Barrington High alum to perform at Millennium Park theater

Kevin Mileski vividly remembers the moment on stage when he discovered his love of singing and performing: it was at Barrington High School, when he sang with the chorus in the musical, “Man of La Mancha."

“It was an amazing experience, says Mileski, a Palatine resident now making it as a professional musician, “and such an ambitious musical for a high school to do.

This weekend, Mileski will add to another ambitious production, when he provides the live music alternating between guitar and piano for the Giordano Jazz Dance company at the Harris Theater located at Millennium Park in Chicago.

Giordano directors commissioned Mileski to write the music for “Journey In, a contemporary, lyrical piece. He and percussionist Herman Winkler will join the full dance company for the 11-minute piece.

“We love his music; it's so diverse and eclectic, says Nan Giordano, artistic director. “Just the chance to have live music is a thrill for us. It's always been our dream, but financially we're not always able to do it.

Mileski will alternate between piano and his unique, finger-style guitar playing, while Winkler plays a full line of percussion instruments, from congas and bongos to kick drums and symbols.

Working with Mileski, Giordano said, gave the company the chance to design a piece with a storyline, which is another rarity in their repertoire, she says.

“His music has so many layers and textures, she adds. “That gives us so much to work with.

Karen Mareck Grundy, artistic director of the Missouri Contemporary Ballet and a specialist in jazz, choreographed the piece, using her own life's journey as the base.

Being commissioned by Giordano's to develop an original composition was a thrill, Mileski says, and one that he hopes will take his career to another level, possibly on the road to writing movie scores.

“I had the dancers in my head when I was writing it, he says. “I started with the guitar part and then added the piano tracks later.

Mileski is a familiar performer at such local places as Lamplighter's Inn in Palatine, and most recently at Long Grove's Apple Festival. But he also plays gigs at Goose Island Brewing Company and Uncommon Ground in Chicago.

His touring schedule has led him to open for such acts as Rusted Root, Little Feat, Locksley and Gaelic Storm. However, he continues to keep his day job, as an analyst with Zurich North America in Schaumburg, and hasn't forgotten his musical roots.

Last summer, Mileski was one of 100 alumni to return to Barrington High School for “A Musical Revue. In it, he joined his classmates and reprised some of their selections from the 1992 staging of “Man of La Mancha, including its signature song, “To Dream the Impossible Dream.