Jim Hirsch to step down as Sinfonietta CEO
Jim Hirsch, who has served as executive director and CEO of the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2004, will step down on July 1, 2020, the organization has announced. "As I begin...
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Orbert Davis’ epic ‘The Chicago River’ returns on DVD and CD
Six years ago, Chicago trumpeter-composer Orbert Davis led his Chicago Jazz Philharmonic in what was then the most formidable work of his career: "The Chicago River." Though the title may...
CSO review: A bracing evening of Gershwin, Ravel and Stravinsky
Any concert featuring three giants of early 20th century modernism – Ravel, Gershwin and Stravinsky – poses considerable technical and interpretive challenges to the musicians involved. All the more when...
Review: Pianist Ryan Cohan brings an imposing intensity to Jazz Showcase
When a first-rate jazz pianist takes the stage with musicians of comparable caliber and commitment, the results can be viscerally exciting. So they were Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase,...
13th Chicago Latin Jazz Festival turns to women
Chicago music lovers will notice something different about the 13th Chicago Latin Jazz Festival, running this weekend at the Humboldt Park Boathouse and Navy Pier: A spotlight on women. Out...
George Lewis receives $275K grant from Doris Duke Foundation
Composer-trombonist George Lewis, winner of a MacArthur Fellowship and author of the definitive "A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music," has won another prestigious prize: a...
Leonard Bernstein’s groundbreaking ‘Mass’ will get an encore
It was one of the most remarkable musical events of 2018: The Ravinia Festival's historic revival of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass." Incredibly, Bernstein's magnum opus never had received a professional performance...
Grant Park Orchestra review: Kahane’s ‘Emergency Shelter’ gets a brilliant Midwest premiere
Writing an oratorio that embraces elements of classical, pop and folk music is no easy task. It's all the more formidable when the subjects are homelessness and poverty, two dark...
Holiday weekend offers up a wealth of jazz and classical performances
How to celebrate Independence Day weekend? The musical options overflow: Dee Alexander. If you had to name someone as the face of Chicago jazz in the 21st century, singer Alexander...
Why Doris Day reigns as one of the great jazz singers
Forget, for a moment, Doris Day's famously bubbly persona in lighthearted Hollywood comedies and TV shows. Forget, too, her image as a purveyor of mercilessly upbeat hits of an earlier...