Chicago Sinfonietta starts its new season with ‘Screen & Stage’
“Music, because of its specific and far-reaching metaphorical powers, can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable,” said Leonard Bernstein. Chicago Sinfonietta, one of the most diverse orchestras in the country, supports this message by driving the symphonic industry forward through innovation, collaboration, and storytelling. Through its 36-year history, the orchestra has discovered a myriad talented musicians and countless unique compositions.
The orchestra’s 2024-25 season is the next chapter in the organization’s work in redefining the classical music landscape. “Screen & Stage,” its first subscription concert of this season, will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
Maestra Mei-Ann Chen curated musical selections from global pop culture, offering patrons a lively experience at the intersection of popular and classical music.
“Our 37th season, ‘PROPEL,’ is all about the continuation of Chicago Sinfonietta’s work since day one — to enhance and connect with our community in a variety of ways through the universal language and art of music, which tells a unique story that resonates within each of us,” stated Music Director Mei-Ann Chen. “PROPEL highlights specific areas of our work through each concert in our subscription series — inspiring and encouraging youth, composers, musicians, conductors and the next generation of music lovers.”
The concert starts with Laura Karpman’s film suite “Higher. Further. Faster. Together.” from the blockbuster movie “The Marvels” that was released in November 2023. Commenting on the score, Karpman said, “The Marvels is the most epic score that I have ever created. I am so proud to bring this extraordinary radical team of Super Heroes to life with new unique sounds of space, percussion, massive orchestra and the human voice.”
This piece, with a strong and powerful main theme, will be followed by a playful composition called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Joe Hisaishi. It is from a 1989 animated fantasy film, which was written, directed, and produced by Hayao Miyazaki. The film is based on the children’s novel of the same name by Eiko Kadono. The film’s risk-taking heroine charms and enchants with whimsical melodies from the anime film, a popular piece for over 40 years.
After that, the orchestra will introduce “Selections” with world-renowned vocalist Laurin Talese (Sinfonietta debut). “Guest vocalist Laurin Talese adds another chapter with three romantic works of very different colors and eras: one from Broadway’s Nine; Talese’s own modern-day composition and one from Leonard Bernstein’s iconic ‘West Side Story’,” notes the orchestra’s news release.
Laurin Talese has been captivating audiences with her pure tone and poignant lyrics since childhood. A Cleveland, Ohio native, she was classically trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and later studied classical and jazz voice at the University of the Arts where she received a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. Talese performs for international audiences and leads educational workshops to bring jazz to new populations. In 2021, she made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut performing a repertoire including her original composition, “This Love” conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin.
The concert program will continue with “Reggaeton,” the third part of the composition called “Tumbao (Latin Suite for Orchestra),” written by a young award-winning composer, producer and lyricist from México, Horacio Fernández Vázquez. He is a classical composer by day and an urban music producer by night. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in musical composition at The Juilliard School of Music, class of 2024. He is a modern artist who mixes his music with the rich sounds of urban Latin America, his home culture, and enlarges it with the formal experience that he has acquired through his years in academia.
This program closes with a perennial classic and audience favorite, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. “Comprising dance themes and motifs from the original stage work, it captures the essence of the story’s tension, passion, and energy,” notes the description of this concert program. “Through vivid orchestration and rhythmic complexity, Bernstein intertwines elements of jazz, Latin, and classical music, creating a vibrant tapestry of sound that will leave you energized and ready to ‘Mambo!’”
As president and CEO Blake-Anthony Johnson commented, “As we begin our second season in the historic Auditorium Theatre and continue our long-standing presence in Naperville’s accessible, modern Wentz Hall, we continue to change the face of classical music, connect more deeply with our community, empower youth to explore and hone their talents, demolish barriers to access, and through creative resiliency, merge different genres to create stories that resonate strongly within and propel diversity, inclusion and innovation to the forefront of symphonic music.”
For tickets, go to chicagosinfonietta.org/september-2024-screen-and-stage/.