Chicago Sinfonietta Concert Digital Guides: Dig deeper. Experience More.
The Sinfonietta experience goes far beyond the notes on the page. Our digital guides are microsites that offer insights into the artists, composers, and audience engagement activities that make up each Chicago Sinfonietta concert. Learn more about the unique connections our programming makes between composers, pieces of music, contemporary artists, themes and more!
2019/20 Season
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Forces + Fates
COMPOSERS: Mendelssohn, Smith, Isaac, Arroyo, Assad, Walker, Beethoven
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
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Love + Light
COMPOSERS: Beethoven, Stravinsky, Subramaniam
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST CONDUCTOR:
Sameer Patel
GUEST ARTISTS:
Dr. L. Subramaniam, violin
Mandala Arts, dance ensemble
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MLK Tribute Concert
COMPOSERS: Griffin, Gruselle, Thompson, Legend, Mahler
GUEST CONDUCTORS:
Jonathan Rush
Kedrick Armstrong
GUEST ARTISTS:
Kymberli Joye
The Adrian Dunn Singers
North Central College Concert Choir
Roosevelt University Conservatory Chorus
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Sight + Sound
COMPOSERS: Schoenberg, Bryan, Mussorgsky
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
Jennifer Koh, violin
2018/19 Season
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ID: Images of Diversity
COMPOSERS: Verdi, Copland, Marquez, Johnson, Boyer
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Steep Theatre
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Sea of Light: Reflections on Diwali
COMPOSERS: Esmail, Mazumdar, Whitacre, Debussy
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Gaurav Mazumdar, sitar
Reena Esmail, composer
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MLK Tribute Concert
COMPOSERS: Beethoven, Hailstork, Weston, Coleridge-Taylor, Lee III, Tippett
GUEST CONDUCTORS:
Kedrick Armstrong, Asst. Conductor*
Kellen Gray*
GUEST ARTIST:
Kyle Dickson, violin*
Kenneth Woods, orator
Waubonsie Valley Mosaic Choir
*Project Inclusion Alumni
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In Darkness We Rise: A Concert of Remembrance
COMPOSERS: Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Levinson, Górecki
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
Twyla Robinson, soprano
FEATUED ARTIST:
Paul Zafer, concertmaster
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SoundSketch: Portraits in Rhythm, Blues, & Beyond
COMPOSERS: Montgomery, Schiff, Elgar
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
Regina Carter, violin
Paola Avila, Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellow
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At Images of Diversity, audience members were invited to trace their ancestral journeys in addition to learning more about the amazing organizations supporting the Chicagoland immigrant and refugee communities, including Latinos Progresando, World Relief.
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At our annual MLK Tribute Concert, audience members explores Chicago’s rich musical and social justice history with archives from The Center for Black Music Research, took the podium and learned how to conduct, made activist buttons, and soared with a special mural made by artists from BUILD Chicago - a partner of our Residents Orchestrate Project.
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At SoundSketch, audience members explored the inner workings of the violin (literally) with luthier William Harris Lee & Co, saw and had self-portraits drawn by Chicago artist Arthur Wright, and discover your melody on our floor
pianos.
2017/18 SEASON
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Trademark
COMPOSERS: Montgomery, Mozart, Seeman, Lord Kitchener, Assad, Smetana
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Faye Seeman, Harp
Liam Teague, Steel Drum
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre
NIU Steelband
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Regresar/Revisit
COMPOSERS:
Piazzolla, Revueltas, Mozart, Grieg, Cortes, Moncayo
Hector Guzman, Guest Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
NewMoon Chicago
Roosevelt University Conservatory Choirs
Cuerdas Clásicas
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MLK Tribute Concert: Ask Your Mama
COMPOSER: Laura Karpman
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
De'Adre Aziza, vocalist
Janai Brugger, soprano
Nnenna Freelon, jazz vocalist
Patricia Frazier, spoken word
Kee Stein, spoken word
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Hear Me Roar: A Celebration of Women in Classical Music
COMPOSERS: Price, Higdon, Esmail, Pejačević
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Carol Dylan, violin
Ann Griffin, cello
Karen Nelson, violin
Marlea Simpson, viola
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Praise and Punk: The Ending of All Endings
COMPOSERS: Butler, Saint-Saëns, Deitrich, Prokofiev, and various
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
Kellen Gray, Guest Conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Melissa White, violin
Ifetayo Ali-Landing, cello
Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir
Mucca Pazza
2017/18
Audience Engagement Highlights
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At our annualMLK Tribute Concert , audience members explored Chicago's rich musical and social justice history with archives from The Center for Black Music Research, in addition to making activist buttons and taking the podium to learn how to conduct with our Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellow.
2016/17
SEASON
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Unhinged
COMPOSERS: Glinka, Stravinsky, Jackson, Gershwin, Poulenc, Coldplay
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Anderson and Roe, piano duo
Clayton Stephenson, piano
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Dia De Los Muertos
COMPOSERS: Golijov, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Rivera, Saint-Saëns, Galindo
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Chicago Film Archives
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MLK Tribute Concert
COMPOSERS: Williams, Vivaldi, Dvořák, Beethoven
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
E'mon Lauren, Chicago Youth Poet Laureate
Maria Arrua, violin
Tara Lynn Ramsey, violin
Tomar Marcus, violin
Teddy Wiggins, violin
Kimberly Gunderson, soprano
Louise Rogan, mezzo-soprano
Jared Esguerra, tenor
Nicolas Davis, baritone
Roosevelt University Concervatory Choirs
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More Than A Letter
COMPOSERS: Christy/Moccio, Bernstein, Rachmaninoff, Barber, Higon, Conte
Michael Morgan, guest conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Sara Davis Buechner,piano
Allegrezza Singers, choirMusicality, choir
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Rightness In The Rhythm
COMPOSERS: Joplin, Abels, Gershwim, Bernstein
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Marcus Roberts Trio, jazz trio
FEATURED ARTISTS:John Floeter, Jeff Handley, Matt Lee, Chicago Sinfonietta Musicians
2016/17
Audience Engagement Highlights
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At Unhinged, audience members tried their hands (and feet) at playing the piano with pop-up piano lessons, floor keyboards, and a display of deconstructed pianos to experience the instrument from the inside out!
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At our annual Dia de los Muertos Concert, audience members explored the Mexican tradition in our celebration with crafting, face paint, and our very own altar honoring the dead.
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At More than a Letter, audience members explored the never-ending human question of identity with self-portrait collages, letters of encouragement, and watched a collection of coming out stories from VideoOut!
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At Rightness in the Rhythm audience members learned about Chicago's rich jazz history with archives from DuSable Museum, played an instrument in Chicago Jazz Philharmonic’s Instrument Petting Zoo, and jumped in and joined the Jones College Prep jazz combo for a jam session!
2015/16
SEASON
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Tap In. Turn Up.
COMPOSERS: Sierra, Stravinsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Cartier Williams, tap master
Clinard Dance Theatre
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Día de los Muertos
COMPOSERS: Barber, Faure, Barilari, Frank, Wagner, Moncayo
Andres Franco, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Varsity Choirs of Waubonsie Valley High School
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert
COMPOSERS: Smallwood, Ellisor/Wooten, Gandolfi, Various Gospels and Spirituals, Legend
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Victor Wooten, Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir
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BYOB: Bring Your Own Beat
COMPOSERS: Still, Lorenz, Chadwick, Higdon, and Ginastera
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Alcides Rodriguez, maracas and Cynthia Yeh, percussion
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Cosmic Convergence
COMPOSERS: Sierra, Abels, Tchaikovsky, Holst, Estacio, Berlioz, and Mussorgsky, arr. Ravel
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
José Francisco Salgado, astronomer & visual artist
2014/15
SEASON
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Rethink. Redefine. Reimagine.
COMPOSERS: Vaughan Williams, Price, Britten, Messing, Mahler, Smith, Tchaikovsky
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
Mucca Pazza
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Día de los Muertos 2014
COMPOSERS: Giménez, Sibelius, Rodríguez, de Falla, Márquez
Lucia Matos, guest conductor
GUEST ARTIST:
Redmoon
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Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2015
COMPOSERS: Hardeman, Saint-Saëns, Copland, Various
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Sujari Britt, cello
Jherrard Hardeman, guest composer & conductor
Waubonsie Valley Mosaic Choir
Wayne K. Woods, orator
Young Chicago Authors
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Primal Instincts
COMPOSERS:Bizet, Solla,
Orff
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Cristina Pato, gaita
Kimberly Jones, soprano
Jonathan Calvin Weyant, tenor
Joseph Lattanzi, baritone
Roosevelt University CCPA Conservatory Chorus
Anima – Young Singers of Greater Chicago
14/15
Audience Engagement Highlights
2013/14
Season
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eMotion
COMPOSERS: TCHAIKOVSKY, PRICE, KHACHATURIAN, RACHMANINOFF
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Footworkingz
Kuumba Lynx
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Día de Muertos 2013
COMPOSERS: GOLIJOV, MOZART, PIAZZOLLA, DE FALLA
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Adé Williams
Elizabeth Norman
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Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2014
COMPOSERS: VERD, STRAUSS, R, JacobTV, GOULD, VARIOUS: Gospels & Spirituals
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Nicole Cash, horn
Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir
Roosevelt University CCPA Conservatory Chorus
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Global Dance Party
COMPOSERS: PIAZZOLLA, VILLA‐LOBOS, DJ REKHA, SHARMA, HOLLAND, DOHNANYI
Alexandra Arrieche, conductor
Joseph Young, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
DJ Rekha
Dave Sharma
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Identities
COMPOSERS: LEVINSON, SHAPIRO, M / CHENG, V, ENESCU
Mei‐Ann Chen, conductor
GUEST ARTISTS:
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
Alex Koffman, Violin
Su Chang 蘇 暢, guzheng