Our 35th Season celebrates both the incredible legacy of Chicago Sinfonietta, while also looking forward to the NEXT 35 years! This opening concert starts with Nkeiru Okoye’s Voices Shouting Out, an optimistic response to 9/11, full of hope and promise. In the composer’s own words, it’s “a sparkling celebration of life for those of us who continue living” – a fitting sentiment as we emerge from the pandemic. Next, the program highlights Cedille Records Emerging Artists Competition Winner, Julian Velasco, and his debut with Sinfonietta on Roberto Sierra’s jazz-infused Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra. Gershwin’s rousing Cuban Overture follows with a wonderful exploration from the jazzy master immersed in Latin colors. The concert finishes with Respighi’s beloved Pines of Rome, a piece Maestra Mei-Ann Chen calls “a mesmerizing symphonic masterwork”.  

A truly magnificent concert program, showcasing the best of Chicago Sinfonietta. 

PROGRAM

Nkeiru OKOYE: Voices Shouting Out 

Roberto SIERRA: Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra with guest artist Julian Velasco  

George GERSHWIN: Cuban Overture  

Edward ELGAR: Enigma Variations, Op. 36 - Variation IX (Adagio) "Nimrod"

Ottorino RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome 

Approximately 100 mins