Open Heart

Q: The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat — A Joyous World Premiere

Composer Kathryn Bostic brings her signature warmth to The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat , a cinematic new suite adapted from the Hulu film and the novel by longtime Sinfonietta cellist Edward Kelsey Moore. This joyful, soulful piece celebrates friendship, food, and the strength of community — a perfect beginning to a night about love, legacy, and resilience.

Q: breathe/burn: A Cello Elegy for Breonna Taylor

You’ll be moved by breathe/burn: an elegy by Joel Thompson, commissioned by Chicago Sinfonietta in 2020. The piece honors Breonna Taylor — a 26-year-old emergency medical technician killed by police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky. Featuring acclaimed cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, this work channels grief, beauty, and resistance. It's a powerful invitation to reflect, remember, and imagine a more just world.

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve…You only need a heart full of grace.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Experience Kathryn Bostic’s joyful The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,
Joel Thompson’s elegy for Breonna Taylor, and Dvořák’s From the New World.

Artists

Maestra Mei-Ann Chen / Conductor
Jeffrey Zeigler / Guest Artist / Cello

Schedule

Date	Time	Venue
Sunday, January 18, 2026	4:00 PM	Wentz Concert Hall (Naperville)	Get tickets
Monday, January 19, 2026	4:00 PM	The Auditorium (Chicago Loop)	Get tickets

Special Events & discounts

High Tea & Harmony / Add for $75
Tea: 1:30 PM / Roosevelt University / Gage Gallery
Concert: 4 PM / The Auditorium

Join us for a pre-concert high tea with Maestra Mei-Ann Chen, Sinfonietta musicians, and fellow music lovers over an elegant spread of tea sandwiches, cakes, and warm drinks with the Southside Friends of the Sinfonietta. To order tickets to the concert and High Tea & Harmony, simply add the tea after you select your seat.

If you already purchased tickets to the concert, click here to add High Tea & Harmony.

Discounts for Groups of 10+ People
Grab 10 friends and save $10-20 per ticket. Click here or call 312-284-1554 for details.

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Overview

This year’s MLK Tribute Concert honors Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a Black Chicago surgeon who made history.

In 1893, Dr. Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery — just months before Dvořák premiered his “From the New World” Symphony. A founder of the first Black-owned hospital in America, his legacy reminds us that opening hearts is both a medical miracle and a social mission.

You’ll also hear the joyous world premiere of Kathryn Bostic’s The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, adapted from the Hulu film and novel by longtime Sinfonietta cellist Edward Kelsey Moore. Reflect during Joel Thompson’s elegy for Breonna Taylor, featuring cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, before Dvořák’s timeless symphonic finale.

Program

Kathryn Bostic	Suite from The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat CS WORLD PREMIERE 2026 Featuring composer and vocalist, Kathryn Bostic
Joel Thompson	breathe/burn: an elegy Featuring Jeffrey Zeigler, cello CS COMMISSION 2020
	INTERMISSION
Antonín Dvořák	Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
arr. Roy Ringwald	We Shall Overcome Apostolic Church of God Praise Team

what you’ll experience

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat — A Joyous World Premiere

Composer Kathryn Bostic brings her signature warmth to The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, a cinematic new suite adapted from the Hulu film and the novel by longtime Sinfonietta cellist Edward Kelsey Moore.

This joyful, soulful piece celebrates friendship, food, and the strength of community — a perfect beginning to a night about love, legacy, and resilience.

breathe/burn: A Cello Elegy for Breonna Taylor

You’ll be moved by breathe/burn: an elegy by Joel Thompson, commissioned by Chicago Sinfonietta in 2020.

The piece honors Breonna Taylor — a 26-year-old emergency medical technician killed by police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Featuring acclaimed cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, this work channels grief, beauty, and resistance. It’s a powerful invitation to reflect, remember, and imagine a more just world.

Dvořák’s “New World.” Listening with New Ears

Dvořák’s New World Symphony closes the program — not as the voice of America, but as a reflection of it.

Composed after his encounter with African American spirituals and Native American themes, the symphony reveals how these deeply rooted traditions shaped his vision of a national sound.

Heard alongside today’s voices, it becomes part of an evolving conversation about who defines American music and whose stories are finally being heard.

A Hidden Chicago Legacy, Brought to Life

The concert draws powerful parallels between two 1893 pioneers: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, performing the world’s first successful open-heart surgery in Chicago and Dvořák, debuting a symphony shaped by American voices.

This tribute reclaims a piece of history and reminds us that opening hearts is both a miracle and a mission.

watch the trailer

Maestra Mei-Ann Chen in a black suit against a bright pink and blue fireworks background.

Still I Rise

march 6 & 7

Our Women’s Month concert features two original collaborations with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater to Florence Price and a CS commission by Shirley J. Thompson.

Learn more

American Rhapsody

May 8 & 10

Rhapsody in Blue featuring pianist Clayton Stephenson, Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, and a tribute to Miles Davis conclude our IGNITE season.

Learn more

SOUNDSCAPE

April 11

Our signature gala event. Immerse yourself in an evening of live performances, fine dining, and creative surprises. Impact the next generation of artists and music lovers.

Learn more

MAESTRA MEI-ANN CHEN

meet your conductor

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve…You only need a heart full of grace.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Artists