Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
musical style of 16th-century English religious singers. Their repertoire used to
be mainly liturgical, but it has grown to include an eclectic array of works, from
Eastern European and Chinese folk songs to 20th-century ecclesiastical pieces.
Performances take place mostly in churches across the Chicago area from Octo-
ber to May.
The
Chicago Chamber Musicians
(
&
312/692-9000;
www.chicagochamber
music.org), a 14-member ensemble drawn from performers from the CSO and
Northwestern and DePaul universities, presents chamber music concerts at vari-
ous locales around the city. While the season runs October through May, you can
always find the CCM performing free noontime concerts on the first Monday of
the month (except Sept and Mar) at the Chicago Cultural Center. The
Chicago
String Quartet,
in residence at DePaul, is also affiliated with the group.
The
Chicago Sinfonietta
(
&
312/236-3681;
www.chicagosinfonietta.org),
with its racially diverse 45-member orchestra and a wide-ranging repertoire,
seeks to broaden the audience for classical music. In the past, the group has fol-
lowed a Beethoven piano concerto with a piece featuring a steel drum. Playing
about 15 times a year at Orchestra Hall and other venues throughout the city,
the orchestra often takes a multimedia approach to its multicultural mission,
accompanying its performances with art slides from the Art Institute and the
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.
Music of the Baroque
(
&
312/551-1414;
www.baroque.org), a small
orchestra and chorus that pulls members from both the CSO and the Lyric
Opera orchestra and that features professional singers from across the country,
performs the music of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, appropriately in
Gothic church settings in Chicago neighborhoods. The group has made several
recordings and has introduced works by Mozart and Monteverdi to Chicago
audiences.
A critically acclaimed chamber music ensemble, the Grammy-nominated
Ve r -
meer Quartet
actually makes its home at Northern Illinois University in De
Kalb, about 60 miles west of Chicago. But it's considered the city's top string
quartet by many because of its long-running connection with
Performing Arts
Chicago
(
&
773/722-5463;
www.pachicago.org), a nonprofit group that stages
theater and concert events (many by international avant-garde troupes) through-
out the year. Its repertoire ranges from works by Mozart to Haydn to modern
composers. Call for details on upcoming concerts.
OPERA
Chicago Opera Theater
The “other” opera company in town, Chicago
Opera Theater, doesn't get all the big names, but it does make opera accessible
to a wider audience with an emphasis on American composers and performers
who sing in English. It also helps that tickets are less expensive and more plen-
tiful than those to the Lyric Opera. The company performs three operas a year
(Feb-May), which usually run the gamut from classical tragedies by Handel to
20th-century satirical works. No matter what the bill, the talent and production
values are top-notch (a recent production of two 20th-century Czech operas fea-
tured English text by playwright Tony Kushner and sets by illustrator Maurice
Sendak). Chicago Opera Theater also runs a family opera program.
Harris Theater
for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr.
&
312/704-8414.
www.ChicagoOperaTheater.org.
Tickets $30-$97 adults, half price for children. Subway/El: Red Line to Washington/State.
Lyric Opera of Chicago
One of the top American opera companies, the
Lyric attracts the very best singers in the world for its lavish productions. The
