Author: CMO

Project Inclusion | Largest Project Inclusion Class to Date

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Press Contact: Jim Hirsch
Chicago Sinfonietta
312-284-1553
jhirsch@localhost
 

Chicago Sinfonietta Continues Its Commitment to Diversity

With Largest Project Inclusion Class to Date

CHICAGO (August 15, 2019) – In a continuation of its commitment to equity, inclusion, and changing the face of classical music, Chicago Sinfonietta has announced its incoming class for its groundbreaking Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship Program (PI).

Maestro Paul Freeman
Chicago Sinfonietta Founder Maestro Paul Freeman

Now in its 12th year Chicago Sinfonietta founder Paul Freeman created Project Inclusion to provide mentorship and professional development to diverse and emerging musicians, conductors, and arts administrators. Freeman and CS staff thoughtfully designed the program, which has grown to three multifaceted fellowship tracks, to eliminate institutional bias due to ethnicity, race, and socioeconomics, in hopes of making classical music accessible to all. Chicago Sinfonietta’s PI fellows come from across the globe country to work closely with Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, staff members, CS musicians, and key supporters of the organization to gain hands-on experience to help them compete for and win jobs in U.S. orchestras.  The Orchestra and Conducting Fellows will attend, conduct, and perform at Chicago Sinfonietta’s concerts throughout the 2019-2020 season, Dialogue.

“Nothing Chicago Sinfonietta does captures the legacy of our late founder, Maestro Paul Freeman, like the Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship program,” said Chicago Sinfonietta CEO Jim Hirsch. “Paul had an incredible eye for talent and a life-long commitment to nurturing orchestral musicians, soloists, composers, and conductors from diverse backgrounds. This year’s class of Project Inclusion fellows would make Maestro proud and they will soon take their places on the stages and podiums of orchestras in the years to come.”

Assistant Conductor Jonathan Rush

Former PI Conducting alumnus Jonathan Rush (left) will serve as Assistant Conductor for the 2019-2020 season, working alongside this year’s PI fellows and taking the podium at this year’s MLK Tribute Concert.

 

“I am so thrilled to serve as Assistant Conductor with the Sinfonietta,” said Rush. “It’s truly an honor to be able to continue in Maestro Freeman’s vision, alongside America’s most diverse orchestra. I’m excited to continue changing the faces of classical with my Chicago Sinfonietta family.”

The 2019-2020 Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellows are Dr. Antoine T. Clark, Alexandra Enyart, and Aaron King Vaughan. Former PI Orchestral Fellow Kyle Dickson, along with newcomers Taichi Fukumura and Yabetza Vivas Irizarry, will serve as Auditors.

The 2019-2020 Project Inclusion Freeman Orchestral Fellows are Najette Abouelhadi (cello), Fahad Awan (violin), Alison Lovera (violin), and Seth Pae (viola).

2018-19 Project Inclusion Freeman Fellows

 

“Project Inclusion is about diversity, talent, and developing talent without bias so that young, promising individuals can go on to contribute to what we see and hear on the world’s stages,” said Music Director Chen It is an honor to further Maestro Freeman’s ideals and nurture the incredible artists that are participating in the 2019-2020 fellowship program. Our past fellows have gone on to make their mark in the arts with major positions in the industry, and this season’s fellows hold the same promise. It is my dream come true to witness Maestro Freeman’s legacy being carried far and wide through the expansion of Sinfonietta’s fellowship program and how it impacts our industry in deep and meaningful ways!”

For more information about Project Inclusion, visit chicagosinfonietta.org

 

 

About the Sinfonietta

Now approaching its 32nd season, Chicago Sinfonietta continues to push artistic boundaries under the baton of Maestro Mei-Ann Chen and organizational leadership of Jim Hirsch and Courtney Perkins.  The orchestra is dedicated to providing an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking about a symphony orchestra and promoting diversity, inclusion, racial and cultural equity in the arts. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta was the proud recipient of the 2016 Spirit of Innovation Award presented by the Chicago Innovation Awards as well as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). The MacArthur award recognizes exceptional organizations that are key contributors in their fields.

Chicago Sinfonietta is grateful to its 2019-2020 Project Inclusion supporters including: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellow Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, and technology supporter CDW.

 

Project Inclusion | A Brief History and Inside Perspective

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CEO Jim Hirsch offers a historical deep dive and insider perspective in to the creation of Chicago Sinfonietta’s groundbreaking fellowship and education program. 

The First Fellowship Class of Project Inclusion

“I just recently saw Hamilton for the second time and the song, “The Room Where It Happens,” has been running through my brain almost non-stop. But as I think about the very beginning of what has become one of Chicago Sinfonietta’s signature programs, Project Inclusion, it’s apropos because I was in the room where it happened! It all came about through a strategic planning process that we began in 2005. First, some background.

Maestro Freeman had a keen eye for finding talented musicians, composers, soloists, and conductors from diverse backgrounds. He had informally mentored and championed individuals throughout his career and helped launch some of the most accomplished artists of the time including Yo-Yo Ma, among others. As we brainstormed what we wanted to accomplish for the future in 2005, it became clear that to help address the dearth of diverse musicians in American orchestras, Chicago Sinfonietta needed to do something about it.  We decided to create

PI Inaugural Class Members Andrew Snow (left) and Demarus Allen-Batieste

a fellowship program that would take early career, diverse musicians and invite them to rehearse and perform with the orchestra for up to two years.

Maestro Freeman, Renee Baker (orchestra personnel manager at that time), and I worked as a team to create the initial program outlines for Project Inclusion. We held auditions and introduced the first class of Project Inclusion in January of 2007 during our MLK concert.

Project Inclusion Double Bassist Brandon Mitchell

The program has been offered ever since and we added a conducting fellowship in 2014 and an administrative fellowship in 2015. When Maestro Freeman passed away we renamed it the Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship in his honor. We are excited to have recently introduced the 2019-2020 class of Freeman Fellows who will begin their work with us in September and look forward to being in the room where it happens as they begin their career journeys.” —Jim Hirsch

Learn more about the 2019-2020 Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship class.

Chicago Sinfonietta & Project W: Why are Female Composers Underrepresented?

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“One US orchestra that has consistently championed diversity is the Chicago Sinfonietta. Music by women represented 42% of the repertoire it programmed for its 30th-anniversary season in 2017–18 and included four new commissions – from Brazilian–American composer Clarice Assad, African–American composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery, Indian–American composer Reena Esmail and the multi-award-winning Jennifer Higdon.”

 

Read more about Project W in The Strad’s full article!

The Woman at the Podium at the Chicago Sinfonietta

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Mei-Ann Chen, music director of Chicago Sinfonietta, which kicks off its 31st season Sept. 5 with a concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, wants to see more women in classical music.“Mei-Ann Chen, music director of Chicago Sinfonietta, which kicks off its 31st season Sept. 5 with a concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, wants to see more women in classical music.”

Crain’s Chicago Business interviewed our music director about women in music. Read more here!

Chicago Sinfonietta 2018-19 Preview – “Variations on a Dream”

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“At the culmination of it’s 30th year of programming, the Chicago Sinfonietta, one of the most diverse Orchestras in the world, and one of it’s most creative in terms of meaningful innovative concerts, presents its 2018-2019 season, “Variations on a Dream”.”

Read more about our 2018-19 season from Splash Magazines!

VIDEO: Chicago Sinfonietta: Celebrating Diversity Through Music

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“The Chicago Sinfonietta celebrates a multitude of cultures by straying from the typical classical musical collection and choosing to perform music that reflects the diversity of Chicago. Musical Director Mei-Ann Chen stopped by the station to tell just how they make it work.”

Watch CLTV’s video for more about the Sinfonietta’s commitment to championing diversity in Chicago!

Chicago Sinfonietta Celebrates a Joyous 30th Anniversary

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“The Sinfonietta celebrated the finale of its 30th season [Monday night in Orchestra Hall]. Though the program ranged from sublime to silly (intentionally so), the high points were unforgettable.”

Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune recalls meeting the Chicago Sinfonietta’s founder and first music director, Paul Freeman, and praises the energetic finale of our 30th anniversary season. Read more here!

Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta Receive 2018 Roundtable Award

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Chicago Sinfonietta musicians performing at the Southside Friends' Magical Holiday Breakfast

The Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta (SSF) has been named a 2018 Roundtable Award winner by the League of American Orchestras Volunteer Council in the category of Outstanding Volunteer Project. The annual Gold Book competition recognizes outstanding projects created and implemented by volunteer associations of symphony orchestras throughout the United States. The Southside Friends was developed and founded in 1987 by Elizabeth Wilkins.

The award will be presented on June 13, 2018 at the League of American Orchestras’ 73rd National Conference at the Palmer House located at 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL. The conference will feature a performance by Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion Fellows and Alumni.

The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of the Southside Friends signature event, A Magical Holiday Breakfast created in 2000 by Audrey Tuggle, a charter member of SSF and civic leader. The breakfast raises funds for youth programs and introduces new audiences to the Chicago Sinfonietta. Loretta Hopkins Davenport, Chair Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta states “In everything we do, we honor the legacy of Maestro Paul Freeman, Founding Music Director (1936-2015). It is both an honor and an inspiration to receive the Goldbook Roundtable Award from The League of American Orchestras as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chicago Sinfonietta during its 2017-2018 season”

A Magical Holiday Breakfast is sustained by the tireless work of its members and is one of the most anticipated holiday celebrations on Chicago’s social calendar. Each year the Southside Friends welcome over 500 guests to the breakfast held at Navy Pier – Chicago on the 2nd Saturday of December. Mei-Ann Chen has been the Music Director of the MacArthur Foundation award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO SINFONIETTA
Chicago Sinfonietta is a professional orchestra dedicated to modeling and promoting diversity, inclusion, and both racial and cultural equity in the arts through the universal language of symphonic music.

For more information, please contact bhaworth.ssf@gmail.com. To learn more about the Southside Friends and West Suburban Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta, get involved here!

 

Chicago Sinfonietta, Mei-Ann Chen Redefine Classical Through 2021

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Chicago Sinfonietta, the nation’s most diverse orchestra, has announced that it will renew the contract of Music Director Mei-Ann Chen through the end of the 2020-21 season. The announcement culminates Chicago Sinfonietta’s successful 30th anniversary season, and the enthusiasm that has made Chen an audience favorite promises another exhilarating three-year stretch on the podium.

In what will be her eighth season with Chicago Sinfonietta, Chen will conduct four of five subscription concerts along with a season-opening September performance in Millennium Park. In addition to an imaginative and highly anticipated 2018-19 program, she will also support Chicago Sinfonietta special events and educational initiatives, including the Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship program.

“I am delighted that Mei-Ann has extended her contract through the 2020-21 season,” said Jim Hirsch, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Sinfonietta. “Over the past seven years she has brought excitement and innovation to every concert she has conducted and fully embraces the Sinfonietta’s unique mission of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in classical music. I appreciate the close partnership we have forged and look forward to working with her in the future.”

During her tenure, which began in 2011, Chen has contributed to Chicago Sinfonietta’s expanded reach and impact, more than doubling single-ticket revenue and raising the company profile nationwide with innovative programming. Under Chen’s musical direction, Chicago Sinfonietta was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, a one-time grant providing long-term sustainability to creative and impactful nonprofit organizations. She was also named one of Music America’s Top 30 Influencers in 2015, and received both an ASCAP award for innovative programming and the Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras.

“Mei-Ann Chen brings an innovation and social awareness to classical music that is simply unprecedented,” said Maurice Smith, President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Chair of the Chicago Sinfonietta Board of Directors. “Her vision in the concert hall and support of the Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship program are a true testament to Chicago Sinfonietta’s larger mission of diversity and inclusion in the arts sector. That perseverance and passion coupled with the efforts of our musicians, staff and board have significantly raised the bar for arts programming and cultural advocacy in Chicago and beyond. We look forward to elevating our continued successes as an organization in 2018-19 and onward under Mei-Ann’s musical direction.”

Musical highlights of Chen’s seven illustrious seasons include:

• A reimagined “Rhapsody in Blue” with seminal jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio
• A bass-centric Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration alongside virtuoso Victor Wooten
• Three “Project W” compositions by Jessie Montgomery, Clarice Assad and Reena Esmail commissioned by the Sinfonietta, and the co-commission of a work by Jennifer Higdon, all recorded for a 2019 release on Cedille Records
• A mock “battle of the bands” with Chicago-based performance art marching band Mucca Pazza
• A convergence of symphonic music and star power with astronomer/visual artist Jose Francisco Salgado

“My journey with the Chicago Sinfonietta family for the past seven seasons has been a truly remarkable one,” said Chen. “The Sinfonietta provides an environment that encourages all of us to believe in possibilities before they become a reality, and to contemplate how symphonic music can reflect the world in which we live. I am truly honored and privileged to continue championing for diversity, inclusion and equality through the unique mission of the Chicago Sinfonietta, an organization that redefines the orchestral experience for the 21st century and embraces the multicultural relevance of America today.”

About the Sinfonietta
Now in its 31st year, Chicago Sinfonietta has pushed artistic boundaries to provide an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking about a symphony orchestra and is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, racial and cultural equity in the arts. Each concert experience blends inventive new works with classical masterworks, each from a diverse array of voices, to entertain, transform and inspire. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta was the proud recipient of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). This award recognizes exceptional organizations that are key contributors in their fields.

About Mei-Ann Chen
Innovation, imagination, passion and dynamism are the hallmarks of conductor Mei-Ann Chen. Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, and Artistic Director & Conductor for the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival since 2016, Chen is acclaimed for infusing orchestras with energy, enthusiasm, high-level music-making, and galvanizing audiences and communities alike. A sought-after guest conductor, Chen’s reputation as a compelling communicator has resulted in growing popularity with orchestras globally.

North American guesting credits include appearances with the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Oregon, River Oaks Chamber, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. Overseas engagements include the symphonies of BBC Scottish, Denmark’s National, Aalborg, Aarhus, and Odense, Sweden’s Gävle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Malmö, and Norrköping, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw, Norwegian Radio and Trondheim, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, Austria’s Grosses Orchester Graz, Germany’s Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and National Taiwan. Future engagements include debuts with Denmark’s Copenhagen Philharmonic on a 7-city tour, Germany’s Würth Philharmonic, Netherland’s Residentie Orkest, Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic, Switzerland’s Basel, and Turkey’s Bilkent, and return engagements with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for its Gala program with Lang Lang, and Austria’s Recreation Grosses Orchester Graz and Malmö Symphony, among others. Additional honors and awards include First Prize Winner of Copenhagen’s 2005 Malko Competition and another ASCAP award for innovative programming while with the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon. Chen is also Conductor Laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

For more information on Chicago Sinfonietta, please visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org.

Review: “Ask Your Mama” Review- The Chicago Sinfonietta for Martin Luther King Day 2018