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Feature Tue Jun 04 2013
Pulling Strings: For classical music in Chicago, you got a guy - June 2013
By Elliot Mandel
I love a grand concert hall — and Chicago has some good ones — but this month, the classical scene offers some alternative ways to experience the music from a different perspective: Tchaikovsky under the stars, intimate chamber music in the early evening, and contemporary music across from the City of Chicago Fleet Management Facility. Even if the weather never warms up, it will be a great summer.
Rush Hour Concerts - Summer Concert Series
On Tuesday, June 4, Rush Hour Concerts opens its fourteenth season presenting free, weekly chamber music in the beautiful St. James Cathedral. Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist Brant Taylor joins pianist Kuang-Hao Huang in Rachmaninoff's sensuous Sonata for Cello and Piano. Other June highlights include a world premiere for organ and trumpet on June 11, lots of Bach on June 18, and the Brahms Piano Trio in B Major on June 25. The best part: it's all free. The other best part: most concerts are only 30 minutes. Refreshments at 5:15pm, concert at 5:45pm. Tuesdays, June 4 - August 27. Admission is free. St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron.
Watch Lynn Harrell and Victor Asuncion perform the third movement of Rachmaninoff's Sonata for Cello and Piano:
Grant Park Music Festival
Looking for great symphonic and choral music this summer? Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra kick off the summer on Wednesday, June 12 with Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. The Festival continues with Pink Martini on June 19, and Britten's War Requiem on June 28 and 29. Bring a picnic and a bunch of friends and set up on the Great Lawn of the Pritzker Pavilion. If you can't make it to a performance, the GPMF offers chances to observe the orchestra in rehearsal throughout the summer. Admission is free. June through August, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park.
The single-day music festival returns for a third daylong musical jam on June 21. Open to all genres, Make Music Chicago features plenty of classical performances throughout the city. If you're a musician, there are several opportunities to participate: bring your instrument to Daley Plaza and join the Rise and Shine Orchestra, the Broadway and Opera Sing-along, or Sousapalooza. In the evening, head to St. James Cathedral for a Grand Finale featuring Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, Fifth House Ensemble, Quintet Attacca, Spektral Quartet, and singers from the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. The outdoor Street Party continues into the night with a Harmonica Blowout led by Joe Filisko. The entire day is free for everyone — find some music and dance/sing/play along. Friday, June 21, all day. Grand Finale: 5pm - 9pm, St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron.
Spektral Quartet: Sampler Pack
Hear new works by Alex Temple, Francisco Castillo Trigueros, Stephen Gorbos, and Lee Hyla. Don't know them? The Spektral Quartet's popular Sampler Pack series is a great way to find out. Head to The Hideout, grab a cheap beer, and watch one of Chicago's top chamber ensembles give you a taste of the wide world of contemporary quartet music. June 29, 9pm. The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia.
Programs, artists, and prices subject to change. Tickets subject to availability.
About the author: Elliot Mandel plays cello, attends lots of concerts, writes reviews, and takes pictures.
