Chicago Philharmonic 2018-2019 Spring

2 2018-2019 SEASON | THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY WELCOME Dear Friends of the Philharmonic, Welcome to “Heroes and Legends” our 29 th season! We open our season this November with what may be our most ambitious project yet, the Chicago Philharmonic Festival: Poland 2018 . This project has been a long time in the making for the organization. Back in 2016 we applied for and received a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation from their International Connections Fund towards this project. After a successful tour and exchange to Poland in April 2018, we have now brought together some of the best musicians from Poland to perform in two symphonic performances Celebrate Polonia and the Concert for Peace , as well as a series of unique chamber concerts. We look forward to making the Chicago Philharmonic Festival a frequent event and shining a light on the many prominent communities that make up this wonderful city. In Spring we return back to the North Shore for three exciting concerts. In March, Cuban pianist Aldo López-Gavilán joins us in a journey back in time to The Roaring Twenties for jazz-inspired concertos from Gershwin and Ravel, and the legendary characters Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera and Jay Gatsby in Remembering Gatsby . Also in March we collaborate with composer and conductor Tom Nazziola to present three hilarious silent short films starring the silent-era superstar Buster Keaton and the famous animated feline Felix the Cat while the ensemble performs the original score live on stage in Silent Sherlock . And in April, Chicago Philharmonic’s own Robert Everson takes center stage for a timpani concerto guaranteed to “Raise the Roof” in Defying Destiny , a concert that features music inspired by great heroes of literature including Scheherazade and Romeo and Juliet . To cap off the season in May, the superhuman performers of Cirque de la Symphonie join the virtuoso musicians live on the Harris Theater stage. Chicago Philharmonic is honored to be able to continue and grow our high level collaborations with renowned organizations. Recently, we have performed for Joshua Bell, Miloš Karadaglić and Roger Daltrey at Ravinia, supported Joffrey Ballet, Disney in Concert and American Ballet Theater at Auditorium Theater, and 4U: A Tribute to Prince at Chicago Theater. We look forward to also playing with English National Ballet and Miami City Ballet at Harris Theater, returning to Symphony Center for Salute to Vienna and many more engagements still to be announced. Just as important, in 2018-2019 we will continue to expand our outreach works. We have already presented four summer performances and our first fall concert of the extremely popular Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic program, and are excited to present a holiday Side by Side in December for the second year. Through Families to the Phil and Chi Phil AMP, we are also able to give more school-aged students from underserved communities the opportunity to experience the power and beauty of great music in person. You, our patrons, supporters, donors, and sponsors, deserve our heartfelt gratitude. Your connection and engagement with us helps us to continue to provide unique music and artistic experiences to an ever-wider audience. As we head towards our exciting 30th season next season, we hope to continue to entertain and inspire you. We look forward to seeing you throughout the year. Sincerely, Thomas J. Manning, Chairman Dear Friends, Welcome, from Artistic Director Scott Speck As we enter the 2018-2019 season, I want to share with you why we musicians do what we do. We do it for those moments of supercharged elation that only music can provide. You know the feeling. It’s like standing astride the highest mountaintop, with a sheer drop on all sides, wind in your hair, overlooking the most astounding landscape. The Chicago Philharmonic’s epic 2018-2019 season, Heroes and Legends , is bursting with moments like that. The rocket-like beginning of Szymanowski’s Concert Overture. The climax of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet . The opening clarinet glissando of Rhapsody in Blue . The ravishing violin solos in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade . The soaring second movement of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The final thrilling bars of Chopin’s Grande polonaise brillante . These are moments when time and space disappear, when everything is distilled into the instant of music-making, and we are all connected as one. Our musicians live for those moments, and we love to bring them to you. We know that live music, played at the highest level, can stir a human soul like almost nothing else on earth. We are especially excited to present Chicago Philharmonic Festival: Poland 2018 , an international partnership two years in the making. Across five concerts, we aim to introduce you to the greatest Polish music of yesterday and today. Among the magnificent guest artists we’ve invited this season are the Polish pianist Łukasz Krupiński; the virtuoso acrobats of Cirque de la Symphonie, and a Philharmonic Principal Timpanist, Robert Everson. These artists join with the unsurpassed exuberance of our own musicians to create life-changing moments for you. We are grateful to you for joining in the thrill of the Chicago Philharmonic’s 2018-2019 season. Enjoy the concert! Scott Speck, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Photo by Elliot Mandel