In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors...
Read More
Hear chamber works of great narrative intensity—Weinberg’s Quartet no. 7 and Janácek’s Quartet no. 2 (“Intimate Letters”)—complemented by vivid imagery from our galleries.
Plane/Taléa is a new, immersive sound work stemming from Alessandro Bosetti’s interest in vocal and polyphonic music, in which thousands of voice fragments are abstracted through an imaginary choir. Plane/Taléaexpands and exposes a single voice within a granular polyphony. Small details and tonal inflections combine in a textured chorus to suggest an abstract conversation within an impossible community. Founded in 1997, Lampo promotes and supports artists working...
Read More
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work, and heed...
Read More
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work, and heed...
Read More
Michael J. Miles, one of the world’s most inventive banjo players, presents a world premiere of a four-movement composition for banjo, chamber orchestra, and jazz choir, featuring lines from Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Open Road.” With the help of an ensemble of students and musicians, Miles celebrates Whitman with music that calls to American roots, mixing the banjo, jazz scat singing, the elegance of chamber...
Read More
Known for his energetic strumming on the ukulele, Jake’s performance incorporates elements of thoughtful, sophisticated arrangements to spontaneous, improvised passages. In addition to his original compositions, his repertoire includes Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Schubert’s Ave Maria and Cohen’s Hallelujah. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jake’s life has always centered on the ukulele. Jake has collaborated with an array of artists that include Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy...
Read More
SONS are as good as it gets when it comes to skewing the notion of 3-part harmony within original, whimsical songs that spring from both a folk tradition and some other melodic planet you might never have visited. A trio made up of Sue Demel, Deborah Lader and Bruce Roper, these three kind of mixed-up adults of perfect parentage are just crazy enough to think...
Read More
Manny will be starting the night off with a meet & greet around 8:00 p.m. Come early, grab a drink, and hang out with him and the other featured artists before the show! Opening with a songwriters round, Manny will be joined by two other local Chicago artists on stage. Together, they will play a set of original, never-before-heard songs. To close out the evening, Manny, accompanied by...
Read More
Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe. In 2011...
Read More