Before I even stepped onto the Ravinia Festival grounds, everyone around the area felt the energy that would be filling up the Pavilion stage Friday night. “Who’s playing tonight?” a […]
In a day-long festival of new music, Grammy Award winner Third Coast Percussion celebrated 20 years of making magical music in Chicago. In hosting Rhythm Fest, this percussion quartet of […]
I grew up with the sounds of the O’Jays’ “Love Train” with its soulful groove. Along with them, Al Green was another joy in my musical repertoire; his lyrics fascinated […]
“Oh, the joy to being bathed in beautiful music,” I wrote while listening to Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major in the Martin Theatre at Ravinia on Wednesday. At many […]
With the summer solstice just hours away, Giancarlo Guerrero led the Grant Park Orchestra through a program of contemporary music with a Latin American flavor and a Viennese masterpiece at […]
You don’t think of the blues as a music style that incites euphoria, but in the right hands that outcome is practically guaranteed. It was certainly true over the weekend during […]
Liz Callaway came home last night to deliver a love letter. Not a private note, but a public tribute on the Studebaker Theater stage, where she sang the works of […]
Curtain opens, introduction of film through personal anecdoteI was one of those lucky enough to start following Pavement early in their career due to a college girlfriend with better musical […]
Angela Hewitt gave a riveting performance of one of the most intense pieces of music ever written for keyboard. At Ravinia’s Martin Theater on Wednesday evening, she was playing a […]
The much anticipated summertime vibes in the windy city are slowly but surely gaining traction. Especially as the Salt Shed has already hosted some fantastic shows at their outdoor Fairgrounds […]
I think iconic is the only word that even comes close to describing this past Saturday night at Ravinia. Everything about the evening built upon itself beautifully from the gorgeous […]
Day four of the Chicago Blues Festival ended on a high note despite a rain delay and a highly anticipated act being cut. The reality is that Mavis Staples was […]