North Shore resident, opera star Susan Platts performs with Chicago Philharmonic Feb. 4
The Chicago Philharmonic Society returns to the North Shore with "Songs of a Wayfarer," a program including music by Gustav Mahler, Robert Schumann, and Libby Larsen featuring the North Shore's own international opera star mezzo-soprano Susan Platts; one night only, Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. The orchestra will be led by Chicago Philharmonic Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck.
The program centers on Gustav Mahler's Lieder "eines fahrenden Gesellen" commonly translated as "Songs of a Wayfarer" in English. Mahler wrote both the music and the text for this orchestral song cycle which deals with heartbreak, beauty, and the end of a season. World-renowned Mahler specialist mezzo-soprano Susan Platts joins the orchestra as soloist for the cycle. Also on the program is Robert Schumann's "Symphony No. 3." A great inspiration for Mahler who was born four years after Schumann';s death, Schumann's third symphony is a euphoric rumination on the Rhein River. The evening ends with contemporary composer Libby Larsen's "Deep Summer Music" offering an intimate taste of Americana, and a moment of tranquility in juxtaposition with the angst and elation of the works by Mahler and Schumann.
The evening marks Susan Platts' first return to the Chicago Philharmonic since a performance in 2014 where she was introduced to her now-husband, Chicago Philharmonic French hornist Neil Kimel. During a post-concert dinner, Platts and Kimel bonded over a shared love of Mahler and decided to keep in touch. Now married and living in Evanston, the husband-and-wife pair will perform Mahler together with Platts as soloist and Kimel leading the horn section during Songs of a Wayfarer.
"We are thrilled to once again be performing at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts," said Chicago Philharmonic Executive Director Terell Johnson. "Especially in collaboration with the marvelous Susan Platts who is not only a brilliant interpreter of Mahler, but who is also part of Chicago Philharmonic's extended family and calls the North Shore home."
The concert is, Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, IL. Tickets are $27-$77 with $10 tickets available for students and discounts available for groups. To buy tickets, visit chicagophilharmonic.org.
About the Chicago Philharmonic Society:
Founded by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1979, The Chicago Philharmonic Society is a collaboration of over 250 of the highest-level classical musicians in the Midwest. The orchestra, known as the Chicago Philharmonic, has been called one of the country's finest symphonic orchestras, and its unique chamber music ensembles perform as Chicago Phil Chamber. The brilliance of Chicago Philharmonic's structure is in its versatility - the organization curates the best ensemble for each concert from an exceptional pool of musicians, be it classical, jazz, pops, movie concerts, outreach programming, and everything else.
The Illinois Council of Orchestras has awarded Chicago Philharmonic "Orchestra of the Year'' (2018), "Programming of the Year" (2019), "Community Relations of the Year" (2019), "Executive Director of the Year" (2020), and "Conductor of the Year" (2021). Upcoming concerts include: Chicago Philharmonic x Tank and the Bangas, Feb. 18; Chicago Philharmonic x Lettuce, March 25; Improvisations On EO9066 with Kishi Bashi, April 15; The Batman in Concert May 6. Find out more about Chicago Philharmonic at chicagophilharmonic.org.
About Maestro Scott Speck:
With recent performances in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence, and winning personality. Scott Speck was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Chicago Philharmonic in June of 2013 and has been Music Director of the Joffrey Ballet since 2010. He has become a frequent guest for the Chicago Symphony's family concerts. His work with Chicago Philharmonic earned him the award "Conductor of the Year" from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
Scott Speck is the co-author of two of the world's bestselling books on classical music, "Classical Music for Dummies" and "Opera for Dummies." These books have received stellar reviews in both national and international press, have garnered enthusiastic endorsements from major American orchestras, and have been translated into twenty languages. His third book in the series, Ballet for Dummies, was released to great acclaim as well. For more information visit scottspeck.org
About Susan Platts:
British-born Canadian mezzo-soprano Susan Platts brings a uniquely rich and wide-ranging voice to concert and recital repertoire for alto and mezzo-soprano, particularly esteemed for her performances of Gustav Mahler's works. She is a Fellow of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with Jessye Norman.
She has collaborated with many of today's leading conductors including John Adams, Marin Alsop, Roberto Abbado, Sir Andrew Davis, Ludovic Morlot, Leon Botstein, Josep Caballé-Domenech, Christoph Eschenbach, JoAnn Falletta, Jane Glover, Vladimir Jurowski, Jeffrey Kahane, Carlos Kalmar, Keith Lockhart, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Norrington, Peter Oundjian, Itzhak Perlman, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Bramwell Tovey, Osmo Vänska and Pinchas Zuckerman. Ms. Platts has appeared on many distinguished art song series including Vocal Arts Society at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Ladies Morning Musical Club in Montreal, Aldeburgh Connection in Toronto, and both the Frick Collection and Lincoln Center "Art of the Song" series in New York City. For more information visit susanplatts.com.