Ravinia 2023 Issue 2

MARC MONAGHAN (AYODELE) ADRIAN DUNN SINGERS The Adrian Dunn Singers are a professional vocal ensemble whose members have trained at some of the top conservatories and uni- versities across the country. The group was founded by Adrian L. Dunn to reestablish the narrative that Black Americans are the au- thors of American music and with a vision of offering Black communities world-class mu- sic programming that reflect their experienc- es. Alongside performances at The National Cathedral, the National Convention of Gos- pel Choirs and Choruses, and Payne Theo- logical Seminary, plus several national tours, the Adrian Dunn Singers have recorded four albums: Emancipation , Redemption , The Black Messiah , and Revelations . Recently the ensemble performed Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed at with the Chi- cago Sinfonietta and were featured in the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Prayer” exhibit, and last summer joined the Chicago Philharmon- ic to perform Dunn’s Redemption . Last year the Adrian Dunn Singers guested with the South Side Symphony of Los Angeles during a West Coast tour, performed Mozart’s Re- quiem with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and premiered Dunn’s Emancipation at the Harris Theater. The group also sang on the soundtrack for the 2022 Sundance Festival film Honk for Jesus starring Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall. The Adrian Dunn Singers made their Ravinia debut last summer. Adrian Dunn, director AYODELE DRUM & DANCE In 2007, seven African dancers came together to learn the art of the drum to enhance and improve their dancing—led by Tosha Ayo Alston, the seed of Ayodele Drum & Dance was planted. Ayodele, a Yoruba wordmeaning “joy in the home,” is now a diverse sister-cir- cle of more than 20 artists. Whether teaching children, spreading healing energy through the community with performances and class- es, or studying with female Samba Masters in Brazil or Master Djembe and Dununfolas of West Africa, Ayodele Drum& Dance remains an unending circle firmly rooted in joy. Ayo- dele is supported as a Chicago Park District Arts Partner in Residence at Sherman Park, Associate of the Community Programs Ac- celerator of University of Chicago Office of Community Engagement, Community Arts Partner of the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, and inaugural cohort member of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project. As Executive Artistic Director, compos- er, and choreographer of Ayodele Drum & Dance, T. Ayo Alston teaches and practices a signature theatrical style of West African cul- ture that captures the strength and power of women and community. Throughout her ca- reer, Alston has taught, choreographed, and performed at schools and universities nation- ally, as well as in African and Brazilian coun- tries, both as an independent artist and as a member of Dance Africa, Drum Cafe West, Le Bagatae Company of Guinea, Les Ballets Africans, and Muntu Dance Theatre, among other companies. Over the last two years, Alston has focused on composing music on African instruments such as the kalimba, which led her to roles acting and composing for Mies Julie at Victory Gardens Theater and The Lion King Jr. at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. A 2020–22 University of Michigan– Ann Arbor Daring Dances Artist-in-Resi- dence, she serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago, is on the dance faculty at Chicago High School of the Arts, and developed programs at Jones College Prep and Walter Payton College Prep. T. Ayo Alston Victoria Boateng Ojumire Charleston Imania Detry Shauntell Grimes Joyce Lindsay Belinda Moton Hayah Folsade Rasul Tamika Romayne Karen Shifflett JIM GAILLORETO TRIO Jim Gailloreto is an accomplished jazz sax- ophonist and composer with performance credits including the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago as well as with numer- ous jazz vocal artists, such as Patricia Barber, Paul Marinaro, Dee Alexander, and Kurt El- ling. A Chicagoan, Gailloreto discovered his passion for jazz, classical music, and impro- visation at an early age, going on to complete a bachelor’s degree in music composition at DePaul University and a master’s degree in music composition from Northwestern Uni- versity. This multifaceted passion for music led Gailloreto to create his group Jazz String Quintet—string quartet and soprano saxo- phone—and through this pursuit, he became a recipient of the New Works: Creation & Presentation Program Grant from Chamber Music America. Additionally, his string quar- tet arrangements can be heard on Elling’s first Grammy-winning album, Dedicated to You , a tribute to Coltrane and Hartman. Gailloreto’s composition The Pythiad (featuring vocalist Cheryl Wilson) was performed at prominent Chicago jazz clubs and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Gailloreto is a professor of jazz saxophone studies and composition at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roo- sevelt University, where he has seen many of his students develop successful careers in mu- sic as composers, arrangers, and jazz artists. He is also the artistic director of the nonprof- it Jazz Artists Resource, which supports the preservation and development of jazz music. Though this organization, Gailloreto leads the Metropolitan Jazz Octet, a group that has produced three albums: The Road to Your Place , It’s Too Hot For Words (on Delmark) and The Bowie Project (on Origin Records). His album The Insider (on Wide Sound) in- troduced the track “Andante,” a reimagining of the second movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, inspired and requested by his wife (and cellist) Jill Kaeding. Jim Gailloreto is making his Ravinia debut. Jim Gailloreto, tenor saxophone Mike Allemana, guitar Christian Dillingham, bass SENN ARTS VOCAL ENSEMBLE The Senn Arts Advanced Vocal Ensemble specializes in helping young Chicago artists find their individual voices while collective- ly taking their next steps of musicianship. Through annual partnerships with Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Chapter of the Record- ing Academy, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Music of the Baroque, and ArtSmart, Senn vocalists have the opportunities to receive free vocal lessons, multiple master classes, and pre- miere performance opportunities each year. Their repertoire has included several world premieres and original pieces across gospel, classical, baroque, rock, opera, pop, R&B, and more genres through performances at the Lyric Opera House, Symphony Center, Millennium Park, Ravinia Festival, the Harris Theater, and Wrigley Field. Trevor Nicholas is a music educator at Senn High School who works with Chicago students and professional musicians to create works of art that respond to real world events and ex- periences, finding joy in seeing his students realize that their artistry can change and uplift the world around them. He has partnered with arts organizations to bring over $400,000 in grants, donations, and free music lessons to his students, and he has helped steer over $14 mil- lion in arts grants to creative classrooms across Chicago through the Creative Schools Fund. Nicholas has been honored twice as a Teacher of Excellence by the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education for his lasting impact on music education through the internationally recognized trauma-responsive projects “Who Will Carry Me?” and “The Cave,” viewable on Senn’s YouTube channel. He was a finalist in both 2022 and 2023 for the Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award—achievements shared by his students who contributed im- mensely through their artistry. Heather Aranyi Spencer Bagley Caroline Bailey Paxton Deahl Abigail Dony Aoife Eckdahl Elidia Flores Gabriel Gabor Jo Gonda Clover Jeffris Dee Jones Violet LaBash Lycan Le Mié Mendoza Trevor Nicholas Abby Rades Chimin Sterling Alexa Tang Ruth Te Olivia Winkin Nicole Woolf RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 3 – JULY 16, 2023 36