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Renee Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma

photo by Todd Rosenberg

Cherubini_Muti_Rehearsal 1.2
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Suzanne Flandreau from the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago tells us about The Staple Singers.

Here are The Staple Singers with I’m Coming Home (Parts 1+2)

Go behind the scenes with Chicago Symphony Chorus Director Duain Wolfe as he prepares the Chorus for performances of the rare Italian masterpiece, Requiem in C minor by Luigi Cherubini

Cherubini_Duain_Introit b.2

Suzanne Flandreau from the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago tells us about Thomas A. Dorsey.

This past weekend my husband and I traveled to Urbana-Champaign for a production of Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville.”  We had lived there for 20 years, and during that time Paul had conducted many operas and I had prepared many opera choruses.  This production of “Barber” was probably the finest production of that opera we have ever seen…virtually anywhere.  Three things made it special.  First, Jerald Siena (that wonderful tenor who now teaches at Uof I) directed the production and worked carefully with the set designer and others to create a witty, colorful and altogether delightful period staging that was truly guided by the music. Second, the wonderful baritone Ronald Hedlund, who retired from U of I a few years ago, but still sings wonderfully (at an age well past 70!), made his stage farewell as a terrific, funny, superbly sung Dr. Bartolo.  And finally, we discovered the lovely young soprano Jacqueline Piccolino, who played a stunningly wonderful Rosina.  This  young woman – only a junior at U of I(!) – is absolutely a world class singer.  She has it all – solid technique; a voice of beauty, flexibility and, when needed, power; great acting ability and delightful looks.  She’s off to the Merola program in San Francisco this summer, and probably will return to U of I to finish her degree.  I hope that she comes to Chicago and joins the Ryan Center….because after a few years there, she could go anywhere and make a huge career.  Exciting weekend.

Here’s the composer himself.

And who could forget Warner Bros. classic “Rabbit of Seville”:

2011 Fall PIANOFEST Showcase Recital

Roosevelt University Chicago College of the Performing Arts presented a five-day festival showcasing the talent of some of the region’s finest young concert pianists on Nov. 9-13, 2011 in Roosevelt University’s Rudolph Ganz Memorial Hall, Chicago.

Performances by six of these student soloists, who hail from all over the world, opened the festival with a live broadcasted on 98.7 WFMT radio. These performances were recorded for You Tube, and all listeners/viewers from the community are invited to vote for their favorite soloist/performance.

Your votes from this survey will award an Audience Favorite Prize to a performer from the Showcase Recital. The winner will perform a live recital on WFMT’s Impromptu Series on May 3, 2012 at 3:00 pm. Voting ends on March 9, 2012. Thank you for your participation!

To vote:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22DPVPWZG7Z

Student soloists:

Chanmi Ryu, a native of South Korea and a resident of Chicago’s West Loop. Prelude and Fugue in F Major, WTC II by J.S. Bach and Franz Lizst’sTranscendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor.

Allegra Sorley, a resident of Chicago’s South Loop and a junior piano performance major from the Indianapolis area. Two Preludes by Claude Debussy,General Lavin – Eccentric and Bruyeres and George Gershwin’s Preludes for Piano.

Jana Pavlovska, a resident of Chicago’s Gold Coast and a native of Macedonia. Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo” from Sonata No. 30, Op. 109.

John Urban, a resident of Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood and a native of Jacksonville, Fla.. Frederic Chopin’sBarcarolle, Op. 60 and “Allegro marcato” from Alberto Ginastera’s Sonata No. 1, Op. 22.

Alice Chenyang Xu, a resident of Chicago’s South Loop and a native of Sichuan, China. Xu.Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op.35 Book 1 by Johannes Brahms.

SangHee Han, a native of Korea who lives on the Chicago Campus. “Dance of the Old Herdsman,” “Dance of the Beautiful Maiden” and “Dance of the Arrogant Cowboy” from Alberto Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2.

May the best pianist win!

For more information about the Piano Program at CCPA, please visit:  http://www.roosevelt.edu/CCPA/MusicConservatory/Faculty/Piano.aspx

After finishing the WFMT Radio Network series Song of America with Thomas Hampson last October, I’ve had the privilege of producing our second series of concerts from the Salzburg Festival.  WFMT began airing these two-hour programs in early February (other stations around the country began in January and still more will program them throughout 2012).  These 10 program hold a fascinating variety of orchestral performances – one with the Vienna Philharmonic and two with the AMAZING Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra – as well chamber music, a solo recital by Yo-Yo Ma, and a recital of songs by Kurt Weill sung by the wonderful Angela Denoke.  There’s even Verdi’s opera Macbeth, conducted by our own Riccardo Muti.  I’ll have more in future posts, but I encourage you to listen to 98.7 or WFMT.com on most Sundays between 4-6 PM.  Good stuff!