The Grant Park Music Festival
Join the Grant Park Orchestra for a spectacular season of music at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park. All events free to the public!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Opening Night: Symphonie Fantastique
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Summer begins with two thrilling French musical explorations: Ravel’s encounter with American jazz performed by the great pianist Jean-Philippe Collard and Berlioz’s epic voyage into heartbreak and hallucination.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Jean-Philippe Collard, Piano
Friday, June 17, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, June 18, 2011, 7:30pm
Mendelssohn and Peace on Earth
Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden
Mendelssohn: Lobgesang
Felix Mendelssohn’s 1840 work for chorus and orchestra, the Lobgesang, is an ode to the power of books and human ingenuity. The program opens with Arnold Schoenberg’s unique early work Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth) which showcases the chorus.
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Tamara Wilson, Soprano
Maire O’Brien, Soprano
Brendan Tuohy, Tenor
Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Regina Carter Reverse Thread Project
Childs: Violin Concerto
Carter: Reverse Thread (without orchestra)
The great jazz violinist performs composer Billy Child’s Violin Concert, a moving lament for those lost in the Iraq war, followed by works from her latest CD, the Reverse Thread Project.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Regina Carter, Violin
Yacouba Sissoko, Kora
Will Holshouser, Accordion
Chris Lightcap, Bass
Alvester Garnett, Drums
Friday, June 24, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, June 25, 2011, 7:30pm
Latin Works for Orchestra
Barilari: Canyengue
Carreno: Margaritena
Villa-Lobos: Uirapuru
Chavez: Suite de Caballos de Vapor (Horse Power Suite)
Ginastera: Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals, Op.48
Carlos Kalmar leads a tour of his native continent with such works as a suite from Mexican Carlos Chavez’s futuristic ballet originally created with Diego Rivera, Brazilian Villa Lobos’ work inspired by an Amazonian bird, Chicago-based composer Elbio Barilari’s work exploring the Latin American dance form Canyengue and Argentinian composer Ginastera’s work paying tribute to cellist Pablo Casals.
The Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 6:30pm Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Thursday, June 30, 2011, 6:30pm
American A Cappella
Betinis: Toward Sunshine, Toward Freedom: Songs of Smaller Creatures
Kesselman: Buzzings: Three pieces for Mixed Chorus
Whitacre: When David Heard
Garrop: Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy
Menotti: Regina Caeli
Del Tredici: Acrostic Song from Final Alice
Rorem: Seven Motets for the Church Year
Whitacre: Sleep
The Grant Park Chorus and Director Christopher Bell (celebrating his 10th season with the Festival) take a tour of eclectic new American works for chorus. This program is being recorded for what will become the chorus’ first-ever a cappella CD.
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Friday, July 1, 2011, 6:30pm Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Saturday, July 2, 2011, 7:30pm
Mahler: Song of the Earth
Lutosławski: Musique Funebre
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth)
One of Mahler’s final works, this series of songs based on Chinese classical poetry runs the gamut of human experiences with meditations on love, nature, drinking, solitude and the passing of time. The evening opens with Polish composer Lutosławski’s tribute to Bartók.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Alexandra Petersamer, Mezzo-Soprano
Christian Elsner, Tenor
Sunday, July 3, 2011, 1:00pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Independence Celebration
Key: Star Spangled Banner
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Bagley: National Emblem March
Copland: Hoe-down from Rodeo
Sousa: Belle of Chicago
Arr. Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Offenbach: Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld
Wendel: St. Bailey’s Rag
Cohan: Star Spangled Spectacular
Arr. Dragon: America the Beautiful
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
This musical celebration of the meaning of America features many beloved favorites as well as a few surprises. Please note: the venue and time for this program are tentative.
Grant Park Orchestra
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
American and Russian Landscapes
Borodin: Prince Igor: Overture
Copland: The Tender Land: Suite
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian)
This program features a pair of works inspired by composers’ immersion in their native lands. Tchaikovsky’s symphony emerged from a vacation to Ukraine draws on local folk music while Aaron Copland’s suite is taken from an opera of the same name inspired by James Agee’s photographs of the Great Depression.
Grant Park Orchestra
Andrew Grams, Guest Conductor
Friday, July 8, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, July 9, 2011, 7:30pm
Spanish Guitar and Alondra de la Parra
Marquez: Leyenda de Miliano
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Dvorak: Symphony No. 7
One of the world’s rising young conductor’s makes her Grant Park debut with a masterpiece of Spanish classical guitar, featuring soloist David Russell, plus Dvorák’s renowned symphony.
Grant Park Orchestra
Alondra De La Parra, Guest Conductor
David Russell, Guitar
Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Broadway Rocks
Broadway blockbusters from some of the most electrifying shows ever to hit the Great White Way: The Wiz, Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mamma Mia, Tommy, Phantom of the Opera and more!
Grant Park Orchestra
Randall Craig Fleischer, Guest Conductor
Christianne Noll, Vocalist
Capathia Jenkins, Vocalist
Rob Evan, Vocalist
Doug LaBrecque, Vocalist
Friday, July 15, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, July 16, 2011, 7:30pm
Penderecki Conducts Penderecki
Penderecki: Concerto Grosso No. 1 for Three Cellos and Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
The great contemporary Polish composer, whose work has been a touchstone in his home country and beyond since the 1950s, comes to Millennium Park to conduct his own composition featuring three solo cellists as well as Beethoven’s heroic early symphony.
Grant Park Orchestra
Krzysztof Penderecki, Guest Conductor
Julie Albers, Cello
Kira Kraftzoff, Cello
Amit Peled, Cello
Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Kwame Ryan
Liebermann: Furioso
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Schumann: Symphony No. 2, Op.61
Schumann’s grand, romantic symphony shares the program with Ravel’s stirring suite written to commemorate friends killed during WWI and a recent work by Swiss composer Rolf Liebermann.
Grant Park Orchestra
Kwamé Ryan, Guest Conductor
Friday, July 22, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, July 23, 2011, 7:30pm
Choral Masterpieces: Bernstein and Faure
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Fauré: Requiem
Leonard Bernstein’s choral setting of the Psalms of David (which features musical material from early sketches for West Side Story) is followed by the magnificent late 19th century requiem by Fauré.
Grant Park Orchestra
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Ryan Belongie, Counter Tenor
Lindsay Metzger, Soprano
Kevin Keys, Baritone
Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Prokofiev Symphony No. 7
Shchedrin: Concerto for Orchestra No. 3 (Old Russian Circus Music)
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7
Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu begins his week-long residency with the Grant Park Music Festival with a program featuring Prokofiev’s final symphony paired with contemporary composer Shchedrin’s concerto for orchestra inspired by Russian traveling carnivals.
Grant Park Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, Guest Conductor
Friday, July 29, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, July 30, 2011, 7:30pm
Sibelius Epic Finland
Rachmaninoff: Vesna (Spring), Op. 20
Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7
A rare chance to hear Sibelius’ early work (revised at the end of his life), based on the great national Finnish epic, the Kalevala, the source of more than a dozen of his most important compositions. Rachmaninoff’s portrait of psychological angst set against the changing of the seasons completes the evening exploring northern landscapes.
Grant Park Orchestra
Grant Park Chorus
Hannu Lintu, Guest Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Johanna Rusanen, Soprano
Ville Rusanen, Baritone
Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Jennifer Koh Returns
Britten: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Op. 68
Carlos Kalmar returns for the final two weeks of the Festival’s ten week season. He shares the stage with festival favorite, violinist Jennifer Koh, for a night of Britten and Brahms.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Jennifer Koh, Violin
Friday, August 5, 2011, 6:30pm Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Saturday, August 6, 2011, 7:30pm
Ryan Opera Center
Mozart: The Impresario
Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Act II
Rossini: Cenerentola: Act II
The gifted young singers of the Lyric Opera’s training program return for an evening of great operatic scenes.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Ensemble Members Of The Patrick G. And Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
Jack Zimmerman, Narrator
Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Mozart and Strauss
Marches, Polkas, Waltzes from Austria
Carlos Kalmar leads a celebration of the music of his country of residence as part of a week-long celebration of Austrian music
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Friday, August 12, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, August 13, 2011, 7:30pm
The Book with Seven Seals
This 20th century masterpiece (1937) for orchestra and chorus by Franz Schmidt vividly narrates the apocalypse.
Grant Park Orchestra
Grant Park Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
William Spaulding, Guest Chorus Director
Edith Lienbacher, Soprano
Christa Ratzenböck Mezzo-Soprano
Robert Künzli, Tenor
Alexander Kaimbacher, Tenor
Albert Pesendorfer, Bass
Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Shostakovitch Symphony No. 10
Adams: The Chairman Dances (from the opera Nixon in China) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, Op.93
These works focus on two of the 20th century’s political giants in radically different ways. John Adams’ short orchestral work about Mao is drawn from his opera Nixon in China and Shostakovich’s cathartic symphony was written in the wake of Stalin’s death. This program is part of the Soviet Arts Experience festival.
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Friday, August 19, 2011, 6:30pm Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Saturday, August 20, 2011, 7:30pm
Verdi Requiem
Millennium Park will be filled with the thunderous and soaring sounds of Verdi’s great Requiem Mass featuring four outstanding soloists and the world-class Grant Park Chorus as the 2011 season comes to a majestic close.
Grant Park Orchestra
Grant Park Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
William Spaulding, Guest Chorus Director
Amber Wagner, Soprano
Michaela Martens, Mezzo-Soprano
Michael Fabiano, Tenor
Kyle Ketelsen, Bass
