Preview: Celebrate the Solstice With Make Music Chicago
On the day the north pole is pointing most directly toward the sun, Make Music Chicago will be hosting free music events throughout Chicago and surrounding areas. Of course, that […]
A lover of music his whole life, Louis Harris has written extensively from the early days of punk and alternative rock. More recently he has focused on classical music, especially chamber ensembles. He has reviewed concerts, festivals, and recordings and has interviewed composers and performers. He has paid special attention to Chicago’s rich and robust contemporary art music scene. He occasionally writes poetry and has a published novel to his credit, 32 Variations on a Theme by Basil II in the Key of Washington, DC. He now lives on the north side of Chicago, which he considers to be the greatest city in the country, if not the world. Member of the Music Critics Association of North America.
Review: Emerson Quartet Plays a Fine Farewell
It was with bittersweet emotions that I attended the Emerson String Quartet’s performance with Emanuel Ax at Symphony Center on Sunday. The Emersons have performed together since 1976, and the […]
Review: Pianist Seong-Jin Cho Dazzles at Symphony Center
In a dazzling display of youthful energy and vigor, Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho delivered a masterful, note-perfect recital before a nearly sold out crowd at Symphony Center on Sunday. He […]
Review: Grossman Ensemble Closes the Season in a Lively Way
The Grossman Ensemble gave a lively and enjoyable performance at Hyde Park’s Logan Center Performance Hall on Friday evening. It is the resident group at the Chicago Center for Contemporary […]
Review: Sergei Babayan Is Amazing in Close of Bach Week Festival
The 50th annual Bach Week Festival ended Sunday night with another amazing performance by Armenia-born pianist Sergei Babayan at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston. Last year, Babayan played a delightful […]
Review: Picosa Offers Quintets of Strings and Air
With the addition of a violinist and violist, members of the Picosa ensemble presented Strings and Air, an evening of flute and clarinet quintets at DePaul’s Allen Auditorium on Tuesday […]
Review: Music of the Baroque Ends Season with Circle of Friends
It’s rare that I go out of my way to hear a particular piece of music, but that’s what I did Monday night when Music of the Baroque played their […]
Preview: Bach Week Festival’s 50th Season Starts on Friday
Chicago’s Bach Week Festival kicks off its golden jubilee 50th season this Friday with a series of subscription and free concerts spread over three weeks in Evanston and north Chicago. […]
Preview: MusicNOW Ends the Season With Rachel Barton Pine and Jessie Montgomery Premiering Montgomery’s Musings for Two Violins
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music program MusicNOW will be ending its season this Monday evening with In Context, a program that includes new works by the CSO Mead Composer-In-Residence […]
Review: Music Now’s Inspiring Voices Has a Contemporary Beat
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Music Now hosted Inspiring Voices, an enjoyable evening of contemporary chamber music at Symphony Center on Monday night. On the program were five works by three […]
Review: Dover Quartet Delivers Loveliness at Galvin Hall
The Dover Quartet gave a lovely concert at Galvin Hall in Evanston on Wednesday night. It was homecoming in a sense, as they are the quartet-in-residence of Northwestern University’s Bienen […]
Review: CSO Celebrates Rachmaninoff With Conductor Lahav Shani and Pianist Beatrice Rana Making Debuts
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra kicked off its weekend celebration of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday in a fantastic fashion at Symphony Center on Thursday night. In his CSO conducting debut, Lahav […]