Martha Graham Dance Company; Kana Kimura of Jessica Lang Dance.

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Dance Theatre of Harlem; the stylings of tap artist Michelle Dorrance; encore performances by Festival 2012’s sold-out hip-hop hit Compagnie Käfig; and so very much more. Any way you slice it, it’s an exhilarating and impressive lineup.

As Baff looks ahead to the upcoming festival, which marks her 15th year with the Pillow, she reflects on her tenure with the organization: “I could list the accomplishments (Jacob’s Pillow has earned the National Medal of Arts, in addition to National Historic Landmark status), but all of those laurels, significant as they are, are different from the most rewarding, simplest things that happen at the Pillow. Jacob’s Pillow is about creating a culture of curiosity in which people, no matter their background or particular taste in art, come to Pillow and suddenly find themselves immersed in an environment that’s friendly and interesting. In a hundred different ways, people make connections with dance: through performance, walking the nature trail, looking in the archives, going online to play with the virtual Pillow, sitting down at the pub after a performance and talking with the artists....

This is the richest reward of all, plus being in position to help artists for their work to be seen.”

Jacob’s Pillow is a casual space that breaks down the formalities of traditional theaters, allowing audiences to engage with dance in a unique way. Artists mingle with audience members, they give talks, they relax at the Pillow Pub after shows.

It is a very different experience for both audiences and performers.

Baff explains, “Most people haven’t been backstage in the theater, and they haven’t had casual interactions with performers,” which is something they can experience at the Pillow. Baff adds, “We get a lot of people who are tourists, who are not ‘dance people,’ but Pho to b they decide one day to check it out. y Jo hn Pulling the curtain back a bit De in planned and spontaneous ways is very helpful for people. This doesn’t demystify the experience at all—it makes it more fantastic and wondrous.”

Summer 2013CNCJA•19

Travel & Culture

FrozeninTime

By FRED CUMMINGS

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Visitors can travel back to a single point in the history of Pompeii and Herculaneum through an intriguing new exhibit at The British Museum this summer.

his spring, the British Museum opened a major exhibition on the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Sponsored by Goldman Sachs, the exhibition is the first ever held on these important cities at the British Museum, and the first such major exhibition in London in nearly 40 years. The result of close collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendency of Naples and Pompeii, the exhibit brings together over 250 fascinating objects, both recent discoveries and celebrated finds from earlier excavations. The exhibition maintains a unique focus, looking at the Roman home and the people who lived in these ill-fated cities.

Pompeii and Herculaneum, two cities on the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, were buried by a catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in just 24 hours in AD 79. The event ended life in these cities but, at the same time, preserved them until rediscovery by archaeologists nearly 1700 years later. The excavation of these cities has provided unparalleled insight into Roman life.

As Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, pointed out, the new show marks a unique opportunity to view artifacts rarely seen outside of Italy. "This (represents) a major exhibition for the British Museum in 2013,” noted MacGregor. “(The exhibit is) made possible through collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendency of Naples and Pompeii, which has meant extremely generous loans of precious objects from their collections, some that have never traveled before."

Owing to their different locations, Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried in different ways and this has affected the preservation of materials discov-

ered at each site.

Herculaneum was a small seaside town, whereas Pompeii was the industrial hub of the region. Work continues at both sites and recent excavations at Herculaneum have uncovered fascinating finds, finds that include treasures, many of which will be displayed to the public for the first time.

The exhibition gives visitors a taste of the daily life of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, from the bustling street to the family home.

The domestic space is the essential context for people’s lives, and allows viewers to get closer to the Romans themselves. This exhibition will explore the lives of individuals in Roman society, not the classic figures of films and television like emperors, gladiators and legionaries, but businessmen, powerful women, freed slaves and children. One stunning example of this is a beautiful wall painting from Pompeii showing the baker Terentius Neo and his wife, holding writing materials indicating they were literate and cultured. Interestingly enough, their pose and presentation suggests they are equal partners, in business and in life.

One particularly eerie, but poignant aspect of the exhibition includes casts from in and around Pompeii of some of the victims of the 79 AD eruption. A family of two adults and their two children are huddled together, just as in their last moments under the stairs of their villa. The most famous of the casts on display is of a dog, fixed forever at the moment of its death as the volcano submerged the cities.

The exhibition is accompanied by a vibrantly illustrated book, Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, by Paul Roberts. The publication offers a unique perspective on the everyday lives of the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The show runs through September 29 at The British Museum in London. Top: Wall painting of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife. From the House of Terentius Neo, Pompeii. AD 50 to 79; Left: Herculaneum, Bay of Naples, Italy, 2012; Inset: Bronze statue of a woman fastening her dress. From the Villa of the Papyrii, Herculaneum, 1st century BC to 1st century AD. © Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei/Trustees of the British Museum.

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Experience 20 Years of Verbier This Summer

By FRED CUMMINGS

Soprano Anna Netrebko, who made a her debut this season at Lyric Opera as Mimi in Puccini's LaBoheme, will sing the role of Desdemona in Verdi's Otello in the Verbier Festival's July 25th opera gala directed by Valery Gergiev, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the composer.

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The Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Collegiate Chorale of Veyvey Switzerland, under the musical direction of Charles Dutoit, will kickoff Verbier Festival's 20th anniversary season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. The concert marks the beginning of 17 days of celebrations.

To commemorate the 20 years of the Verbier Festival, many artists who took part in the very first edition of the annual celebration in 1994 will return to the stunning mountain village. Guest artists include Michel Béroff, Itamar Golan, Barbara Hendricks, Evgeny Kissin and Maxim Vengerov.

But this year, even amongst Verbier Festival regulars it is possible to have “firsts,” such as the first ever collaboration between Evgeny Kissin and Maxim Vengerov (July 31). Notable Festival debuts will include Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov (July 23) and French soprano Natalie Dessay (August 4).

Guests will also have an opportunity to hear the world’s greatest pianists in Verbier this summer: Denis Matsuev, Hélène Grimaud, Emanuel Ax, Menahem Pressler, Michail Lifits, Khatia Buniatishvili and Jan Lisieck—among a host of other luminaries—will perform numerous concerts and recitals.

In this celebratory year, the festival commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of both

Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi with an opera gala directed by Valery Gergiev (July 25), featuring beguiling soprano Anna Netrebko (who made a glorious debut this season at Lyric Opera as Mimi in Puccini's LaBoheme) in the demanding role of Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello.

Gianandrea Noseda also pays tribute to Giuseppe Verdi with the sublime Requiem, featuring the Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino (August 1).

Chamber music repertoire will also be at the heart of more than 40 concerts, five of which by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, under the musical direction of Gábor Takács-Nagy, Pinchas Zukerman, Leonidas Kavakos and Daniel Harding, respectively. The public will also be invited to attend the first ever concerts given by participants of the brand new Verbier Festival Music Camp, the festival’s newest learning initiative.

Miloš Karadaglić’s enchanting guitar (July 24), Monty Alexander’s jazz and reggae (August 2) and Rufus Wainwright's smooth pop (July 28) will guarantee a diverse musical landscape for attendees to relish.

The 2013 season culminates in a special 20th anniversary night on July 28, 2013 at 7 p.m., at the Salle des Combins, featuring more than 20 worldrenowned artists on stage together. For tickets and program information, visit www.verbierfesvial. com.

Summer 2013CNCJA•21

Broadway Bound

Travel & Culture Along with a bevy of time-tested favorites, Orlando Bloom's Broadway debut will draw many to take a cultural bite out of the Big Apple this offseason.

By DANIEL A. SCUREK

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New York City has more attractions and distractions on a single block than most cities have in their entire metropolis. One can walk around the top of the Empire State Building, take the Staten Island Ferry, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art or any of the many tourist and cultural destinations without even touching one of New York City’s greatest claims to fame: the performing arts.

Manhattan compounds this. And Times Square—the heart of New York’s theater district—takes this to a seemingly exponential level. Crammed with high-rise electronic billboards, flashing signs, stores and, of course, more people than some small nations, theaters tower out the names of long running musicals and the stars that adorn the many stages each night. And each one vies for your attention.

If you’re looking for new Broadway Theater this summer, however, you’ll have to wait. Broadway operates like most regional theaters: the season starts in the fall. Once there, fresh productions abound. “Fresh productions” is the key phrase, as the safe trend of recent years continues: the focus of reviving past hits, star vehicles in classics, adaptations and the like will outnumber new works with new musicals as the exception.

Time-tested shows still running strong abound, of course, and one could do worse than check out ongoing hits like Jersey Boys, Chicago, Wicked, Mama Mia, The Lion King or the longest running play in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera. If you want to see mega-stars onstage, you might be lucky enough to score tickets to see Tom Hanks in Lucky Guy or Bette Midler’s one-woman show, I’ll Eat You Last—both playing to sold-out houses.

And if you’re willing to wait a bit, you can catch a couple of new productions while still enjoying the warmth of a New York City summer. For the first time in nearly 40

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years, Shakespeare’s tale of young love, Romeo and Juliet, will be seen on a Broadway stage. Previews start August 24 with the actual opening on September 19 at the Richard Rodgers Theater. But if you want tickets, start planning now. Film star Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean and the Lord of the Rings series) is set to play Romeo in his Broadway debut. A relative newcomer to professional theater, Bloom had his professional stage debut in 2007 in London’s West End. Juliet will be played by up-and-coming Broadway actress Condola Rashad (Tony nominated for her role in Stick Fly). Rashad is daughter to Broadway and television veteran Phylicia Rashad. And as some may have noticed, Bloom is White while Rashad is African-American. Director David Leveaux plans to cast one half of the feuding families, the Capulets, as all Black and the other half, the Montagues, as all White. As Leveaux told the Associated Press, "The last thing we wanted to do was to do a sort of pompous, classic version of Romeo and Juliet. I'm just taking away all the wallpaper and mantelpieces, all the kind of pompous stuff we associate with grand Shakespearean productions, and (trying) to go as simple as possible."

Of course, as virtually any theatergoer can tell you, directors have been taking the “wallpaper and mantelpieces” out of Shakespeare for ages. And interracial adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, despite the press, are nothing new (anyone remember West Side Story?). And outside of New York City, this particular take on Shakespeare's play almost certainly abound. Still, Leveaux, a five-time Tony Award nominee has the credentials to make this story fresh. And it will be interesting to see if the 36-year old Bloom can work

Photos by Getty Images

his boyish good looks into the meat of Shakespeare’s meter without falling pray to the melodrama of so many past Romeos.

Arriving a bit earlier to the Broadway stage this summer is a new musical imported from Seattle called First Date, with previews set for July 9 and an August 4 opening at the Longacre Theater. As the title implies, we’re not talking new topical terrain: a couple on a blind date weather the standard trials and challenges of trying to find a mate. The show originated as a collaboration between two top Seattle venues: ACT Theatre and 5th Avenue Theatre. Austin Winsberg, who wrote the book, and the musical team of Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who wrote the music, are no strangers to writing for the stage—though this will be their first Broadway stint.

The future of First Date seems promising. It earned four Footlight Awards (the Seattle version of the Tonys) and might just satisfy an oddly missing element from Broadway’s recent offerings: a new musical romantic comedy. Yet it’s a bold offering. No big names have been announced in association with the production and even the stars of the Seattle production— Eric Ankrim and Kelly Karbacz—will retire their roles there when that production closes on May 20. In what is one of Broadway’s more unfortunate traditions, regional hits don’t typically travel to the Great White Way with original casting intact.

And if live theater doesn’t quite whet your whistle sufficiently enough, the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera all have spring seasons opening in April and running through June and July.

So there you have it: more than enough reason to take a big cultural bite out of the Big Apple this summer. Better start planning. Left: New York City's vibrant Broadway district ranks among the most vibrant and diverse theater scenes across the globe; (inset-top) Film actor Orlando Bloom (inset-bottom) Broadway actress Condola Rashad.

July 15––29, 29, 2013 July July 15 15 – 29,2013 2013

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AMERICA'S

Curator's Corner

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New Smart Museum exhibition paints a vivid picture of the nation's burgeoning identity as reflected through the museum's expansive collection of works by American artists spanning 100 years in the life of our country.

By AMANDA SCHERKER

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The hunger for a uniquely American identity is as embedded in our national psyche as personal liberty or democratic deliberation. This perennial quest to articulate the ineffable, to categorize that which defies easy labels is a constant in every phase of American art, from colonial needlework to Pop Art printmaking. This summer, the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago will be debuting the exhibition The Land Beneath Our Feet, a lively journey through a century of American art. The Smart uses pieces from its expansive collection to coherently track one transformative period in America.

The summer exhibition, curated by Anne Leonard, a lecturer at the University of Chicago, will officially open June 27 and be displayed until August 25. The show will take on the lofty task of chronicling the progression of American art from 1850 to 1950. That century in art will be shown as depicted by classic American visionaries, as well as lesser known artists, though equally expressive, colleagues. The exhibition is comprised of 80 objects, ranging from paintings to photographs, from drawings to sculptures, all displayed in one coherent investigation of a uniquely American vision.

The exhibition also pays homage to a younger America’s growing artistic influence during that time period. Specifically, the exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Amory Show; a gallery show that catalyzed the modern art scene in the United States. The Smart Museum will exhibit paintings by two artists and rainmakers, Arthur Davies and Walter Kuhn, who helped organize this groundbreaking artistic spectacle, thereby setting the stage for America’s dive into the mad, glorious mosaic of modern art.

The carefully culled exhibition wisely takes advantage of the inherent strengths in the Smart's American art collection by focusing on a guiding theme: American artists and their relation to the American landscape, from the bustling urban streets to the wild mountains of the West. During the second half of the 19th century, America was in a constant state of expansion, and as the boundaries of the geographic United States changed, so did the very concept of American-ness itself. This negotiation of a collective identity was an onLeft: James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Soup for Three Sous, 1859, Etching and drypoint on laid paper.

Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Gift of Brenda F. and Joseph V. Smith, 2000.94; Right: Walt Kuhn, The City, 1919, Oil on canvas.

Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, Paul and Miriam Kirkley Fund for Acquisitions, 2001.125.

going source of struggle and creativity for the artists of the day.

One section of The Land Beneath Our Feet will focus on survey photographs of the fabled American West, back when it was merely a mystery waiting for the inevitable surge of settlement fervor. The federal government sponsored numerous survey photographs of Western landmarks, commissioning William Bell and Timothy O’Sullivan for the task of cataloguing unnamed plains and untracked paths. These two artists scrapbooked a territory that was still only a dream, exploring and cultivating the American West through a camera lens. The Smart Museum has a wonderful library of these survey photographs, many in multi-paneled panoramas. These fittingly vast pictures show the excitement and mystery Summer 2013CNCJA•25

Curator's Corner of an unfamiliar, seemingly endless country.

Another section will display etchings by James McNeill Whistler, as a celebration of a highly influential, but too often overlooked, medium.

Though Whistler made many of these etchings while living in Europe, he served as inspiration to those testing the medium in the United States. Half a century after Whistler’s prolific etchings were developed, artist John Sloan depicted New York City, the epicenter of the American consciousness, using etching to document the seamier sensations of city life. The Smart Museum’s wealth of this medium offers the exhibit the unique capacity to explore visual links between the two artists The exhibition also pays thorough tribute to the newest fine arts medium to emerge during this time period: photography. One section of the gallery will exhibit photographs from the '30s and '40s, through which many artists sought to break away from the more dramatized styles of Pictoriaslim and Photo-Secession, instead depicting the images of everyday life and everyday places. The Smart Museum is well equipped for such a moment, with a wealth of prints by Walter Evans.

It’s fitting that Evans developed his style in an equally egalitarian setting, working for the Federal Security Administration, (FSA) during the Great Depression.

His work with the FSA sought to depict an America during a time of harrowing adversity, with blunt honesty and uncondescending sympathy.

The section will display his quest for an “American vernacular” genre, one that depicted the vast, varied landscapes of a young, healing country,

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from its endless plains to its urban sprawl. One particularly striking piece, Dock Workers, Havana, a gelatin silver print from 1932, is an arresting shot of two workers, dirtied and tired from strenuous labor, unflinchingly meeting the camera’s eye. Only an art form this raw could dare to depict these strong, bold men straight on; an indulgent pastel painting would seem silly and superficial by comparison.

Just as it is difficult to assign adjectives to the audaciously disparate American population, it’s difficult to categorize this dazzling rollick through American art. While some of the pieces are diligently representational, with photographs that sought honesty and grit above luxurious textures or ornate ornamentation, other works in the gallery are as hazy as the enduring “American Dream” itself. Arthur Garfield Dove’s Harbor in the Light offers a glimpse of a shoreline, backlit by a glowing pink orb of the setting sun. Smoke rises above the natural, pretty scenery, showing the perennial struggle in a country simultaneously mesmerized by natural wonders and captivated by industrial progress.

This exhibit is a must-see for all those who call themselves American, whether by origin or habit or heart. Top: Arthur Dove, Harbor in Light, 1929, Oil on canvas in original copper frame.

Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Partial Bequest of John S. Anderson and Partial Purchase, by exchange, 1995.48; Bottom: Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Shoshone Falls, Snake River, Idaho, View across Top of the Falls, 1874, Albumen print. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, Gift of the Smart Family Foundation in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the Smart Museum, 2003.147.30.

Stream more than 800 hours of music history.

EXPLORING MUSIC.ORG debuts!

Bill McGlaughlin, host of Exploring Music

After 10 successful years, WFMT’s flagship program, EXPLORING MUSIC with BILL McGLAUGHLIN, is going online! Now every program can be heard at your convenience at our new streaming web site.

Listen to more than 800 hours of personable, insightful, entertaining programs on the history of classical music, featuring entire weeks (5 hours of programs) devoted to specific composers (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler…), genres, cities, historical periods, and much more on this unparalleled subscription streaming website.

Visit exploringmusic.org to secure your membership for unlimited listening anytime, anywhere.

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exploringmusic.org Summer 2013CNCJA•27

Tidbits

Spanish Passion

Sublime Evening Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert and Grammy Award-winning vocalist, and Chicago's own, Lani Hall will bring "An Evening with Herb Alpert & Lani Hall" to Chicago's Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave., Sunday, June 2.

The evening will feature Alpert, known for his string of sensational, popular music hits in the 1960s with the Tijuana Brass, performing some of his classic hits; plus the eight-time Grammywinning jazz icon and his wife, the internationally renowned singer Hall, performing selections from their album, I Feel You (Concord Music, 2011). For tickets, visit etix.com or call 800.514.3849.

Modern Love

From Wednesday, June 12 through Sunday, June 23, Chicago’s unique contribution to the elegance and passion of Spain’s dance, music and culture will be showcased in Ensemble Español's 37th American Spanish Dance & Music Festival.

For the 13th season, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie will host the popular “Flamenco Passion” Gala performances, this year highlighting three world premieres, a U.S. premiere and a Festival premiere, along with the 20th anniversary of Ensemble founder and artistic director Dame Libby Komaiko’s International Flamenco masterwork ballet, “Bolero.”

A portion of the proceeds for the June 21 performance will benefit Dance For Life.

There will also be a free pre-performance discussion and reception at 6 p.m. with Dame Libby and members of Ensemble Español. For more information, call Ensemble Espanol at 773-442-5916 or visit www.EnsembleEspanol.org/festivals.

Mary-Arrchie Honor The Jeff Awards Committee has announced that Mary Arrchie Theatre’s Richard Cotovsky will receive a Special Award at the 40th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 3, 2013. Cotovsky will be honored for his cutting edge contributions to non-equity theater over the past four decades, during which he was dubbed the “Godfather of Storefront Theater” by Nick Digilio of WGN radio.

Born in Chicago, Richard Cotovsky is known for his signature style, his leadership at Mary-Arrchie Theatre and 25 years portraying Abbie Hoffman at the Abbie Hoffman Died for our Sins Theater Festival. In addition, Cotovsky forms alliances and works in close proximity with other theaters and artists. During his career, he has worn many theatrical hats, including as an actor, director, and producer.

The 40th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 3, 2013, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage in Chicago. Tickets may be purchased online with a credit card at www.jeffawards.org or by mail with the downloadable mail-order form. For more information contact John Glover, Non-Equity Wing Chair, at nonequitywing@jeffawards.org.

On view now through August 27 in the Chicago Rooms at the Chicago Cultural Center, (78 E. Washington) is Modernism’s Messengers: The Art of Alfonso and Margaret Iannelli. In this show, one discovers not only the love the two artists had for modernism, but also the love they shared for one another.

Early on in their careers, both artists set as their goal to bring Modern Art to the broader audience and found a unique way to carry their message. Their work has expanded into commercial design and advertising, in addition to architectural interiors. This exhibit will include the wide expanse of the Iannellis work, including such early pieces as Alfonso’s grade school drawings.

The long and successful career that the Iannellis enjoyed in Chicago emphasizes a strong tenet of the Chicago Cultural Plan which is attracting and retaining artists.

Additionally, this exhibit promotes the values and impact of culture and fosters cultural innovation.

Exhibition hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Chicago Rooms are located on the second floor of the Chicago Cultural Center.

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All Things Tap

Highlighting the sheer depth and breadth of national and international tap artistry, Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) will present Rhythm World, the oldest and most comprehensive festival of American tap and contemporary percussive arts in the world.

CHRP's 23rd annual festival, directed by Lane Alexander—CHRP’s founder and director—will feature an extraordinary master faculty in two weeks of residencies, workshops, master classes, showcases and conferences for the field, all held at the American Rhythm Center, located in the historic Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago. The festival will also present faculty concerts at the Jazz Showcase and The Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It all begins July 22, running through August 4, 2013. For more information, visit chicagotap.org call 773.281.1825.

Clockwise from top right: Ensemble Español in "Bolero."; Richard Cotovsky of MaryAarchie Theatre (photo by Dean Paul); Michelle Dorrance (photo by Mathew Murphy and Kenn Tam); Artists Alfonso and Margaret Iannelli (photo courtesy of The Chicago Cultural Center); Grammy Award winning pair Herb Alpert and Lani Hall (photo courtesy of The Park West).

In This Quarter Year

Summer 2013CNCJA•29

Theater Review

Eames Shines in Eclipse's Ayckburn Tribute

By RAYMOND BENSON

The cast of Eclipse Theatre's spring production of Woman in Mind, by Sir Alan Ayckbourn.

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'80s, this might have been a unique theatrical device, although in truth it’s a contrivance that goes back to the Greeks. Therefore, a current production’s success relies heavily on the cast’s performances; in this case, it passes the test.

The heart of the show is Sally Eames as Susan, who never leaves the stage from the opening to the end. She carries both the lightness of the comedy and the weight of the drama with aplomb. Without an actress of Eames’ stage presence, charisma, and ability to cut right to the subtext, Woman in Mind might have collapsed into a tedious truism. Eames is a joy to watch; she easily takes the audience with her on the humorous and sometimes disturbing journey through her personal psychosis.

Larry Baldacci is also delightful as Bill, who wonderfully channels the great Edward Everett Horton in a superb comic turn. Jeannie Affelder’s Muriel adds additional amusing antics to the proceedings, elevating what could have been a stock character to a highlight.

The staging by director Steve Scott is unfussy and straightforward, as it should be. However, Scott might have gained more dynamic compositions with a better scenic design, which was curiously unimaginative.

That blank white wall at the back made the set appear unfinished. The lighting, in particular, was distracting and annoying due to several dead spots (right next to the patio, for instance) in which actors played scenes in shadows.

Overall, however, Woman in Mind is an entertaining outing at the theatre, and it plays at the Athenaeum Theatre through June 1, 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Eclipse THeatre

April 29, 2013 - Sir Alan Ayckbourn is one of the most popular of contemporary British playwrights, having established himself as the Neil Simon of England (more or less), only with a darker, more biting edge to his comedies. “Tragi-comedies” probably better identifies Ayckbourn’s work, and his 1985 play, Woman in Mind, definitely fits that moniker. The Eclipse Theatre Company has devoted its 2013 season to the playwright, with two more scheduled Ayckbourn productions following the simply-staged and well-acted run of Woman at the Athenaeum Theatre on Chicago’s nearnorth side.

Susan is an unhappy English housewife whose marriage to Gerald, a dull cleric, had lost its spark years earlier. Her son ran off and joined a cult that prohibits its members from speaking to family. Adding insult to injury, her husband’s sister, Muriel, has come to live in the household and has assumed to role of cook—a very bad one—and is also convinced her late husband’s ghost visits her at night. And then there’s Bill, a mawkish doctor who is secretly in love with her. It’s no wonder that Susan creates a fantasy life with the perfect, more attractive, and loving Andy; an entertaining younger brother, Tony; and a pretty young daughter, Lucy, who is very close to her “mother.” Poor Susan drifts in and out of reality and into her daydreams throughout the course of the two acts—all taking place within the garden behind her house and, of course, in her head.

Being over 25 years old, Woman in Mind might seem a bit clichéd, today. After all, we have seen numerous tales in which protagonists imagine supporting characters who aren’t really there—the audience sees and hears them, but the “real” supporting personae in the story do not. Back in the

Classical Concert Review

Staatskapelle Revel in Brahms

By KATHRYN BACASMOT Concert

se

A NEW MUSICAL BASEd oN thE dISNEy ANIMAtEd fILM ANd thE StorIES By rUdyArd KIpLINg AdAptEd ANd dIrECtEd By Mary ZiMMerMan

Photo by Matthias Creutziger

April 14, 2013 - Taking an orchestra on tour halfway around the world is a tremendous task—international paperwork, itineraries, transportation, accommodations, and (perhaps most daunting of all) getting all those instruments across the Atlantic Ocean in one piece. Thankfully, even in an era of YouTube and audio recordings, touring is still a very vital part of world-class orchestras' seasonal schedules. Because, no matter how advanced your stereo equipment, nothing can replace the physical sensation of sound waves being produced in real time, and transmitting through your body's cells. As is the case with an orchestra with as storied a history as the Staatskapelle Dresden, those sound waves, in some metaphorical sense, are also transmitting the past; tradition handed down from Conductor Christian Thielmann leads the Staatskpelle Dresden generation to genChamber Orchestra eration of performers and conductors.

Formally styled as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, or Saxon State Orchestra, Dresden, the German ensemble was founded in 1548

by Prince Elector Moritz von Sachsen. Its roster of former directors and conductors reads like a venerable who’s who of music’s history and present: Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner, Fritz Reiner, Karl Böhm, Rudolf Kempe, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis (whose recent death was discovered by the orchestra after their Chicago concert, prompting them to dedicate the remainder of their US tour to their beloved conductor laureate), and currently Christian Thielemann, for whom 2012/2013 is his debut season as principle conductor with the orchestra.

In an introductory video available on the Staatskapelle’s website, Henrik Woll, Staatskapelle Board member, notes: “We (Thielemann and the organization) soon discovered a certain shared idea of how things should sound; I would describe it in terms of dark, or glowing, colors.”

Their spring Symphony Center program was all Brahms: the Academic Festival Overture, Violin Concerto, and Symphony No. 4. This “dark” and “glowing” sound was perfectly suited to the timbres Brahms loved so well—the low tones, rich, yet vibrant, and passionate. In fact, it was the sound quality—and impeccable blending—that struck the ear most keenly and immediately as the ensemble began to play.

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili is currently artist-in-residence with the Staatskapelle, and gave a tremendously stirring performance of the Violin Concerto to a city she holds dear in her memories: “First time I came to the United States I was 17-years-old, and I spent the whole summer at the Ravinia festival, which is near Chicago. That’s why when we went to Chicago, I felt something special about the city,” she has recalled in an interview. In yet another tie to the past, Batiashvili’s Stradivarius once belonged to none other than Joseph Joachim, for whom Brahms wrote the concerto. When it came to the cadenza, however, Batiashvili selected the lesser-played Busoni over the Joachim, which was a special treat.

The afternoon concert concluded with a beautiful performance of the Symphony No. 4. After multiple uproarious rounds of applause, Thielemann returned to the podium to lead the orchestra for an encore: Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin.

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Summer 2013CNCJA•31

Dance Review

Alvin Ailey Exhilarates in Expanded Chicago Residency March 8, 2013—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater opened 10 days of performances in Chicago with an enthralling evening of intriguing choreography. Opening night of their 2013 run at Auditorium Theatre showcased a vibrant World Premiere by rising choreographer Kyle Abraham, the AAADT Premiere of Jiří Kylián’s famous “Petite Mort,” a short piece by AAADT's artistic director, Robert Battle, and the beloved Alvin Ailey staple “Revelations.” The evening provided only a snippet of the full repertoire the company would perform during its Chicago run (AAADT performs nine different pieces in a series of different programs), and it was certainly enough to whet the appetite for more.

Abraham exhilarates audiences with “Another Night,” an explosive piece featuring a full rainbow of colors in costume, and set to the toe-tapping compositions of Dizzy Gillespie. Alvin Ailey’s dancers shine in this display of vibrant athleticism. One becomes immediately entranced by the silky movement and sexy undercurrents of this sharply energetic, yet graceful work. Abraham expertly communicates individual instruments via dancers on the stage. Jacqueline Green is particularly show-stopping in “Another Night,” with her long limbs and gorgeous stage presence.

Kylián’s “Petite Mort,” never before performed

by Alvin Ailey, follows “Another Night,” amplifying the sensual vibe of the evening’s first half. The work is a famous one, but watching the Ailey dancers perform it was to see it with fresh enchantment. It unfolds like a series of aesthetic snapshots; take a photo at any moment, and the form of the dancers exhibit the loveliest sense of perfection. Joop Caboort's lighting catches every muscle and every line from just the right angle. The props add quirk, and certainly drive the themes of the piece, but the dancers command all attention.

“Strange Humors,” Battle’s short 1998 piece, provides a quick, high-octane interlude before the company unwraps its captivating signature, “Revelations.” “Strange Humors” features interesting play with limbs and head movements. Both Kirven James Boyd and Samuel Lee Roberts perform each movement with boundless spirit.

This spirit carries forward into AAADT’s performance of “Revelations,” in which the company once again enchants its viewers with every soulful step. The dancers exude such passion as they perform this narrative masterpiece that has become synonymous with AAADT. While each segment moves its audience in a different way, “Fix Me Jesus” is particularly powerful, and I enjoy seeing Linda Celeste Sims in this work. She performs one luxurious développé after another, and the partnering between her and Glenn Allen Sims exudes lovely, natural chemistry. Jamar Roberts, Jermain Terry, and Renaldo Gardner also impress with technical skill and athleticism in “Sinner Man.” The energy carries through to “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” the celebratory finale that leaves audiences floating out of the theater.

Jaqueline Green in Alvin Ailey's iconic "Revelations."

32•CNCJASummer 2013

Photo by Gert Krautbauer

By EMILY DISHER

Theater Review

Falls' Draws on Humor in Measure's Dichotomy

By CATHLYN MELVIN April 5, 2012 - As one of Shakespeare's “problem plays” Measure for Measure exhibits elements of both comedy and tragedy. It's tough for an audience when you don't really know when to laugh or cry. With his production, Goodman Theater's director, Robert Falls, draws the lines skillfully with a superlative cast (particularly Lucio, played by Jeffrey Carlson, and Angelo, played by Jay Whittaker), deftly employing the elements of comedy afforded by the text, as well as poking fun at the holes Shakespeare left in this intricately complicated play.

Shakespeare's story takes place in Vienna, overrun by immorality, and ruled only loosely by its Duke—though Mr. Falls chose to set Goodman's production in 1970’s New York City—a choice that works more often than not throughout the two-and-one-half-hour show.

It’s a story of excess and control, and this production leans brilliantly toward the former in their physical representation of the play.

The set runs from the stage floor up past the proscenium, representing multi-floored buildings whose exteriors are adorned with graffiti and neon signs (all advertising sex in one form or another). Interior scenes are spelled out using grand moving set pieces that can sometimes become more distracting than enhancing.

When Vienna’s Duke leaves the city in the hands of Angelo, the strict magistrate, a young novice—Isabella—must beg for the life of her brother, Claudio. Clauio has been sentenced by Angelo: death for

fornication with his own fiancée. That the city is overrun by prostitutes and drug addicts does not phase Angelo; he has chosen to make an example of the otherwise law-abiding Claudio.

Lucio (Jeffrey Carlson), a friend of Claudio, pops up here and there with double-entendres, exaggerated anecdotes, and delightful missteps. Mr. Carlson brought scenes to life with his foot-in-hismouth charm. Angelo (Jay Whittaker), generally a harsh, unsmiling, and intimidating character, still manages to make us laugh as he discovers lust for the first time, and—as a thirty-something man in power—awkwardly and unsuccessfully attempts to charm his naïve target before becoming terrifyingly violent. Another stand-out from Goodman's cast is Sean Fortunato, who portrays Elbow, a less-thanintelligent police officer intent on bringing to justice a man who has offended his wife. These three players are energetic, precise, and lend a great forward movement to the work.

The colorful ensemble set the tone for each scene they populate: the seedy street corners and brothels; the lifeless line at the courthouse; the imposing suit-clad government office workers. For the entire cast, Ana Kuzmanic’s well-balanced costume design tells a visual story with every character that steps onstage.

Led by Robert Falls’s direction and a handful of very engaging cast members, this production’s focus on the comedic aspects of the story is well-handled. The story is delightful—and darkly intriguing—to see unfold

Photo by Liz Lauren

Alejandra Escalante plays Isabella in Robert Fall's contemporary take on Measure for Measure by Shakespeare at Goodman Theatre.

Summer 2013CNCJA•33

Dance Review

Delfos Danza Thrills in Dance Center Showcase

By EMILY DISHER

34•CNCJASummer 2013

crucifixion imagery, and visible struggle are an incredibly powerful combination.

1997 National Dance Award winner, “Del amor y otras barbaridades” serves as the evening’s dénouement, and is a realistic and moving depiction of relationships.

“Del amor” covers a full range of emotion, including the deep sadness of losing a partner. Despite raw sexual movements, sexuality is never gratuitous, but directly feeds the cohesive passion of the work.

The desperation, physical attraction, and losses enrapture the viewer and take them along for the, at times, difficult ride. I have never seen a series of relationships so beautifully orchestrated on the dance stage as Ruiz has done with this work. And Carrum, Lavista, Surasí Lavalle, Agustín Marinez, Millán, and Aura Patrón, epitomize the gumption, maturity, and pure artistry that distinguish Delfos Danza.

The program also featured works choreographed by company members Carrum and Lavista.

Carrum’s disturbing “Instersticio” uses inventive multimedia effects designed by the choreographer to highlight internal struggle. In this solo work, dancer Johnny Millán is at one moment spastic, the next, languid in movements that suggest insanity. Conversely, Carrum’s quick, quirky piece “Estuve Pensando” (“I was thinking”), offers sharp vignettes of a relationship, complemented by playful narration.

Lavista’s earthy “Resonancias” and “The Raft of Sand” were also presented during the program. Lavista reveals her knack for layering in “Raft of Sand.” She builds on the rhythms and cadence of the music with exceptionally creative movement. The physical demands of the piece feel exhausting just watching, although the dancers do not show it.

Delfos Danza Contermporánea maintains a rare depth of talent for story-telling and emotional communication among its dancers and dancer-choreographers. One leaves a Delfos Danza Contermporánea performance feeling thoroughly enriched. Photo byMartin Garcia

April 4, 2013—Delfos Danza Contermporánea is a modern dance company of truly passionate and spellbinding storytellers.

Celebrating their 20th anniversary season, the company graced the stage at The Dance Center of Columbia College April 4-6, presenting an unforgettable program. Delfos Danza is not afraid to take risks, and in doing so, they astound the viewer with the rich, emotional complexity of their repertoire.

Their April 4th performance opened with “Trío y Cordón” (“Trio and String”), choreographed by Claudia Lavista and Victor Manuel Ruiz, comprised of three topless dancers donning strategically placed body paint and broad skirts made of accordion-folded brown paper. When dim stage lighting commences the work, the dancers look like life-sized paper mache angels.

The opening actions occur in complete silence, accentuating the contrast between fluid body movements and harsh, crinkling costumes. An imaginary string guides the interactions between two females (Aura Patrón and Claudia Lavista) and one male (Omar Carrum). In this illustration of a subtle seduction, the Patrón, Lavista and Carrum enrapture the viewers, moving so gracefully in their unusual attire.

“Trio y Cordón” set the evening off to a strong start, but “Jauna,” choreographed

by Michael Foley, and Victor Manuel Ruiz’s “Del amor y otras Delfos Danza Contermporánea barbaridades” (“About love and other calamities”), were the program’s great masterpieces. “Juana” features the awe-inspiring Carrum in a gorgeous, yet gut-wrenching expression of introspection. The lighting fades in on his chiseled back, as he faces away from the audience, clad in a huge, flowing black skirt.

The movements begin with feet planted, arms and torso telling the story, but soon evolve into a gorgeous series of liquid motion featuring that billowing skirt, which alternately constricts and releases its wearer. The work has an ecclesiastical air, danced to "The Lord’s Prayer" sung in Latin (“Pater Noster”) and set to music by Richard Einhorn with Anonymous 4. Carrum’s beautiful movement,

Jazz Concert Review

Monterey Injects Some Heat into Symphony Center Space

By SAMANTHA CHURCH March 25, 2013 - It was a tough squeeze getting into your seat in the packed Symphony Center concert hall for the March 25th Monterey Jazz Festival tour concert.

Acclaimed jazz singer and Broadway star Dee Dee Bridgewater made a regal entrance with bassist and music director for the Monterey Jazz Festival Christian McBride. Together, they eased

Photo Courtesy of Chicago Symphony Center

Members of the Monterey Jazz Festival

“Tanga,” all the while staying tight and technically flawless.

Bridgewater, with her nimble and dynamic voice, leant the group some edge with her emotional, wild interpretations, particularly on “A Child is Born” and perenial favorite, Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child.”

In fact, if there was a fault to be found, it was the utter lack of faltering. With such skilled and capable musicians, there is a license to get a bit ugly and reach for the dangerous, knowing that the years of training will support you even as you venture into the unknown. While the sound was unmistakably refined, it never quite made it to that breakneck place, nor could, really. Is it even possible to convey the rebellious nature of jazz in a space that demands such perfection: the audience, far removed from the performers, seated and well behaved? In a crowded bar, drinks in hand, the band feeding off the crowd’s energy, we might have been treated to a more visceral performance. If it was indeed a battle between venue and genre, then Monterey Jazz Festival won—with a little help from enthusiastic patrons who finally threw propriety aside, letting out hoots and hollers to fire up the band. And in the midst of all their professionalism, here and there, in glimpses, the big bad jazz man your mother warned you about showed himself. You can take jazz out of the nightclub, but you’ll never take the nightclub out of jazz.

the audience into the evening with jovial banter before performing a stripped down “It’s Your Thing.” The lighting bright, the tone casual, it felt like a jam session between two friends: easy, fun, even with a tinge of flirtatious chemistry.

The two were joined by Benny Green on piano, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Chris Potter on tenor sax and the crowd favorite, Lewis Nash, on drums. Nash played the evening with subtlety and texture, bringing a musicality that so many lesser drummers fail to explore. The entire company brought with them cocksure mastery of their instruments, dexterously moving between a smooth, laid-back cool on numbers like Bobby Hutcherson’s “Highway One,” and more brash, raucous, heated sounds on Dizzie Gillespie’s

Summer 2013CNCJA•35

Blue Grass Concert Review

Tim Shelton's City Winery Concert Shows Chops, Hides Confidence

By SAMANTHA CHURCH March 25, 2013 - As the small, Monday night crowd settled in to their seats at City Winery, there was a comfortable chatter humming through the air as people ordered dinner and drinks and caught up with friends. The venue feels like a rustic barn, and yet is sophisticated, and minimal in its decor. The relaxed feel was soon broken by an announcement hushing the crowd, informing them even whispered conversations could prove a distraction to the performers.

This was serious business.

The opening act, Bubbly Creek Bluegrass Band, took the stage, endearingly giddy, and a bit rushed through their set. Despite their nerves, they performed well under pressure, owing in no small part to the excellent sound quality. Crowding around one mic, they sang perfectly mixed harmonies through bluegrass staples like the plaintive “Dearly Departed,” and “Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands,” which utilized a slide guitar, giving the song a more laid back sound than it typically has, and the morose “When I Stop Dreaming.”

In a large city rife with hipsters, in-authentically co-oping music from other times and cultures, Bubbly Creek Bluegrass Band appears to be the real deal. They played their instruments with finesse, harmonized to perfection, but most importantly, did so with genuine sincerity. Even those who came specifically to see the headliner, Tim Shelton and NewFound Road, seemed sad to see them go.

Tim Shelton and NewFound Road opened with a cover of “These

Days” in the vein of Jackson Browne, showcasing Shelton’s thick and soulful voice, equally adept at bluesy runs as twangy yodels.

But however competent Shelton is as a singer, he seemed to lack confidence and stage presence: Shy and at times apologetic about his songs, he came across like someone pressured to sing impromptu at a party where he doesn’t know many people. The rhythm section seemed more at ease, and yet, they exhibited musicianship that seemed none-the-less stilted and reigned in. Clanging, loud quarter notes dominated every song. There wasn't much dimension offered for the listener to explore.

However, everyone came alive on the original tunes penned by guitarist Josh Miller, the standout talent in NewFound Road. Edgy, dark and heartfelt, his songs transformed the group into a band with something to say.

Oddly enough, Shelton seemed most apologetic about the darker fare, explaining, “We used to write angry songs, but we wanted to write something the women could relate to.” A vaguely sexist comment of the misinformed variety was not the true crime here, however. Rather, his comment revealed what holds Shelton back as an artist: an assumption the audience’s wants and needs are not his own. Tim Shelton seems a man afraid of his own voice—a true pity, when the voice is as soulful and complex as his.

Photo Courtesy of City Winery

Tim Shelton and NewFound Road

36•CNCJASummer 2013

Exhibit Review

Context is Key to Art Institute's Picasso Brilliance

By AMANDA SCHERKER paint Guernica his first semester of art school; for truly radical art isn’t merely conjured from muses or whispered through dreams." Indeed, the representational style of Picasso’s Portrait of a Young Woman, painted in 1900, could be mistaken for any number of his contemporaries. Picasso famously said, “Bad artists copy, good artists steal,” and the exhibit shows his dutiful mastery of European art trends, providing insight into his early artistic cultivation.

The Blue Period follows, as the perennially haunting, The Old Guitarist reveals his debt to Expressionism. After the gloom and melancholy of spilled blue ink, bold pinks and oranges blossomed into the Rose Period. Around this time, Picasso became fascinated with circus clowns; purportedly, he related to them as an artist, accustomed to feeling like an outsider.

The exhibit also displays his lesser known Minotaur paintings; the mythical creature, half-bull, half-man, with whom Picasso also strongly identified.

The exhibit shows how Picasso’s famed ability to create striking distortions of space, and the stirring paintings that resulted, was cultivated through less romantic, laborious obsession and hundreds of sketches. The curators piece together the journey of an artist, illuminating the cause-and-effect progressions of his stylistic choices, without undermining his undeniable genius. This visual evolution of artistic genius is a luxury; seeing the harried, breathless sketches of women that gave way to the striking, grotesque faces of Picasso’s many muses, such as those of Weeping Women…revelatory.

Picasso aficionados, and novice Modern art lovers alike will enjoy watching the growth of Pablo Picasso’s creative genius. For, even 100 years after Picasso’s debut in the states, his bold rejection of convention continues to inspire both imitation and reverent thievery by many a young American artist today. Photo Courtesy of The Art Institte of Chicago

April 22, 2013 - Exactly 100 years ago, the white walls of the Chicago Art Institute bravely debuted Pablo Picasso’s work to the American public; boldly showcasing work far too controversial for the American art elite.

Picasso and Chicago, the Institute’s centennial celebration of this major artistic milestone, offers viewers a chance to reflect on Picasso’s artistic journey and the way he shaped our city’s culture. (Hemingway learned everything he knew about bull-fighting from him!)

Comprised of approximately 250 pieces, the exhibit is an expansive retrospective of one of the world’s most influential modern artists.

Of course, Picasso’s as famous today as he was provocative in 1913, and most museum-goers wouldn’t need to see his signature to recognize his paintings.

But context is critical in understanding the true novelty of Picasso’s vision, and early on, the exhibit wisely transports the viewer to a different time, and a different perspective. The setting: Chicago, 1967, before modernism gave way to post-modernism and postmodernism imploded. A mural-sized photograph shows that year’s unveiling of Picasso’s famous Chicago statue, an abstract rendition of a woman’s face. Audio recordings capture the opinions of Chicago passersby on that very day, revealing spectators befuddled and compelled by Chicago’s first enormous, abstract public work. This amusing time capsule evokes a Chicago confused, yet intrigued, by a statue that was anything but derivative, and that, almost 50 years later, still feels Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist (1902-1904) fresh.

The gallery then forays on a chronological sweep across Picasso’s career, meandering first through his fledgling attempts at mimicking famous artists of the time.

There’s a cliché piece of advice given to aspiring artists,"Picasso didn’t

Summer 2013CNCJA•37

Opera Review

Lyric's Rigoletto A Mixed Bag with A Bit of Verdi Magic

By FRED CUMMINGS March 14, 2013 - Lyric Opera gave its Thursday afternoon audience a taste of both magic and middling in its current revival of Giuseppe Verdi's tragic melodrama, Rigoletto. Rigoletto is an opera rife with a treacherous dichotomy that spells potential disaster for any company daring to put forth a believable presentation of its themes: on the one hand, it presents a plot that is farcical, at best (only fodder when your work is a comedy, a trickier task when tragedy is afoot); on the other hand, that plot serves as the structure for some of the most moving and impassioned arias ever written. And if we are to be moved by this jarringly affecting score, we've just got to believe the framework that surrounds it.

That framework presents a scathingly lecherous 16th century Italian Duke whose debaucherous court takes the greatest amusement in parading a constant bevy of all-too-eager women through his boudoir—leaving a trail of humiliated hubbies in their wake. While all this is taking place, the titular character, a hunchback jester, is tasked with the bitter derision of the unfortunate cuckold—a biting subterfuge for the Duke, who makes his inevitable conquest, all-the-while maintaining the perspective that women are as changeable as a pair of nice socks; no matter how much you like one, there's always another somewhere around to keep your feet warm.

Opera audiences can suspend believability, of course, if the music

and staging hold up, but when they don't, what's the point of it all?

Navigating much of Verdi's emotive arias for the production is radiant Russian Soprano Alibna Shagimuratova in a lustrous Lyric debut as Gilda, Rigoletto’s ultra-sheltered daughter. The only child of the ultimate helicopter parent, Gilda is almost literally held captive of her father's fear that his dastardly undertakings will somehow come back to haunt him in the scarring of an innocent daughter he's fought to hide from the revelers in the town of Mantua. But for her regular visits to church, she'd never encounter a soul except for the less-than-vigilant maid Rigoletto has charged with ensuring her chastity. Shagimuratova is simply a revelation in this role.

She possesses a bright, gleaming tone that captivates within the coloratura of Verdi's first act aria, Caro nome, recalling the name of the charming young cavalier who has followed her home. Shagimuratova dashed off its high notes and leaps with shiver-inducing ease, and brandished a beguiling, sultry finesse with scintillating trills and a crescendo that served as a masterclass in vocal control.

But for me, the performance truly belonged to Serbian baritone Željko Lučić, who sang the role of Rigoletto. Lučić's Act I duet with Shagimuratova, Pari siamo, exploited a lovely upper register, one of the most potent weapons in his vocal arsenal. Throughout the opera, he displayed an enormous, buoyant tone adorned with charming intonation

Main: Soprano Albina Shagimuratova (Gilda) and Giuseppe Filianoti (the Duke of Mantua) in Lyric Opera's 2012-2013 production of Rigoletto by Verdi. Inset: Serbian baritone Željko Lučić performed the titular role in Lyric's production.

38•CNCJASummer 2013

Photos by Dan Rest

shaping tender phrases that could beam powerfully into the house or, at times, taper delicately into thin air.

Due in part to the near-ridiculous circumstances we have to accept within the opera, all credibility hinges on the most crucial scene with Lučić at its core. Here Rigoletto has realized his most pressing fear.

Suspecting that the young beauty he's been hiding in his home is in fact his mistress, the court has enacted a plan to kidnap Gilda and take her back to present to the Duke as his next conquest. Little do they or anyone else realize, the Duke is the young cavalier that has had Gilda's heart all a flutter. And what's worse is Rigoletto is powerless to free her before the Duke can have his licentious way. He's reduced from feigned indifference to fiery indignation to abject pleas for his daughter's return. With powerfully warm lyricism, Lučić dexterously teased out the aching poignancy in Verdi's gut-wrenching aria, Cortigiani, vil vazza dannata, that gives real credibility to Rigoletto's incredulous story. His rich tone is couched in mature phrasing that provides his character a real sense of the heartbreaking spontaneity and vulnerability typifying a father at his most desperate.

Other laudable contributions were turned in by Lyric's impeccable chorus, wonderfully prepared by guest chorus master Ian Roberston, and the remarkably versatile bass Andrei Silverstelli as the mercenary Sparafucile.

Sparafucile helps meet out Gilda's untimely end as she sacrifices herself for the Duke, despite having learned of his truly despicable nature. Silvestrelli's imposing low bass notes continue to amaze with not only spot on tonal clarity but also a sheer lyrical beauty that defies expectation.

Perhaps the tallest order of the day belonged to Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti, singing the most implausible character in Rigoletto, the Duke of Mantua. Verdi's shameless Lothario is caricature at best, and while Filianoti is certainly well versed in the suave, florid Italian style of Verdi's writing, his bright, focused voice does have its tonal limits—limits Rigoletto's arias exposed at the highest, most arching moments in the score. And though his wonderfully agile voice had no problem navigating Verdi's spirited writing, his performance fell short of the patient, supple phrasing that epitomizes really great Verdi singing.

Also detracting from the performance were costuming and staging slips that gave us a virtually hunchless hunchback, an unnecessarily risqué Filianoti opening the opera in an ill-fitting pair of tidy whities (perhaps demonstrating his lavish depravity); and an ever-rotating stage that, at one point, caught Lučić off guard, forcing him to race illogically about the set to find his appropriate cue for the next scene.

Yet, with these miscues at work, Lyric was still able to bring to life a heavy dose of the magic that Verdi imbued in this tragic masterpiece more than 150 years ago.

Jewish Music x 3 “A toe-tapping celebration!”

Hava Nagila (The Movie)

San Francisco Chronicle

Thursday, June 6 at 7 pm in the stunning Feinberg Theater at Spertus Institute Post-screening discussion and reception with award-winning director Roberta Grossman.

Orchestra of Exiles

“A harrowing, inspiring story” Film Journal International

Thursday, June 20 at 7 pm in the stunning Feinberg Theater at Spertus Institute Post-screening discussion and reception with Oscar-nominated director Joshua Aronson.

Four-part mini-course

Jewish Music, Jewish Communities

Mondays July 8, 15, 22, & 29 11 am to 1 pm each day at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park Learn about Jewish music through time and around the world from ethnomusicologist Rachel Adelstein.

Spertus Institute is a partner in serving our community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/ Jewish Federation.

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Photo By Wolfgang Ludes/Countour by Getty Images

J

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J ewel

Artist Conversational

Singer, songwriter

By KATHRYN BACASMOT

B

Believe it or not, the world has been listen- mind of a woman who has successfully navigated the ups and downs of ing to music of Jewel Kilcher Murrray for the music industry, and evaded the hazards of celebrity pitfalls. A womnearly 20 years. Pieces of You, Jewel's debut an who has found ways to, as she puts it, “...handle long-term goals on album (one of the best selling debut albums quicksand.” of all time), was released in 1995. There are few artists in the music business that can boast "Some of the best advice I ever got was ‘hard wood that kind of longevity. Perhaps it's due, in part, to the fact that grows slowly.’ If you want something to last a long many artists get caught up in the fame game. But, as we all time, you have to build it correctly.” (Jewel) For Jewel, know, fame is fleeting, and once the initial rush of glory fades, reality sets in, and one is left with the agonizing pressure to that's meant a lot of “conscious” building over the years remain “relevant.” Perhaps the thing that makes Jewel’s caand answering questions like, “Does this support my reer so different is that she's never really sought fame in the authenticity?” first place; she simply set out to make a living doing what she did best, exploring her creativity and loving every minute of it. It's an honest approach that has won her a fiercely loyal following over the years.

My conversation with the busy artist in advance of her upcoming, Jewel’s discovery was really the stuff of legend: at barely 20 years old, and long awaited, debut at the Ravinia Festival gave me insight into the and homeless, she was regularly singing in a Southern California coffee Summer 2013CNCJA•41

Artist Conversational

shop called The Inner Change Cafe when a local radio station began airing bootleg recordings of her performances. That led to a bidding war between record labels eager to sign her.

Atlantic Records won out. Suddenly Jewel was on Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young’s ranch recording her first album. Her first single, “Who Will Save Your Soul” was already old in her songbook—she'd written it back when she was only 16 years old, during a spring break trip away from the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, where she'd enrolled. Jewel had been performing regularly from the tender age of eight,

alongside both her parents, and then her father after they divorced; but it was at Interlochen where she gained access to the full range of possibilities her voice offered. “I grew up bar singing, so I was a very emotional, untrained singer,” she recalled. “I learned a French aria out of a book, and

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was very shocked I was let into the school. I learned a whole other register for my voice; it really opened up a clean, clear, style of singing for me that I couldn’t really think of my voice without now.”

Let’s talk about that voice. Particularly striking is its tonal quality, a unique blend of control and ease that, one minute, is deep, smooth, and rich; the next, oscillates between gritty and plaintive. The fluidity and flexibility of her instrument has allowed Jewel to explore nearly any genre she pleases. When I asked her about the array of styles in her output, she explained, “I didn’t understand that there were genres; I didn’t belong to the ‘country team’ or the ‘folk team.’” In fact, Jewel simply refuses to force her songs into any one box or another.

Her songwriting process is one that is more organic, producing work that simply is what it is. Even she is at a loss to explain exactly how inspiration morphs into song creation: “I don’t necessarily understand how... but I know everything I ingest comes out," she told me.

"It’s an interesting process. It all comes into me, and it all comes out, I just don’t know when or where.”

The ancient Romans believed inspiration imbued an artist via an outside force, a “genius,” or guiding spirit that was not inherently a part of the artist. That kind of once-removed approach seems quite alive and well in Jewel’s song writing process. It's staggering to think how an artist can stay so creatively fresh while producing volumes of material over so many years. But Jewel views the concept rather simply. “I’m prolific," she told me. "I don’t expect every song to be my best work of art. It’s like panning for gold—sometimes you strike gold. Not every song has to be a Pulitzer Prize winner. If you can keep your judgment away from what you’re writing, not judging yourself allows you to not have writers block. It’s a very organic process. I just have a feeling; it’s like being blind-folded down a trail, and discovering where you are when you get there.”

As random as that may sound, there were no blind corners for Jewel. From an early age, she carefully observed patterns in the careers of those around her. “I was always aware that songwriters did their best work in their twenties,” she pointed out. She also observed from a young age that the literature of many novelists she'd respected tended to become richer and more robust later in life. Emulating that example, she has tried to live a kind of “novelist's" lifestyle, avoiding the inevitable burnout that comes with too many superfluous moments in the spotlight. The tact pays off in dividends of fresh, unadulterated inspiration that, in turn, allows her to churn out writing that gets more and more artistically mature and compelling with every project.

Perhaps another reason for Jewel's longevity is the unassuming, rise-at-daybreak work ethic she's had since growing up in Alaska on the Kilcher family homestead.

She was reared living a completely self-sufficient lifestyle with no modern conveniences: no running water, no electricity, and eating primarily whatever the land provided. “I do think that one of the benefits of being raised on a ranch in Alaska is I was never raised to be entitled,” Jewel explained. “I never felt I was more talented, but I knew I could outwork anyone. Some of the best advice I ever got was ‘hard wood grows slowly.’ If you want something

Summer 2013CNCJA•43

Photos By Troy Jensen

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Photo By Troy Jensen

Artist Conversational

to last a long time, you have to build it correctly.” For Jewel, that's meant a lot of “conscious” building over the years and answering questions like, “Does this support my authenticity?” As she points out, “Sometimes it means turning things down, and sometimes it means shocking people.”

And shock people, she has. After releasing Pieces of You (1995), and Spirit (1998), two folk-infused albums that cemented her image within the industry, Jewel fully “plugged in” with 0304, raising eyebrows with a glossy tongue-in-cheek, bubble-gum pop music video for the single “Intuition.” In 2008, she released her first country album, Perfectly Clear, followed by a second country album in 2010 entitled Sweet and Wild. Interspersed are two albums of songs for children, Lullaby (2009), and The Merry Goes ‘Round (2011), which coincided with the birth of her own son.

Recently, Jewel released her Greatest Hits album.

Somewhere in between all of that music, she also found time for several television appearances, including turns as a contestant (alongside husband and rodeo champion Ty Murray) on Dancing with the Stars, as a judge on Nashville Star, and as a host/judge on Platinum Hit. She's also turned in her fair share of acting, including a role in director Ang Lee’s 1999 American Civil War costume drama, Ride With the Devil. This spring, Jewel will take on title role in The June Carter Cash Story, airing on the Lifetime television network.

Currently, the singer's authenticity is striking a seamless balance between family life and that 20-year career. On their Texas ranch, she and husband Ty enjoy riding their 16 horses, and eating great food. She often indulges in cooking, when she has time. “I find cooking and cuisine so much like music about balancing and harmonizing,” she admitted. “I would have loved to be a chef in another life.”

That improvisatory spirit is just what you'll experience if you're in attendance at her June 16 Ravinia Festival debut. And if you're lucky, you might even be able to chime in on the music she plays. Taking requests from her audience is one of the ways Jewel stays connected to her listeners—something that adds significantly to that authenticity. “I don’t think I’ve done the same set twice,” she told me. “It’s different every night.

I have over 500 songs.” And those songs, a few stories and a fare bit of informal conversation from Ravinia's stage is just what makes this summer's concert perfect for anyone that truly enjoys genuine, uncomplicated artistry, hearing an artist with something honest to say, on stage in a richly inspiring performance venue, doing just what she does best, and loving every minute of it. Left: Jewel on her and her husband Ty Murray's Texas ranch with one of the couple's 16 horses.

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C

Photo By Hedrich Blessing

Chicago's Little Village Academy is a fine example of minimalist efficiency in sleek modern architecture. Designed by master Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney of Ross Barney Architects— and completed in 1996—the building sits in the heart of Chicago's Mexican community and marked a stark turn away from the traditional designs of Chicago public school buildings, which commonly focused on capacity over brilliance.

The three story building is organized around a central staircase that forms the functional and spiritual heart of the school. The curved, sky lit stair enclosure is highlighted by a threestory vertical sundial, also marking the buiding's entrance. Other spaces received unique facade treatments: the library has a clerestoried reading room, the science lab has a greenhouse bay window, and the cafeteria curves playfully into the playground.

Among a host of other hardware, the project was awarded the 1999 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture by the American Institute of Architects, the 1998 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award and the 1998 Merit Award from the Chicago Building Congress.

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Cultural Happenings...

Arts RE-Boot

Pivot Arts will launch a new celebration of innovative theater, music and dance in unique and historic venues from June 6 -22, 2013 throughout Chicago’s Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. The inaugural festival aims to The Dance Center of Columbia College will present its 2013 Dance Improvisation answer the call for a reinvigorated Uptown Entertainment Festival curated by assistant professor Lisa Gonzales with support from and in collaboration with Links Hall. The festival takes place June 3–8 and features District by uniting artists, businesses and local organizations around multidisciplinary “pop-up” performances workshops led by prominent dance artists, showings featuring local and guest artists, a public discussion and several performances. Participating occurring in a former Vaudeville Theater, a one-time Charlie Chaplin film studio and other historic spaces artists, all interested in interdisciplinary and collaborative performance, throughout these communities. include Daniel Halkin, Peter Schmitz, Susan Sgorbati and Jennifer Over three weeks, audiences will have the opporMonson, who will be presenting her newest work, "Live Dancing tunity to attend performances, many of which blur the Archive." The work explores the dancing body in conjunction with the boundaries between theater, music and dance or use moving image of video and other media as an archive of place, experisome combination of performance disciplines in their ence and systems. This project draws on Monson's history of choreowork. Programming for the festival includes: live music, graphic research. Monson will participate in a post-performance discus- theater, dance, puppetry, a community picnic and perforsion. A related video mances for children. installation, created by Participating groups and artists at time of Robin Vachal, will be on publication include Steep Theatre Company, Neodisplay at The Dance Center Futurists, RE|Dance Group and People’s Music throughout the festival.

School. Venues for the festival include Chase Park, For more information or for tickets, call St. Augustine College, Uncommon Ground and the Dance Center at 312-369-8330.

The Waterfront Café at Berger Park.

For complete festival info, visit www.pivotarts. org or call 773.609.0782.

Celebration of Movement

New Adler Leadership

The Board of Trustees of the Adler Planetarium has elected astrophysicist and experienced academic leader Michelle B. Larson, PhD, as president of America’s first planetarium. Dr. Larson will become the Adler’s ninth leader and the first female president of the institution. Her appointment begins January 1, 2013. She succeeds Paul H. Knappenberger, Jr., PhD, who will retire on December 31 after 21 years of service.

As president, Dr. Larson will oversee a 21st century space science center that includes the institution’s landmark museum complex, exhibition galleries and three theaters; a robust research enterprise; one of the world’s leading collections documenting the history of science; and an award-winning education and outreach program. Annually, more than 470,000 people visit the Adler, making it one of Chicago’s leading tourist attractions.

Ever want to experience the wonder and underwater grace of stingrays, first-hand? Well, now you can. In the new hands-on experience at Shedd Aquarium, Stingray Touch, located under a tented structure on the aquarium’s south terrace, the new 18,000-gallon pool features yellow rays (Urobatis jamaicensis) and approximately 40 cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus), which glide through the water with a wingspan of up to three feet. Guests will have exceptional views of the rays’ natural behaviors across the 80-foot-long and 22-foot-wide habitat.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Just the Right Touch

Clockwise from top left: Dancer and choreographer Jennifer Monson (photo courtesy of The Dance Center of Columbia College); Michele B. Larson, PhD., newly appointed president of the Adler Planetarium (photo courtesy of the Adler Planetarium)'; iPhone with The Chicago Botanic Garden's GardnerGuide app onscreen (photo courtesy of The Chicago Botanic Gardens); Crownose rays display their expansive wingspan (photo courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium).

48•CNCJASummer 2013

There's An App for That!

The Chicago Botanic Garden has announced a new smartphone app called “GardenGuide,” which is the first of its kind to be developed in the United States. The GardenGuide shares the Garden’s vast plant-collections database, containing records of the nearly 2.6 million plants.

The app is free to users and is designed to enhance and enrich the experience of those visiting the Garden. While at the Garden, GPS technology gives the user the ability to find their way to any plant or points of interest with an optimized map.

In addition to a “plant finder,” which can be tapped into at anytime from anywhere in the world, the app also provides curated walking tours of the most popular display gardens within the Garden itself.

Every tour stop is accompanied by a brief interpretation of that location. GardenGuide also navigates visitors to other points of interest locations within the Garden such as statuary and art, water fountains, bathrooms, and there are alerts of new plants that are in bloom. Of course, you’ll always stay atop the various activities and events at the Garden as well.

Garden staff and 90 volunteers contributed to this three-year project, capturing digital images of Garden flora, scanning archived images and researching and entering the data for the app.

The app can be downloaded to iPhone or Android smartphones and is called “GardenGuide of the Chicago Botanic Garden” on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Marketplace.

Cultural Almanac

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Music & Da Dance Mu si c& nce

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Mosh Ben Ari†† Rhett Miller w/special guest John Langford *† Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets *† David Davis and the Warrior River Boys* John Rouse w/special guest Field Report † Royal Southern Brotherhood † Leon Russell w/special guest Chastity Brown *† Poundcake † Ian Maksin & Las Guitarras de España †† Carolina Chocolate Drops* The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill, Roger Steen, Prairie Prince, Rick Anderson, David Medd † Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (Tel. 312.369-8330, colum.edu/dance_center) 2013 Chicago Improvisation Fest Grant Park Music Festival with Grant Park Orchestra (Tel. 312.742.7638, grantparkmusicfestival.com) Opening Night: Tchaikovsky and Mozart w/Carlos Kalmar, cond. and Stephan Jackiw, violin Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky and Copeland's Billy The Kid w/Grant Park Chorus Pink Martini Ravel's La Valse and Chen's Iris dévoilée Nielsen Clarinet Concerto w/Carlos Kalmar and Martin Fröst, Clarinet Britten War Requiem w/Grant Park Chorus Harris Theater for Music and Dance (Tel. 312.334.7777, harristheaterchicago.org) MusicNow: Three Rivers – Chicago Symphony Orchestra Dudu Fisher Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Tel. 312.850.9744, hubbardstreetdance.org) danc(e)volve: New Works Festival Museum of Contemporary Art (Tel. 312.280.2660, mcachicago.org) ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble): David Lang's The Whisper Opera North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie (Tel. 847.673.6300, northshorecenter.org) Ensemble Español American Spanish Dance and Music Festival Ravinia - all concerts at Ravinia Pavilion unless otherwise indicated (Tel. 847.266.5100, ravinia.org) Concert Dance, Inc. - Ruth Page Dance Festival (Bennet Gordon Hall) Judy Collins and Don McLean Sting - Back to Bass Tour Ko-Thi Dance Co. (Martin Theatre) Joan Baez and Indigo Girls Celtic Woman Gary Senise and the Lt. Dan Band Tribute to Benny Goodman Mormon Tabernacle Choir Jewel Trinity Episcopal Church: Rachmaninoff's Vespers (Martin Theatre) BoDeans Peter Serkin, piano (Martin Theatre) Patricia Racette, soprano (Martin Theatre) Four Seasons Recomposed by movie composer Max Richter w/Chicago Philharmonic Zuckerman Chamber Players (Martin Theatre) Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Jackson Browne Darius Rucker Melissa Ethridge and Friends Go-Go's and The B-52s

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Baroque Band (Tel. 312.235.2368, baroqueband.org) The Godfather: Bach, Telemann & Rameau l l Chicago Children's Choir (Tel. 312. 849.8300, ccchoir.org) Shall We Gather at the River with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Annelies - 20th Anniversary Tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum City Winery (Tel. 312.733.9463, citywinery.com/chicago) [Folk/neo-folk=*, Jazz=**, Blended/Pop, rock or soul fusion=†, Int'l/Roots=††, Country/alternative country=*†]

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The CNCJA Cultural Almanac listings are representative of schedules from participating institutions available at time of publication.

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Music Musi c& &Dance Dance

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Photos from left: Conductor RIccardo Muti (photo by Todd Rosenberg); Patrick Clear (Brad Donovan), Tamberla Perry (Vera Stark) and Ron Rains (Peter Rhys Davies) on The Brad Donovan Show in 1973 from Goodman Theatre's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (photo by Liz Lauren); King Henry VIII (Gregory Wooddell) passionately embraces Anne Boleyn (Christina Pumariega) as Cardinal Wolsey (Scott Jaeck) stares disapprovingly in Shakespeare THeatre's Henry VIII (Photo by Liz Lauren); Legendary Jazz Trumpeter WInton Marsalis (photo courtesy of Chicago Symphony Center).

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ArtMuseums

Art Museums

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Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Tel. 312.335.1650, steppenwolf.org) Head of Passes l l Fat Pig The Drunken City l l The Internationalist l l Belleville Timeline Theatre (Tel. 312.335.1650, timelinetheatre.com) Blood and Gifts Victory Gardens Theater (Tel. 773.871.3000, victorygardens.org) The Pride l l Writers Theatre in Glencoe (Tel. 847.242.6000, writerstheatre.org) The Liar l l Yellow Moon l l The Art Institute of Chicago (Tel. 312.443.3600, artic.edu) The Artist and the Poet l l l l They Seek A City: Chicago and the Art of Migration, 1910-1950 Sharing Space: Creative Intersections in Architecture and Design l l Rodney Graham: Torqued Chandelier Release l l l l Spot the Dog: Paw Prints!

Kara Walker: Rise Up Ye Mighty Race! l l Late Roman and Early Byzantine Treasures from the British Museum l l l l The Yoshida Family: Three Generations of Japanese Print Artists Undressed: The Fashion of Privacy Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity Zarina: Paper Like Skin Fashion Plates: 19th-Century Fashion Illustrations Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door Cy Twombly: Sculpture Selections, 1948-1995 Expanded Gallery for Arthur Rubloff Collection of Paperweights Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art Play, Pretend, and Dream: Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 2010–2013 Tomoaki Suzuki Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University (Tel. 847.491.4000, blockmuseum.northwestern.edu) Blacklisted: William Gropper's Capriccios Drawing the Future: Chicago Architecture on the International Stage, 1900–1925 Museum of Contemporary Art (Tel. 312.280.2660, mcachicago.org) Destroy The Picture: Painting the Void, 1949-1962 l l l l MCA Chicago Plaza Project: Martin Creed BMO Harris Bank Chicago Works: Jason Lazarus l l Amilia Pica Gaylen Gerber MCA DNA: Chicago Conceptual Abstraction Theaster Gates: 13th Ballad Think First, Shoot Later: Photographs from the MCA Collection Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes Homebodies MCA Chicago Plaza Project: Amanda Ross-Ho BMO Harris Bank Chicago Works: José Lerma National Museum of Mexican Art (Tel. 312.738.1503, nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org) Signature Works: 25th Anniversary Gifts to the Permanent Collection Smart Museum of Art - University of Chicago (Tel. 773.702.0200, smartmuseum.uchicago.edu) The Land Beneath Our Feet: American Art at the Smart Museum Gigi Scaria: City Unclaimed Other Modernisms: Serge Charchoune The Shamat Collective: Art and Activism in India Since 1989 Valerie Snobeck: American Standard Movement

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The CNCJA Cultural Almanac listings are representative of schedules from participating institutions available at time of publication.

Summer 2013CNCJAâ&#x20AC;˘53

Ga lleri es Galleries

Museums Museums

Telescopes Shoot for the Moon The Universe: A Walk Through Space and Time Chicago Architecture Foundation (Tel. 312.922.3432, architecture.org) Synergicity: Reinventing the Postindustrial City Chicago History Museum (Tel. 312.642.4600, chicagohistory.org) Abraham Lincoln Chicago: Crossroads of America Facing Freedom Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair Lincoln's Chicago Sensing Chicago Shalom Chicago Unexpected Chicago Vivian Maier's Chicago

Planetary Machines

Clark Family Welcome Gallery Cyber Space From Earth to the Universe Historic Atwood Sphere Our Solar System Planet Explorers

Astronomy Culture

Rhona Hoffman Gallery (Tel. 312.455.1990, rhoffmangallery.com) Sol Lewitt: Concrete Block Structure Gordon Matta-Clark Roy Boyd Gallery (Tel. 312.642.1606, royboydgallery.com) Wall Relief Group Show Russell Bowman Art Advisory (Tel. 312.751.9500, bowmanart.com) Thomas Nozkowski Vivian Maier: Summer in the City Schneider Gallery, Inc. (Tel. 312.988.4033, schneidergallerychicago.com) Street Level Project Space: Jamie Steele: Gone to Seed Adler Planetarium (Tel. 312-922-78278, adlerplanetarium.org)

Martyl: Crossing Boundaries Audrey Niffenegger: Raven Girl

Printworks (Tel. 312.664.9407, printworkschicago.com)

Jay Strommen: Things that are Pleasing are Repeated

Perimeter Gallery (Tel, 312.266.9473, perimetergallery.com )

Jason Lahr, Kathy Halper and Krista Hoefle)

Packer Schopf Gallery (Tel. 312.226.8984,

Mary Abbott: Island Works

Jean Albano Gallery (Tel. 312.440.0770, jeanalbanogallery.com) Terry Zupanc Josef Glimer Gallery, Ltd. (Tel. 312.787.4640, josefglimmergallery.com) Mira Hermoni-Levine: Involuntary Memory, new paintings McCormick Gallery (Tel. 312.226.6800, thomasmccormick.com)

John Clark: Reflections: The Function of Form, paintings Marco Nereo Rotelli: Field of Light, paintings and drawings

Hilton | Asmus Contemporary (Tel. 312.475.1788, hilton-asmus.com)

Richard Hoey, landscapes

Gruen Galleries (Tel. 312.337.6262, gruengalleries.com)

Amy Laskin: Garden Goddesses

Carl Hammer Gallery (Tel. 312-266-8512, hammergallery.com)

Design 1810 - 1995

ArchiTech Gallery (Tel. 312.475.1290, architechgallery.com)

Ronald Clayton, Carl Linstrum and Susan Kraut Julia Katz and Joan Helleb

Addington Gallery (Tel. 312.649.0064, addingtongallery.com)

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Theater Review

McCraney's Passes Could One Day Rank a Classic

By DANIEL A. SCUREK May 5, 2013 - In the well-tread world where scripture meets literature, perhaps no book attracts writers more than the "Book of Job." In it, God allows unrelenting tragedy to be heaped upon his devout servant, Job, in a challenge with Satan to prove nothing can shake Job’s faith. As dramatic metaphor, the story possibilities are endless. As theological discourse, debate concerning the suffering of the righteous is as old as the Bible itself.

This is where Head of Passes, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, receiving its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, begins. McCraney stakes no claim on a literal rendering, by any means; Job is a metaphor. The location is a spot in Louisiana some 70 miles south of New Orleans, virtually in the middle of nowhere at the home of family matriarch Shelah on the event of her birthday party. Southern blacks know suffering but McCraney’s tale doesn’t concern racial as much as family tensions. And Shelah takes life selflessly; clearly it’s her giving nature and not age that prevents her from realizing that the gathering of friends and family is to celebrate her birthday. As they arrive, we learn about the problems and pains surrounding their past and how Shelah’s faith is the glue keeping them together.

But even here the family can’t escape metaphorical and actual storms: the family doctor arrives and we learn of the terminal illness for which Sheleh refuses treatment (news she won’t share with friends or family), as a severe rain storm pounds and threatens the very house, itself. At the end of the first act, in what must be one of the most spectacular sights on any non-musical theater stage, the entire structure slopes dramatically back-

ward as ceiling beams fall and the house nearly collapses.

The second act opens the morning after the tempest with Sheleh losing her thread at the horrors that unfolded during the storm with three of her children perishing in loosely connected scenarios. More than Sheleh can bear, she keeps hold onto the only place she knows as home but even now maintains her faith.

Through it all, McCraney builds his tale onto a classic theatrical framework. This is the type of straightforward narrative that made plays

by Lorraine Hansberry, Lonnie Elder III and August Wilson classics. But McCraney’s play, though often strong—especially in the “sermon” delivered by Cheryl Lynn—also plays the most critical events offstage or in the past. And when the angel visiting Seleh in the first act appears in the second act as an actual person in the form of a construction worker (there to assure that the house is ready for demolition), we sense contrivance. The device might have worked better if the playwright wasn’t more dedicated to the contrivance itself than its purpose: the construction worker warms up to Sheleh far too easily for us to see him as anything but an angel. He needs to be believable in the present reality, too. If he’s going to accept Shelah so quickly, we need more reason to believe.

Yet and still, the play resonates—evidenced by the standing ovation delivered by the house audience on the May 5 matinee. One hopes the script receives additional stagings and development and gets that shot of joining the classics it deserves.

Photo by Michael Brosilow

Shelah (Cheryl Lynn Bruce) sleeps in Steppenwolf Theatre's production of Head of Passes by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney.

54•CNCJASummer 2013

Exhibit Review

May 6, 2013 - It’s equal parts art, nature and fantasy. Tree House Tales, an exhibit that was designed to inspire children ages 2-10 to interact with nature in a fun, imaginative and adventurous way, is beginning its second year at Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

The exhibit is comprised of six very different tree houses set on the ground so that kids can explore them and play in them safely.

The design and development of the exhibit was done by a team led by Mary Samerdyke, manager of interpretation for the Morton Arboretum. The inspiration, she told me, was the fact that trees have great stories to share, unique characteristics of their species, histories and culture. “We wanted to incorporate those into an exhibit that would help kids become interested in trees. We knew that if we could attach tree houses to an exhibit, the kids would understand that the tree is more than just the tree. It’s a story.”

Tree House Tales was approximately a year in the making. Once the concept was formed, the trees needed to be selected. This was a challenge, Samerdyke said, as “there are many trees with great stories. We got lucky in that the collection that was selected is close to the Visitor Center. We decided on six trees and six stories. That worked out really well.” Exhibit manufacturers Taylor Studios created Tree House Tales for the Arboretum.

Each Tree House has its own interesting backstory. White Oak Cabin is designed in a noticeably early American style. It’s named because white oak trees are solid and strong, just like American pioneers. Children are encouraged to visit the White Oak Cabin and pretend to be pioneers out on the open prairie.

Other tree houses in the exhibit include Dogwood Doghouse, Silver Maple Factory, Bur Oak Clubhouse, Empress Tree Castle and the White Pine Ship. The exhibit also changes with the seasons, as Samerdyke told me. “Some of the trees lower, the leaves turn colors, the oak trees will have acorns."

By utilizing nature to create a fun and educational environment in which children can play and explore, Tree House Tales effectively engages kids' natural inclination to interact with nature. The individual tree houses are whimsical while also being educational. The exhibit is a wonderful way for children to develop an appreciation for trees and the stories that they have to offer. 

Above left: Children play at the White Log Cabin of the Tree House Tales at Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier; Above right: Dame Kiri te Kanawa teaches a vocal masterclass in Ravinia's Steans Music Institute.

Ravinia's Steans Celebrates 25 Years Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute (RSMI), the festival’s professional summer music conservatory—through which internationally distinguished artists/ faculty pass on their knowledge to the next generation of artists— celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer with events, commissioned works, open master classes and alumni returning to perform on Ravinia’s main stages.

Housed in the John D. Harza Building, RSMI opened its “doors” in 1988, fulfilling a dream of Edward Gordon, Ravinia’s longtime executive director whose vision of a “program of careeroriented training for exceptional young musicians” became reality.

Initially a program for piano and strings, RSMI now offers a program for singers (created in 1992) and an acclaimed jazz program (created in 2000), which is unique to summer conservatory programs.

As Welz Kauffman, Ravinia's president and CEO points out, “The jazz program sets RSMI apart from other festival conservatories. As a member of Chicago's vibrant cultural community, we felt it was important to add a training ground for jazz musicians since that music is so intrinsic to the city.”

Since its inception in 1988, RSMI has trained nearly 1,200 gifted musicians, many of whom have achieved prominent careers as soloists, members of chamber groups and with opera companies and orchestras around the world. Notable alumni include sopranos Isabel Bayrakdarian and Janai Brugger; cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan; pianist Alon Goldstein; Juilliard String Quartet first violinist Joseph Lin; and jazz saxophonist Grace Kelly.

To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Ravinia has commissioned composers Jake Heggie, Aaron Jay Kernis, Ramsey Lewis, David Ludwig, Stephen Paulus, Roberto Sierra and Augusta Read Thomas to create new works for singers that will receive their world premieres on August 12. Following the performance, an after-party will be open to the public in celebration of the RSMI anniversary. Ludwig was also commissioned to create a work for piano quartet that will be performed by program fellows for piano and strings. This commission will receive its world premiere on July 8. Participants in the program for jazz will perform in a showcase on June 14; and a vocal recital will feature works by Benjamin Britten, in honor of his centennial, on August 5. All four of these concerts are part of Ravinia’s $10 BGH Series.

Several of the world-class soloists who share their talents each season coaching RSMI fellows will gather for an extraordinary Martin Theatre concert of their own on July 5, with violinists Miriam Fried and Mihaela Martin, violists Atar Arad and Paul Biss, cellist Frans Helmerson and pianist (and RSMI alum) Jeremy Denk performing Mozart’s Viola Quintet K. 406, Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 and Franck’s Piano Quintet in F Minor.

For more information on Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, visit Ravinia.org/Steans.aspx.

Photo courtesy of The Ravinia Fesival

By WENDY WARNER

N table...

Photos courtesy of The Chicago Children's Museum

Arboretum Tales Gets Kids Into Trees, Literally

Summer 2013CNCJA•55

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A Regional Tour of American Indian Cultures Changing Views of American Indian Fine Art Did You Know They're Native?

The Photographs of Edward S. Curtis Treasures of the Collection

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, IL (Tel. 847.475.1030, mitchellmuseum.org)

Courage: The Vision to End Segregation, The Guts to Fight For It Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh Karkomi Permanent Exhibition Legacy of Absence Gallery Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibition Rescue and Renewal - The Jewish Cultural Reconsruction Collection of Hebrew Theological Collegen

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The CNCJA Cultural Almanac listings are representative of schedules from participating institutions available at time of publication.

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Living with Wolves Abbott Hall of Conservation: Restoring Earth Ancient Americas Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence DNA Discovery Center Earnst & Young Three-D Theatre Evolving Planet Extreme Mammals Fashion and the Field Museum Collection: Maria Pinto Grainger Hall of Gems Hall of Jades Inside Ancient Egypt Scenes from the Stone Age: The Cave Paintings of Lascaux Pacific Spirits Nature's Toolbox: Biodiversity, Art and Invention Sue The T. rex Titan's of the Ice Age Traditions Retold: Mexican Nativity Scenes Underground Adventure

Field Museum of Natural History (Tel. 312.922.9410, fieldmuseum.org)

Africa Speaks A Slow Walk to Greatness AfriCOBRA and Beyond Dust In Their Veins: A Visual Response to the Global Water Crisis Geoffrey & Carmen: A Memoir in Four Movements Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Services Reflections The Freedom Now Mural Thomas Miller Mosaics

DuSable Museum of African American History (Tel. 773.947.0600, dusablemuseum.org)

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Photos from left: Teo Mask Ceramic mask Teotihuacan (AD 100-650) Mexico (Photo by John Weinstein © The Field Museum) ; This sword and sheath were created by an Arab-influenced artisan in the Nile region of Sudan (Photo by John Weinstein © The Field Museum); WOlves engage in horseplay in "Living with Wolves" at The Field Museum (photo by Jim Dutcher); Pottery by Lucari Kohlmeyer at THe Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (photo courtesy of THe Mitchell Museum).

Mu seums Museums

Summer 2013CNCJA•57

h Steppen Interview wit mble member Theatre ense an em K. Todd Fre

Lens of ticity authen wolf

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Voices & Visions Poster Art Exhibit

Spertus Institue of Jewish Studies (Tel. 312.332.1700, spertus.edu)

Abbott Oceanarium Amazon Rising Aquatic Show Caribbean Reef Jellies Polar Play Zone Singray Touch (Outdoor exhibit available, weather permitting) Waters of the World Wild Reef

Shedd Aquarium (Tel. 312.939.2438, sheddaquarium.org)

Animal Inside Out All Aboard the Silver Streak: Pioneer Zephyr Coal Mine Earth Revealed Fast Forward…Inventing The Future Genetics and the Baby Chick Hatchery NetWorld Science Storms Ships Through the Ages The Art of the Bicycle Things Come Apart You! The Experience

Museum of Science and Industry (Tel. 773.684.1414, msichicago.org)

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The crooner talks life, music and bringing his Large Band to Ravinia

Lyle's Large Life

SUMMER 2011

Chicagoland Journal for the Arts

Clef N tes

An lm of takes the he era Chicago Op w ne a h wit Theater model collaborative y take that just ma ole COT to a wh el new lev

A Tale of Citietisesk Two dre as Mi

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Subscribe Online and save 55%!

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A preview of the historic Paris Opéra Ballet as they kick off their American Tour at Harris Theatre.

Paris Comes to Millennium Park

SUMMER 2012

Chicagoland Journal for the Arts

Clef N tes

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art examines the impact of the Steins Family and and the passion they inspired in the appreciation of modern art.

a Legacy unveiled

Carrie Hanson and The Seldoms celebrate 10 years crashing boundaries of modern dance through mind-bending innovation.

Boundless Creativity

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre celebrates a quarter century celebrating Shakespeare.

3rd Anniversary Issue

Fascinating new MCA exhibit examines the mystique of the skyscraper and the impact its allure has had on our own identity

Identity

TOWERING

Two major Chicago exhibitions examine the prolific photographer's powerful work this summer.

Picturing Dawoud Bey

We talk shop with Grant Park Music Festival artistic director Carlos Kalmar and find out what he has planned this summer for devoted fans of Chicago's über-popular outdoor music celebration.

Crowd PLEASER

the Uncommon DivA A look at opera star Frederica von Stade as she prepares for her last staged Chicago performance

A ProgrAm of merit Merit Music’s incredible contribution to the city’s music education legacy

By Patrick M. Curran II

Mayor Daley’s grand vision for a revitalized Chicago Theater District has been a long time coming, and Broadway In Chicago has had a significant role in making that a reality.

Bringing Broadway to chicago

Winter 2010

Concert Journal for the Arts

Clef N tes

Chicago’s 2009 Humanities Festival and its celebration of the many sides of laughter

Stirring UP LAUghter

Get in the know with Chicago's amazing arts & culture with a yearlong subscription to Clef Notes and get our annual GUIDE to the new 2013-2014 arts and culture season (Autumn 2013). With luminary interviews and previews of some of the new season's best and brightest, this special issue is a MUST-HAVE for any Chicago arts and culture fan! And, for a limited time, when you subscribe online at ClefNotesJournal.com/special you can save 55% off newsstand rate of $4.99 each. For more information call us at 773.741.5502.

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Wonder to behold

By DONNA ROBERTSON

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Adler Planetarium's state-of-the-art Grainger Sky Theater presents a new immersive show that brings the cosmos right to your fingertips.

Cosmic Wonder, The Adler

Planetarium’s newest show making brilliant use of the state-of-the-art Grainger Sky Theater, brings audiences upclose-and-personal with the universe in which we live.

Did you know that the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, the carbon in the earth, and the oxygen we breathe all come from supernovas that existed before our sun was ever formed?

As explained by Dr. Geza Gyuk, Chair of the Alder Planetarium’s Astronomy Department, the matter in these supernovas compressed so tightly that these materials were thrust out into the universe, eventually becoming part of Earth. We are more a part of the vast cosmos than was ever understood by generations that came before us, and the new show at the Adler gives the general public an opportunity to experience that in a way never before possible.

This show is aptly named Cosmic Wonder Guests get a bird's-eye view of elements of the cosmos never before ventured by man in the Adler Planetarium's new Grainger Sky Theater show, Cosmic Wonder. (In because it brings to mind possible resolution of images from the Hubble Telescope, Cosmic Wonder the sense of wonderment felt as a child exploring the world. Chicago’s turns the Grainger into a virtual observatory. When displayed on an imAdler Planetarium was the first planetarium in the U.S., and just as it was mense dome overhead that surrounds the audience, these images give one a pioneer at the time of its opening in 1930, it is now paving the way a sense of what astronauts must experience when they are in space—exfor the public to experience the vast universe in an intimate and personal cept that what is being viewed represents deeper space than anywhere a encounter. human being has ever ventured. As astronomer and creator of the show Thanks to a partnership with The Grainger Foundation, Adler’s hisDr. Mark SubbaRao, Ph.D. explained, “The public is used to viewing toric Sky Theater has been transformed into the Grainger Sky Theater, these immense space objects condensed into tiny images on their comthe world’s most technologically advanced domed theater. By combining puter screens. In Cosmic Wonder, Adler audiences will zoom into these World Wide Telescope software from Microsoft Research with the highest 58•CNCJASummer 2013

“The public is used to viewing these immense space objects condensed into tiny images on their computer screens. In Cosmic Wonder, Adler audiences will zoom into these massive astronomical objects where they will be fully immersed and can truly experience the immensity and grandeur of our Universe.”

-Dr. Mark SubbaRao, Ph.D., director of Adler’s Space Visualization Lab

Photos Courtesy of THe Adler Planetarium

massive astronomical objects where they will be fully immersed and can truly experience the immensity and grandeur of our Universe.”

Cosmic Wonder traverses not only space, but time as well. It begins with a look back at the ways in which our ancestors attempted to interpret the heavens and ends with breathtaking views of the highest resolution images of deep space man has ever seen.

When you sit in the darkened, domed theater, with the celestial images directly above and around

you, you’ll feel as though you’re right there in deep space, amongst all its mysteries. As the image of the Crab Nebula becomes larger and larger, descending so close that nset): The Cellarius Star Chart. it seems like you can almost touch it, it’s easy to imagine that you’ve become part of the magical display. In the image, Hubble Extreme Deep Field, which shows the deepest image of the universe ever taken, one section of the night sky that houses 5,500 galaxies is so small, it fits within the space of Lincoln’s eye on the head of a penny held at arm’s length.

Cosmic Wonder is presented as a live show, with narration and Q&A from Dr. SubbaRao, who is also director of the Adler's Space Visualization Lab. What can audiences expect to take away from the show? According to Dr. SubbaRao, “a sense of wonder and curiosity inspired by these

images.”

That wonder and curiosity will likely be sated by several other programs at the Adler held in conjunction with Cosmic Wonder. Through August 23, 2013, visitors can take part in 100 Days of Wonder. Each day of the week, various activities are planned for adults and children, such as solar observing in the Doane Observatory; talking with a roaming astronomer or one in the Space Visualization Lab; planetarium highlight tours; family activities in Planet Explorers, and that’s just the tip of the ice berg.

Visitors can also view the temporary exhibit, Planetary Machines, which includes a look at the world’s oldest tabletop planetarium built around 1705, featuring the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon, tracking the Earth’s revolutions in real time.

Also on display through September 3, 2013 is an exact replica of NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover. The most technologically advanced rover ever built, Curiosity has been relaying information to NASA about the red planet since it landed there on August 6, 2012, information that is forming the basis for possible future human exploration of Mars.

Visitors can go inside the Atwood Sphere, Chicago’s oldest mechanical planetarium, built in 1913. It is 15 feet in diameter and contains 692 holes that allow light to enter while it rotates around the viewer, showing the brightest stars in the changing night sky.

And if all of these displays spark further interest, you can go online to help Adler scientists conduct important research by taking part in one of the museum’s Citizen Science initiatives. The current project, launched in May, involves assisting scientists in finding gravitational lenses in deep space; the discovery of such lenses helps scientists to better understand dark matter.

An added bonus is the new remodeled Café Galileo, which offers what is arguably the best view of Chicago anywhere in the city. In the allglass seating area, visitors can look west toward the museum campus and northward along the city skyline to Navy Pier and beyond or simply gaze on the serene waters of Lake Michigan. .

Cosmic Wonder opened May 17 at Adler Planetarium and will run daily through April 1, 2014.

Visit http://www.adlerplanetarium.org for more information.

Summer 2013CNCJA•59

60•CNCJASummer 2013

Music & Dance Mu si c& Da nce

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Chicago Children's Choir (Tel. 312. 849.8300, chcchoir.rg) The Power of Truth l City Winery (Tel. 312.733.9463, citywinery.com/chicago) [Folk/neo-folk=*, Jazz=**, Blended/Pop, rock or soul fusion=†, Int'l/Roots=††, Country/alternative country=*†] Jill Sobule & Julia Sweeney*† l Susan Werner's Hayseed Project* l Leo Kotkee* l l Badi Assad †† Grant Park Music Festival with Grant Park Orchestra (Tel. 312.742.7638, grantparkmusicfestival.com) Independence Eve Celebration w/Christopher Bell, cond. and Janai Brugger, soprano l Dvorák's New World Symphony w/Eugene Tzigane, cond. l l Grant Park Pops w/Jeff Tyzik, cond. l Caminos del Inka w/Miguel Harth-Bedoya, cond. l l A Rogers and Hammerstein Celebration with Grant Park Chorus Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony w/Thierry Fischer, cond.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 w/Hannu Lintu, cond.

Sibelius Violin Concerto w/Hannu Lintu, cond. and Karen Gomyo, violin Songs of Praise and Passion w/Grant Park Chorus Kalmar conducts Bruckner Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall (Tel. 847.905.1500 ext. 108, musicinst.org) Chicago Duo Piano Festival Opening Concert- Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem l North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie (Tel. 847.673.6300, northshorecenter.org) Hwajung Lee, piano l Ravinia w/The Chicago Symphony Orchestra - all concerts at Ravinia Pavilion unless otherwise indicated (Tel. 847.266.5100, ravinia.org) Matthias Goerne, baritone (Martin Theatre) l Matchbox Twenty and Goo-Goo Dolls l l Bernstein's Songfest (Martin Theatre) l Ravinia Steins Music Institute 25th Anniversary l David Byrne and St. Vincent l Sarah Chang, violin and Andrew von Oeyen, piano (Martin Theatre) l Krafts Great Kids Concert: Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players l Music of the Baroque: Handel's Israel in Egypt (Martin Theatre) l Julliard String Quartet l Chicago Symphony Orchestra w/Christoph von Dohnányi, cond. and Emanuel Ax, piano l l Krafts Great Kids Concert: Ralph's World l Anita Baker l Krafts Great Kids Concert: Tom Chapin and Friends Willie Nelson and Family Maxim Vengerov Returns to the U.S. Brooklyn Rider Schubert's "Unfinished "Symphony Sheryl Crow Chicago Symphony Orchestra w/James Ehnes, violin Linden String Quartet (Bennett Gordon Hall) Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (Rock) OneRepublic James Conlon Showcase (Martin Theatre) Songs of the Night w/The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and James Conlon, cond.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra w/Lang Lang, piano Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Mozart Magic Heart Nicole Cabel, soprano (Martin Theatre) Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Mozart in the Winds (Martin Theatre) Symphony Center Presents w/Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Tel. 312.294.3000, cso.org) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Jam and Symphony Center Present Harry Connick Jr. Woodstock Mozart Festival (Tel. 815.338.5300, woodstockoperahouse.com) Vassily Primakov, piano and Donato Cabrera, cond.

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Summer 2013CNCJAâ&#x20AC;˘61

Theater Theater

Galleries Theater

Almanac listings for permanent and ongoing exhibits may be found on pages 53, 56 & 57.

Printworks (Tel. 312.664.9407, printworkschicago.com) Audrey Niffenegger: Raven Girl Rhona Hoffman Gallery (Tel. 312.455.1990, rhoffmangallery.com) Gordon Matta-Clark Roy Boyd Gallery (Tel. 312.642.1606, royboydgallery.com) Sculpture Nudes Russell Bowman Art Advisory (Tel. 312.751.9500, bowmanart.com) Vivian Maier: Summer in the City Schneider Gallery, Inc. (Tel. 312.988.4033, schneidergallerychicago.com) Surface Tension: Various Artists Street Level Project Space: Jamie Steele: Gone to Seed

Jay Strommen: Things that are Pleasing are Repeated Bob McCauley and Kathleen Holder

Perimeter Gallery (Tel, 312.266.9473, perimetergallery.com )

Jason Lahr, Kathy Halper and Krista Hoefle) Hank Feeley, Thomas C. Jackson, Vesna Jovanovic and Dave Ford

Packer Schopf Gallery (Tel. 312.226.8984, packergallery.com)

Mary Abbott: Island Works

McCormick Gallery (Tel. 312.226.6800, thomasmccormick.com)

Marco Nereo Rotelli: Field of Light, paintings and drawings

Hilton | Asmus Contemporary (Tel. 312.475.1788, hilton-asmus.com)

Richard Hoey, landscapes

Gruen Galleries (Tel. 312.337.6262, gruengalleries.com)

Group Summer Show

Carl Hammer Gallery (Tel. 312-266-8512, hammergallery.com)

Design 1810 - 1995

ArchiTech Gallery (Tel. 312.475.1290, architechgallery.com)

Julia Katz and Joan Helleb New Works by Gallery Artists

Apollo Theater (Tel. 773.935.6100, apollochicago.org) Million Dollar Quartet Bailiwick Chicago (Tel. 773.969.6201, bailiwickchicago.com) Mahal Broadway In Chicago (Tel. 312.977.1700, broadwayinchicago.org) Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat Black Ensemble Theater (Tel.773.769.4451, blackensembletheater.org) Ain`t No Cryin` The Blues: The Howlin Wolf Story Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Tel. 312.595.5600, chicagoshakes.com) Shrek the Musical Court Theatre (Tel. 773.702.7005, courttheatre.org) The Moliere Festival: Tartuffe Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook (630.530.8300, drurylaneoakbrook.com) Boeing Boeing First Folio Theatre in Oakbrook (630.986.8067, firstfolio.org) Shakespeare's Cymbeline: A Folk Tale with Music Goodman Theatre (Tel. 312.443.3800, goodmantheatre.org) The Jungle Book Home/Land Greenhouse Theater Center (Tel. 773.404.7336, greenhousetheater.org) How to Make a Rainbow Lifeline Theatre (Tel. 773.761.4477, lifelinetheatre.com) The Three Musketeers Lookingglass Theatre (Tel. 773.477.9257, lookingglasstheatre.org) Big Lake Big City Profiles Theatre (Tel. 773.549.1815, profilestheatre.org) The Beautiful Dark Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Tel. 312.335.1650, steppenwolf.org) Belleville Slowgirl Timeline Theatre (Tel. 312.335.1650, timelinetheatre.com) Blood and Gifts Victory Gardens Theater (Tel. 773.871.3000, victorygardens.org) The Pride Mojada Writers Theatre in Glencoe (Tel. 847.242.6000, writerstheatre.org) The Liar Yellow Moon Addington Gallery (Tel. 312.649.0064, addingtongallery.com)

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62•CNCJASummer 2013

Music & Dance Mu si c& Dance

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Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Aida in Concert Tchaikovsky Spectactular Takács String Quartet Itzhak Perlman Perlman Conducts Josh Groban Gypsy Kings Emmerson String Quartet (Martin Theatre) Vladimir Feltsman (Martin Theatre) Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello (Bennett Gordon Hall) Lincoln Trio (Bennett Gordon Hall) Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers Brian Wallick, piano (Bennett Gordon Hall) Soloists from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra w/Trinity Episcopal Church Buddy Guy The Goat Rodeo Sessions - Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile Kuok-Wai Lio, piano (Bennett Gordon Hall) Improvisations by Gabriela Montero (Bennett Gordon Hall) Journey Tony Bennet Lyle Lovett and His Large Band The Nashville Songwriters Series (Bennett Gordon Hall) Chicago Kraft Great Kids Concert: Laurie Berkner The You & Me Tour Sondheim Reimagined (Bennett Gordon Hall) Joel Fan (Bennett Gordon Hall) David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion (Martin Theatre) Aaron Diehl (Bennett Gordon Hall) John Hiatt & The Combo (rock) Fumiaki Miura,violin (Bennett Gordon Hall) Natalie Cole and Ramsey Lewis Adam Golka, piano (Bennett Gordon Hall) Robert Michaels Alabama Cellomania - Amit Peled, cello Cheap Trick Woodstock Mozart Festival (Tel. 815.338.5300, woodstockoperahouse.com) Nazar Dzhuyrn, cello and Daniel Gauthier, saxophone and Igorr Gruppman, cond.

Igor Gruppman, violin and Vesna Gruppman, cond.

Steely Dan

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City Winery (Tel. 312.733.9463, citywinery.com/chicago) [Folk/neo-folk=*, Jazz=**, Blended/Pop, rock or soul fusion=†, Int'l/Roots=††, Country/alternative country=*†] Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Special guest BLT † *† l Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Special guest The Empty Pockets † *† l Bebel Gilberto †† l l Grant Park Music Festival w/Grant Park Orchestra (Tel. 312.742.7638, grantparkmusicfestival.com) The Fiddler's Child: Works of Elgar, Janá?ek and Carpenter l l Concerto for Saxophones w/Carlos Kalmar, cond. & James Carter, saxophones l Schubert's Mass in E-Flat w/Grant Park Chorus & Artists frm Lyric's Ryan Opera Center l l Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto w/Carlos Kalmar, cond. & Valentina Lisitsa, piano l Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring w/Grant Park Chorus l Ravinia w/The Chicago Symphony Orchestra - all concerts at Ravinia Pavilion unless otherwise indicated (Tel. 847.266.5100, ravinia.org)

August2013

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Summer 2013CNCJAâ&#x20AC;˘63

Theater The aters

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Printworks (Tel. 312.664.9407, printworkschicago.com) Audrey Niffenegger: Raven Girl Rhona Hoffman Gallery (Tel. 312.455.1990, rhoffmangallery.com) Gordon Matta-Clark Roy Boyd Gallery (Tel. 312.642.1606, royboydgallery.com) Nudes Russell Bowman Art Advisory (Tel. 312.751.9500, bowmanart.com) Vivian Maier: Summer in the City Schneider Gallery, Inc. (Tel. 312.988.4033, schneidergallerychicago.com) Surface Tension: Various Artists

Bob McCauley and Kathleen Holder

Perimeter Gallery (Tel, 312.266.9473, perimetergallery.com )

Hank Feeley, Thomas C. Jackson, Vesna Jovanovic and Dave Ford

Packer Schopf Gallery (Tel. 312.226.8984, packergallery.com)

Mary Abbott: Island Works

McCormick Gallery (Tel. 312.226.6800, thomasmccormick.com)

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Group Summer Show

Carl Hammer Gallery (Tel. 312-266-8512, hammergallery.com)

Design 1810 - 1995

ArchiTech Gallery (Tel. 312.475.1290, architechgallery.com)

Julia Katz and Joan Helleb New Works by Gallery Artists

Apollo Theater (Tel. 773.935.6100, apollochicago.org) Million Dollar Quartet Bailiwick Chicago (Tel. 773.969.6201, bailiwickchicago.com) Mahal Broadway In Chicago (Tel. 312.977.1700, broadwayinchicago.org) Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat Flashdance the Musical Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Tel. 312.595.5600, chicagoshakes.com) Shrek the Musical Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook (630.530.8300, drurylaneoakbrook.com) Boeing Boeing Goodman Theatre (Tel. 312.443.3800, goodmantheatre.org) The Jungle Book Greenhouse Theater Center (Tel. 773.404.7336, greenhousetheater.org) How to Make a Rainbow Lookingglass Theatre (Tel. 773.477.9257, lookingglasstheatre.org) Big Lake Big City Profiles Theatre (Tel. 773.549.1815, profilestheatre.org) The Beautiful Dark Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Tel. 312.335.1650, steppenwolf.org) Belleville Slowgirl Victory Gardens Theater (Tel. 773.871.3000, victorygardens.org) The Mojada Addington Gallery (Tel. 312.649.0064, addingtongallery.com)

August2013

Almanac listings for permanent and ongoing exhibits may be found on pages 53, 56 & 57.

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Summer 2013 Pickl List

Karyn Peterson's Exhibit Picks

Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door The Art Institute of Chicago Over the course of the past 25 years, Cuban-born American artist Abelardo Morell has become internationally renowned for works that employ the language of photography to explore visual surprise and wonder. This exhibition of over 100 works made from 1986 to the present is the first retrospective of Morell’s photographs in 15 years. Showing a range of works and series—including many newer color photographs never exhibited before—the exhibition reveals how this persistently creative artist has returned to a photographic vocabulary as a source of great inspiration. The exhibit runs June 1 through September 2, 2013. Visit artic.edu or call 312.443.3600 for more information.

exhibits

Abelardo Morell. Lightbulb, 1991. The Art Institute of Chicago, Comer Foundation Fund. © Abelardo Morell, courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York.

M EXHIBITS

BMO Harris Bank Chicago Works: Jason Lazarus The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago-based artist Jason Lazarus continues to develop his practice in new directions. Known primarily for his photographic works, Lazarus has expanded his artistic scope in recent years, conflating the role of the artist with that of collector, archivist, and curator. Above all, Lazarus is a sign-maker—sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically—whose works simultaneously direct attention inward toward the personal and outward toward the historical. The different strategies employed by Lazarus in this exhibition simultaneously assert, disrupt, and question how photographs can provide alternate ways to consider the use-value and meaning of images in an image-laden culture. Visit mcachicago.org or call 312.397.4010 for more information.

Planetary Machines Adler Planetarium The great age of planetary machines—mechanical devices to reveal the movements of bodies in the Solar System—was from about 1700 to about 1900. These fascinating devices embody our sense of cosmic wonder in table-sized machinery. Many of them are in the Adler Planetarium collection. Ranging from Grand Orreries to delicate pocket-sized models, from richly colored engravings of room-sized machinery to softly glowing mechanized lantern slides, the planetary machines featured in this exhibition will arouse wonder in children and adults alike. Visit adlerplanetarium.org or call 312.922.7827 to learn more.

Andrew Schmidt's Theater Picks

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Theater

Mojada Victory Gardens Theater From the author of last season’s critically-acclaimed Oedipus El Rey, Mojada is a breathtaking reimagining of Euripides' Medea transported to Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Medea, a young, gifted curandera (healer) in exile, is running from a past filled with betrayals. With husband Jason and her son in tow, the illegal immigrant is caught in a struggle to adapt to the modern world. Alfaro's stunning modern take on the Greek myth tackles American immigration, family, tradition, culture and the explosive moment when they all collide. Mojada runs July 12 through August 11 at Victory Gardens Theater. Visit victorygardens.org or call 773.871.3000 for more details.

Acclaimed actor and Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member William Peterson.

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Photo courtesy of Steppenwolf THeatre

Moliere Festival: The Misanthrope Court Theatre In a society where social graces reign supreme, the cynical Alceste causes a scandal when he refuses to play his part in the charade. Torn between his love for the coquettish Célimène and the pretenses he so despises, Alceste finds himself alone in a world where words are brandished like weapons and status is defined by style. Unwilling to play the hypocrite any longer, Alceste must decide his destiny. Artistic Director Charles Newell returns to his roots in the French Baroque to give this wickedly funny and deliciously droll comedy of manners new life. The Misanthrope runs at Court Theatre from May 9 through June 9. Call 773. 753.4472 or visit courttheatre.org to learn more.

Slowgirl Steppenwolf Theatre In the wake of a harrowing accident at a house party in Massachusetts, a teenager flees to her uncle's isolated retreat in the Costa Rican jungle to await, or avoid, the repercussions. As the reclusive Sterling and his impulsive niece get reacquainted over the course of a week, startling details about their pasts slowly unfold. Performed in Steppenwolf's newly reconfigured intimate Upstairs Theatre, Slowgirl is a compelling story about owning your past—and getting on with your life. Slowgirl runs July 18 through August 25. Visit steppenwolf.org or call 312.335.1650 for more information.

Fred cummings' Music Picks

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Jewel Ravinia Singer/songwriter, guitarist and poet Jewel launched her professional music career with her best-selling debut album Pieces of You which went 15 times platinum. She has received four Grammy award nominations and has sold over 27 million albums and makes her long-awaited Ravinia debut this June in an acoustic music-lover’s dream collaboration of venue and artist. Hear Jewel in concert June 16, 2013. Visit ravinia.org or call 847.266.5100 for more details.

Music

Maxim Vengerov, violinist Ravinia Violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov returns to the United States for his first Ravinia concert since 1995.

In a performance celebrating the composers’ anniversaries, Vengerov will join Ravinia’s resident conductor James Conlon in Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto. The program will also include "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes, Wagner’s "Overtures" to Rienzi and The Flying Dutchman and "Preludes" to Acts I and III from Lohengrin. The concert takes place at Ravinia’s Pavillion on July 17, 2013. Visit ravinia. org or call 847.266.5100 for more information.

Music

Muti and Andnes Symphony Center Presents with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Don’t miss Riccardo Muti take on one of Wagner's most exhilarating orchestral interludes, taken from the final opera of the Ring cycle, Götterdämmerung and celebrated pianist Leif Ove Andsnes as he tames the furies in Beethoven's poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. Muti and the CSO will conclude a breathtaking program with the work that launched the symphonic career of an ardent admirer of Wagner, Anton Bruckner. The concert takes place June 13, 14 and 15, 2013. Visit cso.org or call 312.294.3000 for more details.

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Brittany Rice's Dance Picks

Renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov. Photo courtesy of the Ravinia Festival.

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13th Annual Thodos New Dances Series Ruth Page Center for the Performing Arts Dovetailing this year's lucky 13 theme, 13 Thodos Dance Chicago ensemble members will create 10 world premieres including three collaborations for this year's festival of new work: Cara Carper and Brian Hare, John Cartwright, Caitlin Cucchiara and Diana Robertson, Annie Deutz, Ray Doñes and Jon Sloven, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Joshua Manculich, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Alissa Tollefson and Carrie Patterson.

In addition to works created from within by TDC ensemble members, each year a guest choreographer is selected from the community to create a new work for the project. This year, Ahmad Simmons, a dancer with River North Dance Chicago, is guest choreographer for New Dances. See New Dances July 19 through 21. Visit thodosdancechicago.org or call 312-266-6255 for more details.

Ensemble Español's Flamenco Passion Gala Performances North Shore Center for The Performing Arts in Skokie Chicago’s unique contribution to the elegance and passion of Spain’s dance, music and culture is showcased as never before in Ensemble Español's 37th American Spanish Dance & Music Festival. For the 13th season North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie will host the ever popular “Flamenco Passion” Gala performances, this year highlighting the 20th anniversary of Dame Libby’s International Flamenco masterwork ballet, “Bolero.” Experience the passion Wednesday, June 12 through Sunday, June 23. Visit EnsembleEspanol. org/festivals or call 773-728-6000 for more details.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Danc(e)volve: New Works Festival In its second year, danc(e)volve: New Works Festival continues Hubbard Street and the Museum of Contemporary Art’s shared commitment to advancing the art of contemporary dance. Five works premiere alongside a piece developed during Hubbard Street’s spring 2013 tour to Spain and North Africa, through the Brooklyn Academy of Music and U.S. State Department’s DanceMotion USA program. danc(e)volve choreographers include Jonathan Fredrickson (“25 to Watch,” Dance Magazine), Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition winner Robyn Mineko Williams, National Choreographic Competition winners Terence Marling and Penny Saunders, and Hubbard Street 2 member Andrew Wright. Performances are June 13, 15 and 16, 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Visit mcachicago.org or call 312.397.4010 for more information.

Above: Caitlin Cucchiara in John Cartwright's "Two Too." Photo courtesy of Thodos Dance Chicago.

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Editor's Picks

Summer 2013 Pick List

Theat

Henry VIII Chicago Shakespeare Theater Now, 400 years after premiering at Shakespeare’s Globe in 1613, Henry VIII makes its Chicago premiere in the uniquely personal setting of CST’s Courtyard Theater under the masterful hand of Barbara Gaines. Audiences are thrust into the political machinations and exploits of England’s most opulent king—notorious for his habit of wedding and beheading—as Anne Boleyn rises to power and Queen Katherine is ousted from her throne. Henry VII runs at Shakespeare Theater through June 16, 2012. Visit chicagoshakes.com or call 312.595.5600 for more details.

music

The Jungle Book Goodman Theatre From the imagination of Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, a dazzling new adaptation of a timeless favorite will emerge at Goodman Theatre this summer. The jungle will spring to life in a music-filled spectacle that chronicles young Mowgli’s adventures growing up in the animal kingdom. Based both on Rudyard Kipling’s time-honored children’s tales and the classic Disney film—and with a score featuring the movie’s best-loved songs and delightful new additions—this spectacular world premiere will enchant audiences of all ages. The Jungle Book runs at Goodman Theatre June 21 through August 3, 2013. Visit goodmantheatre.org or call 312.443.3800 for more information.

Susan Werner City Winery Chicago-based songwriter, vocalist and multi instrumental folk artist Susan Werner is renowned as a performer of humor and intelligence. The daughter of Iowa farmers, Werner will perform an all-new repertoire of funny, tender, sweet and outrageous songs that celebrate the language, livelihood, characters and concerns of American farmers, the fruits of her Hayseed Project. Werner brings the distinctive poignant sounds of her CD of the same name to City Winery audiences for an invigorating evening of summer of sublime music. Hear Werner in concert July 5, 2013. Visit citywinery.com/Chicago or call 312.733.WINE for more details.

Publisher's Picks

Exhibit

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Fire In My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh The Illinois Holocaust Museum Hannah Senesh came of age as a promising poet in Budapest. Becoming a Zionist, she immigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1939. Four years later—hoping to aid Hungary’s embattled Jews—the 22-year-old volunteered to penetrate Nazi-controlled Europe as a British intelligence officer. Later captured, imprisoned, and found guilty of treason by a Hungarian court, she was executed. Within months of her death, Hannah Senesh was a national hero to the Jewish community in Palestine. Through her writings, photographs, remaining possessions, and interviews by friends and colleagues, her remarkable life is revealed here for the first time, illustrating how a person motivated by ideals can act in extraordinary ways and contribute to causes greater than one’s self. The compelling exhibition runs through September 8, 2013. Visit ilholocaustmuseum.org or call 847.967.4800 for more details.

Natalie Cole and Ramsey Lewis Ravinia Nine-time Grammy Award-winner Natalie Cole will return to Ravinia this summer on a double bill with jazz legend Ramsey Lewis in a performance that also includes alumni from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz.

Known for numerous hit singles including “This Will Be (an Everlasting Love),” “Pink Cadillac” and the chart-topping duet with her late father Nat King Cole on “Unforgettable,” Cole will bring her classic elegance and inimitable style to a wide array of songs from familiar standards to intriguing lesser known treasures that will ultimately leave audiences breathless. The performance takes place August 28, 2013. Visit ravinia.org or call 847.266.5100 for more details.

Above: Queen Katherine of Aragon (Ora Jones) pleads her case to King Henry VIII (Gergory Wooddell) as Cardinal Wolsey (Scott Jaeck, left), Cardinal Campeius (David Darlow), and the royal court look on in Shakespeare Theater's Henry VIII, playing this summer at Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier (photo by Liz Lauren); Left: Grammy-award winning singer Natalie Cole (photo courtesy of the Ravinia Festival.

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DON’T MISS AN UNFORGETTABLE 10TH SEASON AT THE HARRIS

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER MICHAEL HILL SERIES Photo by Tristan Cook

Special Pricing Only Available Through July

BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS

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A PRICING: $120 $60

B PRICING: $100 $50

C PRICING: $65 $35

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013 AT 7:30PM

Celebrate the holidays with Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Called a “New York holiday staple” by The New York Times, this performance is not to be missed. This festive concert features 20 musicians, including Joseph Lin, member of the acclaimed Juilliard String Quartet and winner of the First Prize at the inaugural Michael Hill World Violin Competition in New Zealand.

Pedja Muzijevic, Harpsichord Jorja Fleezanis, Violin Joseph Lin, Violin Alexander Sitkovetsky, Violin Daniel Phillips, Violin/Viola Paul Neubauer, Viola Cynthia Phelps, Viola

Daniel Mcdonough, Cello Li-Wei Qin, Cello Fred Sherry, Cello Kurt Muroki, Double Bass Tara Helen O’connor, Flute Ransom Wilson, Flute Randall Ellis, Oboe

FRENCH REVELATIONS

James Austin Smith, Oboe Stephen Taylor, Oboe Peter Kolkay, Bassoon Julia Pilant, Horn Stewart Rose, Horn David Washburn, Trumpet

Bach Bach Bach Bach Bach Bach

Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 (1720) Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 (1720) Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (1720) Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046 (1720) Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, BWV 1051 (1720) Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049 (1720)

TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2014 AT 7:30 PM

Take a trip to France with a dazzling program filled with French music, characterized as “faire plaisir” (“giving pleasure”). Truly, this is a special collection of French music from the 20th century.

Anne-Marie McDermott, Piano Kristin Lee, Violin Paul Neubauer, Viola Nicholas Canellakis, Cello Sooyun Kim, Flute Bridget Kibbey, Harp

DAVID FINCKEL AND WU HAN: CELLO SONATAS This concert brings together the esteemed and influential Co-Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel for a stunning evening of works considered to be milestones of the cello repertoire. Don’t miss this pair who have been praised for the boldness, imagination, and collaborative intimacy of their performances, as well as the vision and energy they bring to their work as chamber music ambassadors.

David Finckel, Cello Wu Han, Piano

Ravel Debussy Roussel Françaix Debussy Jongen Tournier

Jeux d’eau for Piano (1901) Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1915) Serenade for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Harp, Op. 30 (1925) Quintet No. 1 for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Harp (1934) Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915) Deux pièces en trio for Flute, Cello, and Harp, Op. 80 (1925) Suite for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Harp, Op. 34 (1928)

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014 AT 7:30PM Beethoven Beethoven Beethoven Beethoven Beethoven

Sonata in F major for Cello and Piano, Op. 5, No. 1 (1796) Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 5, No. 2 (1796) Sonata in A major for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 (1807-08) Sonata in C major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 1 (1815) Sonata in D major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 2 (1815)

CALL 312.334.7777 VISIT HarrisTheaterChicago.org Presenting Sponsor

Summer 2013CNCJA•67

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