The highly anticipated free concert series, Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays, returns to Millennium Park for a third summer, featuring an eclectic mix of music discoveries, cutting-edge indie rock, pop bands and rock veterans. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, the series will include ten double-bill concerts on Monday nights, running May 23 through July 25, 2011.

Monday, May 23

Bonnie Prince Billy featuring the Cairo Gang + Special Guest

Monday, June 6

Iron and Wine + The Head and the Heart

Monday, June 20

Kings Go Forth + Ben L’Oncle Soul

Monday, July 4

Seefeel + Cave

Monday, July 18

Blonde Redhead + Special Guest

Monday, May 30

Justin Townes Earle + Andre Williams and the Goldstars

Monday, June 13

Campbell Brothers

Monday, June 27

Low + Special Guest

Monday, July 11

Delicate Steve + Bombino

Monday, July 25

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists + Rachel Ries

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 originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 22, 2009.

Welcome to ChicagoFestivals.net! originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 21, 2009.

Dusk Variations returns to Millennium Park for a third summer, mixing pop and alternative genres with classical music. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

Monday, August 1, 6:30 PM
Turtle Island Quartet Presents the Music of Jimi Hendrix and David Balakrishnan

The two time Grammy^® Award-winning quartet ventures to Electric Ladyland, tackling works by singer songwriter, Jimi Hendrix.  Tonight’s program features Hendrix’s music as well as Tree of Life by Turtle Island Quartet founder David Balakrishnan, a new work inspired by the legendary guitarist’s music.  For over 25 years, TIQ has been an ambitious force, propelling the creation and development of chamber music for strings while managing to honor the past and redefine the present. With two Grammy^® Awards (2006 and 2008) for Best Classical Crossover, and a new album, Have You Ever Been…?, Turtle Island Quartet is sure to continue their role as the primary innovative energy for chamber music.

Monday, August 8, 6:30 PM
My Brightest Diamond with Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras

A project led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden, My Brightest Diamond consistently provides an overtly intoxicating sonic atmosphere through the seamless blending of rock, opera and chamber music. Recent collaborations with artists ranging from The Decemberists to Sufjan Stevens to David Byrne have thrust Worden into a new artistic dimension. Tonight, she appears with the internationally acclaimed Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, performing a variety of her works newly orchestrated for this performance.

Monday, August 15, 6:30 PM
Rasputina

With their seventh album released last summer, Rasputina has thoroughly embedded itself into the realm of true artistic success. A witty and shockingly refreshing mix of classical sensibilities with a true rock attitude, every note seems pioneering. They have performed with a variety of artists ranging from Nirvana, Marilyn Manson and Belle & Sebastian to Jane’s Addiction.  Their newest album, Sister Kinderhook, marks a return to the group’s earlier, more organic sound, making this the perfect time to see the most innovative of cello-driven trios.

Monday, August 22, 6:30 PM
A Steve Reich Celebration:  Presented by eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion pulses with energy and joy as two of Chicago’s world-class ensembles, eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion, join forces to throw Steve Reich a wild 75th birthday party. The program includes Drumming, a thrilling virtuosic slap in the face, counterpointed by Double Sextet, a funky, off-kilter jam session, and concludes with Reich’s epic, mesmerizing musical road trip, Music for 18 Musicians, featuring some of America’s finest young performers.

Dusk Variations originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.

Edible Audible Picnic originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.

ACCLAIMED SERIES RETURNS TO MILLENNIUM PARK JULY 28—SEPT. 1, 2011

The celebrated Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz series returns to Millennium Park featuring Chicago’s leading jazz artists and concerts that explore jazz connections to Africa, Latin America and the rhythm and roots of the South Side of Chicago.  The 2011 series includes tribute concerts and retrospectives, along with opening night of the 33^rd Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 PM

Truth Be Told: Celebrating the Legacy of Von Freeman

Some say you can hear all of Chicago in Von Freeman’s playing—from skyscrapers to el trains to the deep waters of Lake Michigan.  Freeman is a true jazz master who mentored a generation of equally inquisitive players, including Steve Coleman and an all star line-up of special guests who have been invited to arrange and perform Freeman’s original music under the artistic direction of drummer Michael Raynor and guitarist Michael Allemana.

Thursday, August 4 at 6:30 PM

Otis Clay: The Gospel of Jazz and Soul

In Otis Clay’s 50 years of singing he has crossed musical paths with musicians from Sam Cooke to Curtis Mayfield to Duke Ellington.  Partnering with arranger/drummer Tom Tom Washington, Clay will be joined by tenor saxophone player Gene “Daddy G” Barge, trumpet player Burgess Gardner, baritone saxophone player Willie Henderson and vocalists Sue Conway and Willie Rogers (of the Soul Stirrers) to present a musical salute for Mahalia Jackson’s centennial and Sam Cooke’s 85th birthdays.

Thursday, August 11 at 6:30 PM

African Journeys featuring Ryan Cohan and Geof Bradfield

In 2008, pianist Ryan Cohan’s quartet was selected by the Rhythm Road program (co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center) to perform as cultural ambassadors in Africa.   The experience profoundly affected all members of the band, and inspired Cohan and saxophonist Geof Bradfield to each compose music describing what they had experienced in their travels. Heard together for the first time on one stage, Cohan’s The River and Bradfield’s African Flowers share reflections on the universal joys and sadness of the human experience.

Thursday August 18 at 6:30 PM

Latin Inspiration: Howard Levy with Chevere, Trio Globo and Special Guests

Composer and virtuoso pianist (and harmonica player) Howard Levy’s imagination is inspired by many muses including the Blues, but closest to his heart is the amalgam of the rhythms of the Americas known as Latin Jazz. This evening includes the premiere of a new suite with his long-time comrades in Chévere, selections from Steering by the Stars, a new recording of his Trio Globo group, and feature several duets with the astounding guitarist Chris Siebold.

Thursday, August 25 at  6:30 PM

Kindred Spirits of the Horn: Corey Wilkes Celebrates Miles Davis and Roy Eldridge

Known for igniting the spark that became Bebop, Roy Eldridge and Miles Davis’ influences also loom large in the multi-directional work of trumpeter Corey Wilkes.  Past meets future in a centennial tribute to the men who set the standard for the modern jazz trumpet. Wilkes will premiere a new work in collaboration with electronics artist and DJ Osunlade and his Chicago cohorts, Robert Irving III, De’Sean Jones, Fareed Haque, Junius Paul, Kahil El’Zabar and Makaya McCraven.

Thursday, September 1 at  6:30 PM  OPENING NIGHT OF THE CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL

Spiritual Source: Randy Weston and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble featuring the arrangements of Melba Liston

Randy Weston collaborated with trombonist/composer/arranger Melba Liston to create a new music that explores cultures, connectedness and music of the African Diaspora.  For this special occasion, Weston will partner with the Center for Black Music Research and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, both resident at Columbia College Chicago, to illuminate and perform works from his dynamic union with Melba Liston, and premier new compositions inspired by their music collaborations.

The 33^rd Annual Chicago Jazz Festival will once again be free admission, produced by the City of Chicago and programmed with the Jazz Institute of Chicago.  This year’s event will run from September 1-4 and will be held in three locations: the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Grant Park.

Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.