Christmas Was a Blooming Rose at Two Classical Brass Concerts
The holiday concerts presented by Music of the Baroque and Chicago Philharmonic had a few things in common. Both performances were a pleasure to attend. They both featured brass […]
Bob Benenson is publisher/writer/photographer of Local Food Forum, a new newsletter that covers the broad sweep of the Chicago region’s food community. He is a longtime advocate for a better, healthier, more sustainable food system and is an avid home cook who gets most of his delicious ingredients from local farmers.
Wrestling a Weaponized Squash into Multiple Meals
This is the season of miracles. So let’s call this the Miracle of the Humongous Squash. You may be a subscriber of Imperfect Foods. If not, you may by now […]
Review: Chicago Philharmonic and Marcus Roberts Gift-Wrap Gershwin
My wife is off the hook this holiday season. The Chicago Philharmonic’s presentation of George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, featuring great jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio, is all the […]
Review: Mercury Theater’s Nat King Cole Christmas Concert a Smooth Ride Down Memory Lane
An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas is the charming tribute concert playing through Sunday, December 15, at the Mercury’s Venus Cabaret Theater in Lakeview. It stars Evan Tyrone Martin as […]
World of Chocolate Fundraiser: Maximum Indulgence for a Great Cause – World AIDS Day
If you have ever fantasized about being the title protagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then the World of Chocolate fundraiser presented by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago on December 5 […]
Creativity Examined: How Hubbard Street Dance Constructs a Dynamic Program
Hubbard Street Dance, Chicago’s world-renowned contemporary dance company, opened its 2019-20 season on November 7 at the Harris Theater. It was the first of three performances of a program, titled […]
Music of the Baroque Served Bach With Italian Seasoning, Peppered With Virtuoso Standouts
Music of the Baroque delivered an appropriately tasty concert to kick off Thanksgiving week. The November 25 performance at the Harris Theater had the self-explanatory title of Bach and the […]
The Lyric’s Don Giovanni Turns the Table on Opera’s Most Infamous Sex Abuser
It may seem odd that Don Giovanni, the opera premiered by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787, has taken on new social relevance more than 230 years later. But the recently […]
Review: Music of the Baroque: No Animals—Or Music—Harmed in The Chase
The five pieces in Music of the Baroque’s latest concert, titled The Chase, highlighted the rise of hunting as an organized sport for the European upper class in the 18th century, […]
Symphony Center Tribute to Apollo 11 Was Teleporting
Usually, when I go to a concert, nothing can distract from the delight of live music. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s multi-media performance on October 14 at Symphony Center — […]
Review: Chicago Philharmonic, From Trombone to Tchaikovsky
I will never look at the trombone the same way again. The Chicago Philharmonic may be the newer and smaller-scale cousin to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but its […]
Eating Seasonally in Chicago: Now Playing, Squash
Early October is a time of transitions. The leaves on the trees were as deep green as mid-summer as I set out on my Saturday walk to Green City Market […]