Music Without Borders
2011 Music Without Borders will take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park. It is FREE to the public. See you next year!
Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.
Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays
Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays takes place at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park near the corner of Michigan and Randolph. See you next year!
Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.
SummerDance
Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park, 601 S. Michigan Ave.
The 14th Annual Chicago SummerDance is an eleven‑week festival featuring one‑hour dance lessons by professional instructors, followed by two hours of live music and dancing on a 4,600 square foot open‑air dance floor in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park. Admission is free.
Thursday, June 17 – Sunday, August 29
Thursday- Saturday Lessons: 6-7 pm Live music: 7:30-9:30 pm
Sundays Lessons: 4-5 pm Live music: 5-7 pm
June 17
Tango 21 (Argentine Tango lesson)
Raul Jaurena & Tangata featuring Eduardo Nijensohn (Tango, Milonga music)
June 18
Lisa “La Boriqua” (Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, Salsa lesson)
Carpacho y su Super Combo (Colombian, Salsa
June 19
Margot McGraw-Toppen & Riley Wimes, Jr. (Jitterbug lesson)
Outcast Jazz Band (Big Band Swing music)
June 20
BallroomChicago.com (Rumba lesson)
Teddy Lee Orchestra (Ballroom music)
June 24
Erika Ochoa (Middle Eastern Bellydance lesson)
Omar Souleyman (Syrian Street-level Folk-Pop and Dabke music)
June 25
Tommye Giacchino & Gregory Day (East Coast Swing lesson)
Thomas Gunther Jazz Band (Classic Swing music)
June 26
Majestic Gents (Chicago Steppin’ lesson)
DJ Mellow Khris (Chicago Steppin’ music)
June 27
Lisa “La Boriqua” (Merengue, Bachata, Cha-Cha, Salsa lesson)
Afinca’o (Salsa, Mambo music) Part of Latin Street Salsa Congreso 2010
July 1
Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society (Greek Folk Dance lesson)
Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society Music Ensemble (Greek Folk music)
July 2
ARTango Center (Argentine Tango lesson)
Narcotango (Tango Electrónico music)
July 8
René Cardoza (Tambora lesson)
Banda Manzanera (Mexican Folk Brass, Sinaloense music)
July 9
Monica Vachlon & Louie Stallone (Cajun Two-Step & Waltz lesson)
Red Stick Ramblers (Swing, Country & Cajun music)
July 10
Buddy Bates & Rebecca Unger (Zydeco lesson)
Jeffrey Broussard & The Creole Cowboys (Zydeco music)
July 11
BallroomChicago.com (Mambo lesson)
John Burnett Orchestra (Vintage Big Band/Ballroom music)
July 15
Soham Dance Space (Bhangra lesson)
Red Baraat (Punjabi Funk music)
July 16
Big City Swing (East Coast Swing lesson)
The Flat Cats (Jump Blues, Swing music)
July 17
Latin Rhythms (Salsa lesson)
Grupo Rebolu (Salsa Dura music)
July 18
Fred Astaire Dance Studio, Michigan Ave. (Fox Trot lesson)
Steve Cooper Orchestra (Ballroom music)
July 22
Kimosha P. Murphy (African Diaspora Dance lesson)
Chicago Afrobeat Project (Afrobeat Dance Band music)
July 23
Dawud Shareef & Lura Satterfield (Steppin’ lesson)
The Etcetera Band (Steppin music)
July 24
Tommye Giacchino & Gregory Day (Salsa lesson)
Angel Melendez & The 911 Mambo Orchestra Tribute to El Cantante (Traditional Salsa music)
July 25
MayIHaveThisDance.com (Waltz lesson)
The Weiss Brothers (Ballroom music)
July 29
Ethnic Dance Chicago (Klezmer Dance: Freylekhs, Sher, Hora, Nigun, and Kolomeike lesson)
Tum Balalaika Klezmer Band (Traditional Russian, Yiddish, Klezmer, and Gypsy music)
July 30
Big City Swing (Jitterbug lesson)
The Boilermaker Jazz Band (Authentic Swing and Jazz music)
July 31
The Galaxie (Western Swing lesson)
The Western Elstons (Texas Swing, Western Swing music)
August 1
Kasper Dance Studio (Cha- Cha lesson)
Nancy Hays & The Romance of Dance Orchestra (Ballroom music)
August 5
Ethnic Dance Chicago (Polka, Waltz, Oberek, Mazur, and Csardas lesson)
Eddie Korosa, Jr. & His Boys from Illinois (Polka Music)
August 12
Passistas Samba Dance Group (Samba lesson)
Chicago Samba (Brazilian Street Samba music)
August 13
Miguel Mendez (Salsa, Cha- Cha lesson)
Samuel del Real y su Orquesta (Tropical Salsa Music)
August 14
Andy Cruz (Mambo lesson)
Charanga Tropical (Cuban Salsa with Strings music)
August 15
Kasper Dance Studio (Jive lesson)
Lonny Lynn Orchestra (Ballroom music)
August 19
Balkanski Igri (Horo, Rachenitsa lesson)
Kabile (Traditional Bulgarian Folk music)
August 20
Margot McGraw-Toppen & Riley Wimes, Jr. (East Coast Swing lesson)
Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan (Gypsy Swing music)
August 21
Latin Rhythms (Bachata, Cha-Cha lesson)
Orquesta La Inspiracion (Old School Salsa music)
August 22
Arthur Murray Dance Center (East Coast Swing lesson)
Chicago Grandstand Big Band (Big Band music)
August 26
American Tango Institute (Argentine Tango lesson)
Argentina Tango On Stage Ensemble (Golden Age Tango music)
August 27
MayIHaveThisDance.com (Swing and 50s & 60s Fad Dances: Pony, Mashed Potato, and Twist lesson)
The Ragtops (50s & 60s Oldies Dance music)
August 28
MayIHaveThisDance.com (Salsa, Merengue lesson)
Naborí (Traditional Salsa music)
August 29
Fred Astaire Dance Studio , Michigan Ave. (East Coast Swing, Jitterbug lesson)
Sam Burckhardt Nonet (Swing music)
Chicago Blues Festival
The 2011 Chicago Blues Festival is scheduled and presented by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.
Welcome to ChicagoFestivals.net!
This is where you can come for all the latest, up to date information on Music Festivals in Chicago! We’re changing our look and our ability to serve up the information to you. Keep watching as our site grows with each festival.
Dusk Variations: A Chamber Series
Dusk Variations returns to Millennium Park for its second season with four free concerts on Monday nights in August. Dusk Variations mixes electronica, folk, rock and the avant-garde with classical sounds challenging listeners’ perceptions and exploring ways that popular and alternative music influences classical musicians and composers. Dusk Variations is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Millennium Park, with support from WBEZ Radio and vocalo.org.
Portland Cello Project Monday, August 2, 6:30 pm
Formed in late 2007, this indie-cello orchestra has had a meteoric rise in Portland’s vibrant music scene. “Portland Cello Project is a rotating cast of classically trained cellists known for mixing Salt ‘n’ Pepa with Bach and providing the lush backdrop for some of indie rock’s most compelling voices,” said Spin Magazine. The group has a strong community focused approach and aims to increase accessibility to international audiences. Whether playing a symphony hall or a local punk club, the Portland Cello Project continues to cross the popular-classical divide by collaborating with a veritable who’s who of local musicians across different genres. In Millennium Park, we’ll see six cellos on the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, under the musical stewardship of Douglas Jenkins.
http://portlandcelloproject.com
Victoire Monday, August 9, 6:30 pm
This chamber-rock quintet, founded by composer/pianist Missy Mazzoli in 2008, presents a stirring blend of winds, strings, keyboards and lo-fi electronics. Missy Mazzoli is noted as one of “the most consistently inventive and surprising composers now working in New York” (New York Times). Victoire was recently dubbed “an all-star, all-female quintet” by Time Out New York and was described by Pitchfork as “… so good… a pleasingly accessible entree into the world of modern pseudo-classical music.” The group is exclusively dedicated to performing Mazzoli’s work and offers a mix of dreamy post-rock with quirky minimalism and rich romantic sounds. Since forming in 2008, the group has shared the stage with artists such as Tortoise, Bing and Ruth, Twi the Humble Feather, and Redhooker. Victoire will release their first full-length album in late September 2010 on New Amsterdam Records.
http://www.myspace.com/victoiremusic
Lost In The Trees Monday, August 16, 6:30 pm
This inventive music collective from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, helmed by composer and songwriter Ari Picker, has grown from a solo effort to a full symphonic band. Picker’s group merges the dramatic symphonic elements of classical music with the accessibility of American folk and modern pop, creating a sound that is simultaneously intimate and sonically ambitious. Lost In The Trees was recently featured at this year’s SXSW music festival and will re-release the album All Alone In An Empty House on August 10, 2010 through Anti-Records.
Clare and the Reasons Monday, August 23, 6:30 pm
Brooklyn-based/chamber group Clare and the Reasons is fronted by collaborators Clare Manchon and Olivier Manchon; this band creates swirling orchestral pop and is complete with a string section. The group presents elegant arrangements infused with beautiful harmonies, full of catchy melodies and childlike vocals. “Clare and the Reasons play sweetly intricate chamber-pop that somehow mingles folk-pop, Philip Glass, cabaret oompay and the Beach Boys — for starters — behind the songwriter Clare Muldaur Manchon’s poised high voice, with an endearing quaver,” said The New York Times. Clare and the Reasons will return from their appearance in Japan just in time to hit the stage at Millennium Park on August 23.
Edible Audible Picnic
The poly-rhythmic music series returns to Millennium Park at noon this summer, featuring DJs and live bands as diverse and entrancing as the electronic genre in which they play. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Millennium Park, this free series expands to include 16 concerts on Mondays and select Saturdays at noon, beginning June 7 through September 4, 2010.
06/07 Solvent http://solventcity.com/
06/14 The Cool Kids www.coolxkids.com/
07/03 Green Velvet aka Cajmere http://www.myspace.com/greenvelvet
07/05 Nice Nice www.nicenice.net/
07/12 El Guincho http://www.myspace.com/elguincho
07/19 High Places www.hellohighplaces.blogspot.com/
07/24 Chicago Hip Hop–All Headz on Deck www.chihiphop.org
07/26 A Grape Dope
08/02 VHS or BETA Dee Jays www.vhsorbeta.com/VOB/Home.html
08/09 Javelin www.myspace.com/hotjamzofjavelin
08/16 Juan Maclean DJ Set http://www.thejuanmaclean.com/
08/23 All City Affairs www.allcityaffairs.com/
08/30 Future Rock www.futurerock.net
09/04 Orchard Lounge http://www.myspace.com/orchardlounge
Taste of Chicago
The 2011 Taste of Chicago will take place in Grant Park next summer.
This Festival is scheduled and present by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.
Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz
2010 Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz will take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park. It is FREE to the public. Starting time is at 6:30PM unless noted**
07.29.2010 Tortoise 2.0
Tortoise kicks off the series with a world premiere, concert-length commission featuring Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker along with Ed Wilkerson, Greg Ward, Nicole Mitchell, Jim Baker and Fred Lonberg-Holm. Unique in the world of contemporary music, the group is known for its boundless intellectual curiosity, unmistakable compositional voice and contradictory sound worlds.
08.05.2010 Mary Lou Williams at 100 featuring Bethany Pickens and Amina Claudine Myers
Bethany Pickens leads an all star band in a retrospective to honor jazz innovator, composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, who arranged for Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Earl Hines, and mentored Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk, among others. Amina Claudine Myers’ special commission salutes Williams, in honor of the jazz pioneer’s hundredth birthday. Participating as Music Director, Richard Wang, noted historian and Music Professor Emeritus at UOIC and project consultant Cecilia Smith from New York make certain that the celebration will engage the whole spectrum of Williams’ power.
08.12.2010 Toumani Diabate and the Chicago Transilience Ensemble
Internationally acclaimed Malian kora master Toumani Diabate, continues his collaboration with Chicago’s jazz community in a concert of original and newly commissioned material. Toumani Diabate joins the Chicago Transilience Ensemble led by Jeb Bishop and Josh Berman with Hamid Drake, Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, Jason Adasiewicz, Nicole Mitchell and Nate Lepine for an evening of cross-cultural fertilization, improvisation and expanded musical frontiers.
08.19.2010 Django: A Celebration featuring Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan with Special Guests
Belgian-born Gypsy jazz guitarist, Jean “Django” Reinhardt revolutionized the way people think about the guitar and helped pioneer a hybrid form of jazz, known for its hot grooves. To mark his centennial birthday, Alfonso Ponticelli along with guests Ensemble Zaiti from France and Stephane Wrembel and Arturo Martinez from New York join Swing Gitan to tell Django’s musical story and remind us why his style and sound reverberate throughout the jazz world today. Also featuring Tony Ballog, Beau Sample, Jason Miller, Howard Levy, Gerald Dowd, Pat Mallinger, Steve Gibons, Nicolae Feraru, Juliano Milo and Larry Bowen.
08.26.2010 Latin Inferno: James Sanders Conjunto with Special Guests Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Papo Santiago and Fred Anderson
Steeped in the Afro-Cuban musical tradition, violinist James Sanders can be seen and heard across Chicago from symphonies to Latin clubs and everywhere in between. This night, his Latin Jazz band, Conjunto, featuring Steve Eisen, Jose Porcayo, Luis Rosario, Roel Trevino, Donald Neale, Jean-Christophe Leroy and Brett Benteler welcomes members of Cerqua Rivera Dance Company, vocalist Papo Santiago and special guest saxophonist Fred Anderson for an evening of fiery music making.
For more information about this performance, visit: http://www.chicagolatinjazz.com/http://www.chicagolatinjazz.com.
09.02.2010 Big Band Birthday Bash: Ahmad Jamal’s 80th with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra**
Time 7:30pm – 10:00pm
What better place to feature a pioneer of musical rhythm and space than in Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion? A seminal pianist with strong Chicago ties; Ahmad Jamal’s impact on jazz spans a good portion of his eighty years. Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra renews its engagement with Jamal and his trio for a big band birthday bash in the Park.
!Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival
The 2010 !Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival will take place in Millenium Park on September 17th and 18th.
This Festival is scheduled and present by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
Friday, September 17
Los Barrios (south promenade)
Julio Cortez y la Explosion de la Cumbia 12:00p.m.-1:15p.m.
(TBA ): 1:45p.m.-3:00p.m.
Mario Alberto y su Mariachi (Mariachi): 3:30p.m.-4:45p.m.
DJ Caveman (Latin/Brazilian house music): 5:15p.m.-6:30p.m.
Salon de Baile (north promenade)
Juan Rivera y Los Pichardos (Son Calentano): 12:30p.m.-1:10p.m.
Son Del Viento (Son Jarocho): 1:25p.m.-2:05p.m.
Chicago Sones Collective (Son): 2:15p.m.-2:55p.m.
Quetzal (Son Jarocho/Rock/R&B): 3:10p.m.-3:50p.m.
Mexican Institute of Sound (DJ/Salsa): 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m.
En Vivo (cloud gate)
Chinelos (Traditional dancing): 12:00p.m.-2:00p.m.
Nuestro Tambo (Afro-Puerto Rican): 2:30p.m.-4:00p.m.
Banda Portillos 4:30p.m.-6:00p.m.
Community Celebration (Fandango): 5:30p.m.-7:30p.m.
Pritzker Band Shell
Mariachi Vive (Mariachi): 4:00p.m.-4:50p.m.
Don Tetto (rock): 5:00p.m.-6:00p.m.
Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano (Mariachi): 6:10p.m.-7:20p.m.
Cristian Castro (Pop): 7:30p.m.-6:30p.m.
Saturday, September 18
Los Barrios (south promenade)
Banda Franco (Banda): 12:00p.m.-1:15p.m.
(TBA): 1:45p.m.-3:00p.m.
Banda Real (Banda): 3:30p.m.-4:45p.m.
Eljuri: 5:15p.m.-6:30p.m.
Salon de Baile (north promenade)
Sones de Mexico (Son): 12:30p.m.-1:45p.m.
Son Mundanza (Son Jarocho): 2:15p.m.-3:00p.m.
Fandanguero (Son Jarocho & Son Cubano): 3:15p.m.-4:00p.m.
Cumbia Tokeson (Cumbia/Rock/Son): 4:15p.m.-5:00p.m.
Pajaros del Alba (Son Jarocho): 5:15p.m.-6:00p.m.
El Caobo and Aguzate (DJ Jam/Salsa Dance Party): 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m.
En Vivo (cloud gate)
Tamborazo Montenegro (Tamborazo): 12:00p.m.-2:00p.m.
Ngoma Alegre (Afro-Colombian): 2:30p.m.-4:00p.m.
Swing Brasileiro (Brazilian Samba & Batucada): 4:30p.m.-6:00p.m.
Community Celebration (Fandango): 5:30p.m.-7:30p.m.
Pritzker Band Shell
Sones de Mexico (Son): 3:00p.m.-4:10p.m.
Orchestra Broadway: 4:20p.m.-5:30p.m.
Carolina La O y su Orchestra (Tropical): 5:40p.m.-7:00p.m.
Mexican Institute of Sound (DJ/Salsa): 7:10p.m.-8:30p.m.
Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.
