Auditorium Theatre 2019-20 Issue 1 Get Out

2 | GET OUT WITH CHICAGO SINFONIETTA | SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 ABOUT GET OUT , MICHAEL ABELS, AND CHICAGO SINFONIETTA About Get Out About Michael Abels About Chicago Sinfonietta Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking Get Out is equal parts gripping thriller and provocative social commentary. When Chris, a young African American man, visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in the more sinister, real reason for the invitation. At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. Get Out was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won for Best Original Screenplay. Now in its 32 nd year, Chicago Sinfonietta has pushed artistic boundaries to provide an alternative way of hearing, seeing, and thinking about a symphony orchestra and is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, racial, and cultural equity in the arts. Each concert experience blends inventive new works with classical masterworks, each from a diverse array of voices, to entertain, transform and inspire. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta was the proud recipient of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). This award recognizes exceptional organizations that are key contributors in their fields. The orchestra was founded by Maestro Paul Freeman to address disconnect between the utter lack of diversity in orchestras and the vibrant, nuanced communities for which they play. The Sinfonietta has made it their mission to represent the city of Chicago, reflecting that vibrancy on stage and in their programming, making classical music accessible for anyone. In everything they do, Chicago Sinfonietta are inspired by its late founder Paul Freeman (1936-2015). The orchestra’s 32 years have been highlighted by six European tours, two Kennedy Center performances, two Millennium Park concerts attended by over 19,000 people, and 16 recordings, including Project W , which was released in March 2019. Michael Abels is an African American composer known for his orchestra works Global Warming, Delights & Dances , and Urban Legend , and choral pieces such as Be the Change and Limitless . With a “keen ear for musical color and a deft ability to adapt structural elements from popu- lar music into the symphonic idiom” (Houston Chronicle), Abels has gained widespread recognition for his orchestral music. Global Warming and Delights & Dances have both been recorded by Chicago Sinfonietta for the Cedille label. Best known for combining classical music with African American jazz, blues, bluegrass, and ethnic genres, Abels was asked by writer/director Jordan Peele to compose the music for Get Out . He also scored Peele’s 2019 film Us and the Spike Lee-produced science fiction film See You Yesterday . Born in Phoenix, AZ, Abels attended the University of Southern California, studying with James Hopkins and Robert Linn. Later, he studied West African music with Alfred Ladzekpo at the California Institute for the Arts. He currently serves as Director of Music for New Roads School in Santa Monica, CA. Abels is a past recipient of grants and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, LA Opera, and many orchestras throughout the country. In his concert career he has worked with James Earl Jones, Doc Severinsen, and a diverse group of other musical artists. Abels also wrote the score for Fantasea at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.