Review: Grossman Ensemble Ends the Season Memorably
The Grossman Ensemble ended their 2023/2024 season in a memorable way at Logan Center for Performing Arts in Hyde Park on Friday night. Under the direction of conductor Jeffery Meyer, […]
Review: Third Coast Percussion and Jessie Montgomery Give a Moving Performance
Third Coast Percussion gave another wonderful performance at DePaul’s Gannon Auditorium on Friday night. The program included several works that have appeared on recent TCP releases. Highlights, however, were provided […]
Feature: Chicago Humanities Festival Elevates Black Chamber Music and Black Ballerinas
Paging Ava DuVernay—the Chicago Humanities Festival has two future film ideas for you. On Saturday, April 27, the vibrant cultural series presented two Lincoln Park events to highlight Black excellence […]
Review: Stewart Goodyear Inspires Euphoria From the Piano
While driving in central Wisconsin one winter night several years ago, I tuned in to Symphony Hall, the classical radio station on Sirius/XM and was blown away by an incredible […]
Review: Pianist Yefim Bronfman Is Riveting at Symphony Center
Yefim Bronfman gave an exhilarating piano recital at Symphony Center on Sunday afternoon. In doing so, he demonstrated possession of everything a concert pianist needs to keep an audience riveted. […]
Review: Batman 1989 With the Chicago Philharmonic: Zap! Pow! Zonk!
My first experience with Batman was on television in 1966. The show blended live action with cartoonish settings and hammy acting. It never occurred to me as a 6-year-old that […]
Review: Maria João Pires Entertains With Mozart and Debussy
Maria João Pires gave an enjoyable performance at Northwestern’s Galvin Recital Hall in Evanston on Friday evening. Having listened to several of her recordings over the years and watched her […]
Review: Orion Ensemble and Stephen Boe Offer Something French
The Orion Ensemble gave the first of three concerts entitled Parlez-vous français? at the New England Congregational Church in Aurora on Sunday afternoon. As the title suggests the program consisted […]
Review: Mitsuko Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Are Underwhelming at Symphony Center
Leading the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at Symphony Center on Tuesday evening, Mitsuko Uchida gave an underwhelming performance of two piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She first recorded this music […]
Review: A Thrilling Concert of Mozart’s Requiem and Thamos, King of Egypt at the Lyric
Requiem is one of the most recognizable works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is a majestic composition, commissioned by a patron unknown to Mozart. It is also the last work […]
Review: Composer Amy Wurtz Celebrates Women’s History Month on Stage and on Video
In celebration of Women’s History Month, composer Amy Wurtz gave an inspiring piano recital of music by Chicago-based women composers at Harold Washington Library on Wednesday afternoon. She is also […]
Review: Bernard Rands Celebrates 90 at Guarneri Hall
In sold-out concerts on Friday and Saturday, Guarneri Hall was the scene of a 90th birthday celebration for Bernard Rands, a Pulitzer Prize winning composer. Originally from Britain, Rands has […]