Some people are just born to do something surprising. They start out life in an everyday, normal way. Then, out of nowhere, a lightbulb or a spark goes off and […]
With careful direction by Scott Speck and virtuosic playing from violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious, the Chicago Philharmonic blew away the audience with Camille Saint-Saëns’ violin concerto No. 3 in B-minor. […]
Ear Taxi Festival 2025 continued its run of excellence with an Anchor Performance by the Chicago Philharmonic at Harris Theater on Saturday night. Under the direction of Scott Speck, Marta […]
Last Saturday was an evening filled with the music of one of the most fascinating artists of our time. Kaoro Dill Ishibashi goes by the melodic-sounding portmanteau Kishi Bashi. The […]
What makes a movie a Christmas movie? It could have a precocious kid left behind at Christmas while the family goes on a deluxe vacation—twice. It could have Bruce Willis […]
My first experience with Batman was on television in 1966. The show blended live action with cartoonish settings and hammy acting. It never occurred to me as a 6-year-old that […]
One of the coolest things I have had the pleasure of doing is watching classic movies with the soundtrack played live by the Chicago Philharmonic. The live music is much […]
October is Chicago Artist Month, and our city is so fortunate to have what I call treasures with our arts institutions. One of our finest treasures is the Chicago Philharmonic, […]
The Chicago Philharmonic is known as “the People’s Orchestra.” They have regaled audiences with a variety of classical, jazz, gospel contemporary, and the music of young composers from their Donna […]
Chicago-based composer Augusta Read Thomas has issued a new release comprised of several recent compositions. Bell Illuminations has a wide variety of ensemble configurations and illustrates the breadth of her […]
Given what we’ve all been through since the spring of 2020, this seems to be a holiday season for grand-scale musical statements. The number of Chicago orchestras performing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah oratorio this […]
Chicago Philharmonic staged the world premiere of composer Jonathan Bingham’s short symphonic piece, titled Tautology, last Sunday. His composition was placed on a program between works by Johannes Brahms and […]