Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra
Patrick Dupre Quigley, conductor
Andrew Megill, chorus director
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
IPO lowers the curtain on their 46th season with a resounding performance of one of music’s most celebrated and well-known works, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
The cantata with which we have chosen to conclude this year’s series is BWV 37, an Ascension cantata that Bach first performed in Leipzig on May 24, 1724. Its focus is Jesus’ command to his disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” and the promise that “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” A moving duet based on the chorale “How Lovely Shines the Morning Star” is sung by soprano and alto soloists, while the tenor and bass arias reflect on the Lutheran theology of justification by faith.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture
Mark Peters, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights
3:45 p.m. Organ Prelude
Stephen Buzard, St. James Cathedral, Chicago
4:00 p.m. Bach Cantata Vespers
Amy Gillespie, St. James Lutheran Church, Lake Forest, Illinois, homilist
J. S. Bach: Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 (sung by singers of Chicago Choral Artists)
Bach Cantata Vespers Chorus and Orchestra
Grace Cantor Michael D. Costello, conducting
Susan Nelson, soprano
Amanda Koopman, mezzo soprano
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
David Govertsen, bass
BWV 12 also has its origins during Bach’s early days of composing for the court at Weimar in 1714. It opens with a ravishingly intense symphonia. The second movement, a plaintive, anguished chorus of weeping and wailing, would eventually become the Crucifixus of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. The arias in this Easter season cantata keep Jesus and his redemptive death on the cross at the center of the Christian story, while still anticipating future joy in both text and music. Even as we celebrate Christ’s triumph over sin and death on Easter, we also recall Jesus’ sacrificial love for us.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture
Mark Peters, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights
3:45 p.m. Orchestral Prelude
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 30 in C Major (“Alleluia”)
4:00 p.m. Bach Cantata Vespers
Michael D. Costello, Grace Lutheran Church and School, River Forest, Illinois, homilist
Heinrich Schütz: Ich weiß, daß mein Erlöser lebt
Kapelle, Concordia University Chicago, guest choir
Charles P. Brown, conductor
Sarah Ponder, mezzo soprano
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
David Govertsen, bass
Sun., Apr. 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Join us in celebrating Trinity Wilmette’s 150th anniversary, as our Chancel Choir and friends present an afternoon performance of Chilcott’s “Requiem.” Experience the vivid and colorful sounds of Chilcott’s “Requiem,” accompanied by chamber orchestra and organ. The program will feature vocalists Ryan Townsend Strand (tenor) and Anna Joy Buegel (soprano).
This event is free of charge and open to the public, but advance registration is requested [click here].
Letters To Jackie invites listeners on a musical journey to safely explore grief and spark conversation on the importance of human connection. Letters To Jackie also offers a glimpse into a touchstone moment in American history, representing the audience in which it serves and for which it is performed. In order to seek equal representation, the cycle will include voices of differing sex, gender, race, creed, and citizenship to offer hope, community, and equal access. The world-premiere performance of Letters To Jackie took place on November 22, 2023 in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
An intimate and deeply human account of Christ’s betrayal, suffering, and death, Bach’s Passion According to St. John sets scripture and poetry in emotionally moving, expressively beautiful music. Dame Jane Glover leads the chorus, orchestra, and a roster of internationally renowned soloists in one of the greatest sacred works of all time.
An intimate and deeply human account of Christ’s betrayal, suffering, and death, Bach’s Passion According to St. John sets scripture and poetry in emotionally moving, expressively beautiful music. Dame Jane Glover leads the chorus, orchestra, and a roster of internationally renowned soloists in one of the greatest sacred works of all time.
Sponsor: The Negaunee Foundation
Approximate running time: 2.5 hours, including intermission
Availability is limited. Check the website frequently or consider attending the Harris Theater.
Opera at its grandest! While Aida delights audiences with its visual splendor, it also captivates them with a score ranging from exquisitely intimate arias to deeply dramatic duets and trios, and the most thrilling choruses Verdi ever composed. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, each of the five principal artists boasts not only a sumptuously beautiful voice, but also the charismatic presence to bring these characters and the opera's story of a riveting love triangle vividly to life. Conducting Francesca Zambello’s striking production will be Music Director Enrique Mazzola, acknowledged internationally as an exceptionally authoritative Verdian.
Language: Sung in Italian with projected English titles
Running Time: 3 hours, including 1 intermission
Location: Lyric Opera House
Maximize your merriment this holiday season with songs you know and love, sung by the jolliest group of fiercely talented singers in town. Each song will feel fresh as the first snow, as our singers bring their unique style and skill to updated takes on the classics.
The Civic Orchestra’s virtuosity is put on display, continuing its beloved annual tradition with an evening of J.S. Bach’s joyous and inventive music. The Brandenburg Concertos lift spirits with their pulsing rhythms, novel instrumental combinations and an electrifying harpsichord solo. Principal Conductor Ken-David Masur leads two Christmas cantatas that showcase Bach’s masterful writing for voices, here brought to life by the Chicago Symphony Chorus and soloists.
Letters to Jackie offers a glimpse into a touchstone moment in American history, representing the audience in which it serves and for which it is performed. Under the guidance and principles of equal representation, the cycle includes voices of differing sex, gender, race, creed, and citizenship to offer hope, community, and access.
Featuring: Canterbury Singers — Ross Jallo, Organ
Location: St. Luke's Church, 221 W 3rd St
Time: November 5th @ 5:00pm
Featuring Bach's Magnificat, Händel's Dixit Dominus, and Vivaldi's Beatus Vir, with the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra and vocal soloists.
A celebration of English Renaissance composer William Byrd in the four hundredth year following his death.
Rediscover the contributions of the influential late Renaissance master, William Byrd. 400 years since Byrd made his mark on the English choral tradition, the Bella Voce Camerata and viol consort present Byrd is the Wyrd. Experience Byrd’s impressive legacy and impact in a presentation of the masterful compositions that gave rise to the longstanding tradition of English choral music.
Dame Jane Glover leads the Music of the Baroque Chorus, Orchestra, and international opera stars Susanna Phillips, Paula Murrihy, Miles Mykkanen, and Michael Sumuel in an incredible evening of musical drama that soars to the heavens. Bach brings to life Mary’s passionate words in his vivid setting of the hymn, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Standing at the other end is the heartrending work Mozart was still writing on his deathbed—the monumental Requiem.
Sunday September 17, 2023 @ 7:30pm | North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
Monday, September 18, 2023 @ 7:30pm | Sympony Center
The Festival welcomes Broadway veterans Scarlett Strallen, LaKisha Jones, and Hugh Panaro for a dazzling evening of favorites from New York City's famed theater district. Hear hits from Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, Phantom of the Opera, and more.
Grant Park Festival Orchestra & Chorus
Friday, July 28 6:30-8:30PM
Saturday, July 29 7:30-9:30PM
JAY PRITZKER PAVILION
Carlos Kalmar conducts Antonín Dvořák's choral masterpiece—the Stabat Mater, based on the ancient hymn to Mary kneeling at the foot of the cross. The Festival welcomes soloists Olivia Boen, Siena Licht Miller, John Matthew Myers, and bass-baritone Joseph Beutel in the season debut of the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus.
The cantata’s sober opening duet is sung to a text from John in which Jesus warns his disciples that they will be persecuted for his sake. The text of the cantata, which concerns itself with Christians enduring tribulation and heartbreak, may seem a little out of place at the end of the Easter season, yet it was part of the gospel for the Sunday after Ascension in 1724. Scored for four soloists, choir, two oboes, strings, and continuo, the cantata ultimately delivers a more hopeful message: joy comes after tribulation and God can be trusted to do what is best. The motet by Heinrich Schütz (1585—1672) is a double-choir anthem that concludes one of Schütz’s largest works, his setting of Psalm 119, which he called his Schwanengesang (swan song). Guest organist Steven Wente of Concordia University Chicago will perform the prelude to the service.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture (in-person only)
Mark P. Bangert, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
3:45 p.m. Bach Cantata Vespers (in-person and online)
Susan Nelson, soprano
Amanda Koopman, mezzo soprano
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
Douglas Anderson, baritone
Bach Cantata Vespers Chorus and Orchestra
Grace Cantor Michael D. Costello, conducting
CME’s annual new music concerts featuring the world premiere of cardinal directions by award winning composer Alex Berko.
Friday, May 19 @ 6:30pm & Saturday, May 20 @ 7:30pm | Guarneri Hall
How we experience music is inexorably tied to time and place. In this concert, we hear one of the oldest works the William Ferris Chorale has ever performed, John Sheppard’s Tudor masterpiece In Media Vita.
This concert explores how different living composers interact with and draw inspiration from historic musical styles. A new commission by Kile Smith responds to Sheppard’s work. We will also hear music based on Renaissance models by Francisco Coll, Cecilia McDowall, and Sven-David Sandström. Works by Paul French and Joanne Metcalf round out this unique concert.
Bach composed a cantata in the 18th century’s fashionable pastorale style for the Second Sunday After Easter. Its text implores God as faithful shepherd to gather up the flock and bring them safely into the sheepfold. The Kapelle of Concordia University Chicago, under the direction of Charles P. Brown, joins us for the cantata. In the prelude the choirs of Grace and Concordia will combine for a stirring performance of The Alleluiatic Sequence for brass and two choirs, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer Richard Hillert. We will also hear his Prelude to Evening Prayer for strings and oboes and sing “Alleluia, Voices Raise,” with text by George Wither and tune and concertato by Hillert.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture (in-person only)
Mark Peters, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
Douglas Anderson, baritone
Bach Cantata Vespers Orchestra
Kapelle, Concordia University Chicago, guest choir
Charles P. Brown, guest conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion speaks as urgently of compassion and hope today as it did 300 years ago—and when Music of the Baroque first performed it in 1974. One of the greatest creative achievements of all time, Bach wrote his masterpiece for two choruses, two orchestras, children’s chorus, and soloists. Only subscribers are guaranteed seats for what will be one of the musical highlights of the year. Dame Jane Glover conducts.
Bach’s largest vocal work, the St. Matthew Passion is monumental in scale and packed with drama as soloists, two choirs, and two orchestras bring the words of Matthew’s gospel to life. Bach is a master storyteller, building tension in the narrative, and knowing when to step back and change the pace with new melodies, new meters, deeper emotions, and infinite invention. Intimate arias and familiar, reflective chorales speak to the heart of the Christian faith, that Christ died for us and for our salvation.
Sunday, March 26 performance is livestreamed at 4:00 p.m. Back-up link (Use this one in the unlikely event that the main link is not working).
Presented in concert with intermission
Admission is free; a free-will offering will be received
Bach Cantata Vespers Chorus and Orchestra
in collaboration with Chicago Choral Artists
Grace Cantor Michael D. Costello, conducting
Derek Chester, tenor (Evangelist)
Keven Keys, baritone (Jesus)
Maura Janton Cock, soprano
Karen Brunssen, mezzo soprano
Sarah Ponder, mezzo soprano
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
Douglas Anderson, baritone
Pre-concert lecture by Carl Grapentine in the Sanctuary one hour prior to each performance.
And I heard a voice …
The world’s preeminent expert on the music of Arvo Pärt, Paul Hillier conducts a curated program juxtaposing Pärt’s work with European polyphony from the 14th - 16th centuries and recent works by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Julia Wolfe, and Caroline Shaw.
World-renowned artist and scholar Paul Hillier (Ars Nova, Theatre of Voices, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Hilliard Ensemble, and others) returns to Bella Voce after a long hiatus, conducting a program that contrasts gems of early European polyphony with the elegant minimalism of contemporary composer Arvo Pärt, and works by celebrated contemporary women composers. Join us and be immersed in the resonance of early music, the profound spirituality of Pärt’s signature stylings, and the voices of a new generation.
Bella Voce Chorus (a cappella),
Paul Hillier, conducting
700 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60661
939 Hinman Ave Evanston, IL, 60202
Constantly shifting patterns are a hallmark of contemporary choral music.
In this concert, we explore different patterns and the ways in which composers use them. This concert features a reprise of our lauded 2022 performance of Wally Gunn’s The Ascendant. In addition, works by Missy Mazzoli and Caleb Burhans will be featured. Finally, two movements of Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer-prize winning Partita will be featured.
This concert features our dear friends and collaborators Rebecca McDaniels (percussion) and Atlas Arts Media.
Our world premiere performances of Matthew Recio’s stunning, immersive piece in the spring of 2021 were extremely successful, and, while we loved performing in the woods, we want the piece to be presentable in other spaces. So this February, we’re hosting a composer workshop for Matt to adapt the piece for an indoor performance setting. We’re collaborating with local Chicago schools, inviting high school choral students to join us for the workshop, sing with the choir, and experience the creative process firsthand. We’re so excited to take this step to expand our organization’s mission to bring new music to the Chicago community.
Constellation is Chicago's premiere tenor/bass vocal ensemble dedicated to creating distinct performances in unique spaces, empowering the next generation of singers through educational engagement, and expanding the repertoire for men’s vocal music by commissioning new works from both emerging and established composers.
Since 2019, Constellation has begun partnering with other local nonprofits to raise awareness and funding for impactful organizations to the Chicagoland community through the Community Uplift program. Organizations include Center On Halsted, Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Chicago, Fostering Dignity, and Alzheimer's Association of Illinois.
Their upcoming concert Luceat Eis will be an hour-long musical meditation inviting audience members into community while exploring grief through a multitude of lenses. Creating a safe space for people to bring their whole selves with them, listening to the sounds both warm and wailing, and experiencing what collective grief looks like as music.
Constellation is excited to be in two new-to-us venues for this series, the Labyrinth at Buchanan Chapel and the Catacombs at the Epiphany Arts Center. Providing beautiful backdrops for the soundscape of the voices in Constellation, audience members will have a choice between a sacred and secular venue.
The texts of the program are wide ranging, including a moving premiere with poetry by Jasper Lauter entitled Dead Name. Lauter is a poet, trans activist, and drag performer living in the Bay Area. Languages included on the program include English, Latin, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole. CME is a queer-led non-profit 501(c)3 organization in Chicago. www.constellationensemble.org
Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156
I am standing with one foot in the grave
Despite the uneasy image in the title, this is a beautiful cantata, a lyrical portrayal of the believer’s acceptance of death and joyful trust in God’s grace. The opening sinfonia for oboe, strings and continuo borrows a familiar minor-key melody from one of Bach’s keyboard concertos, setting a mood of serenity and peace for the arias that follow. The motet for the service is by Dieterich Buxtehude (1637—1707), a moving setting of the well-known chorale “Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr” (Lord, thee I love with all my heart). Grace’s string quartet in residence, the Kontras Quartet, will perform the prelude to the service and join us for the cantata.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture (in-person only)
Mark Peters, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights
3:45 p.m. Bach Cantata Vespers (in-person and online)
Kontras Quartet: Eleanor Bartsch, François Henkins, Ben Weber, and Jean Hatmaker
Dieterich Buxtehude: Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr, BuxWV 41
David John Hailey, First Baptist Church, Oak Park, Illinois, homilist
Nathalie Colas, soprano
Thomas Aláan, countertenor
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
Douglas Anderson, baritone
Bach Cantata Vespers Chorus and Orchestra
Grace Cantor Michael D. Costello, conducting
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra presents the oratorio, which is conducted by music director Stilian Kirov, on Dec. 11 at Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Chapel in Palos Heights.
One of Chicago’s greatest holiday traditions, audiences flock to hear the thrilling renditions of Händel’s Messiah by the Apollo Chorus. This year we’re proud to announce a quartet of internationally-acclaimed soloists, including soprano Hannah De Priest, countertenor Ryan Belongie, tenor Ryan Townsend Strand, and baritone Bill McMurray.
Saturday, December 10 @ 3:00pm
Sunday, December 11 @ 3:00pm
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
To keep our community safe, the following COVID-19 measures will be in place:
All Chorus members are vaccinated.
COVID-19 protocols will be in line with local City/State mandates in place at the time of the concert and, along with any masking directives, will be updated within the event as we get closer to the concert date.
Thank you for your cooperation in protecting the health of our community.
Run time 2 hours and 50 minutes
Celebrated countertenor Reginald Mobley wields a voice that is “pure of tone, immaculate in his articulation” (The Herald) in a program of powerfully moving arias by Handel. The chorus shines in Purcell’s exquisite “Hear my prayer, O Lord” “Welcome to all the Pleasures,” and music from Handel’s oratorio Belshazzar. J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 and lively dances William Croft composed for The Comedy call’d the Funeral complete this evening of high-spirited drama.
Sunday, November 20, 7:30 PM North Shore Center, Skokie
Monday, November 21, 7:30 PM Harris Theater, Chicago
