Bienen School Hosts Spring Orchestra Concerts

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The majestic sounds of classical and modern works for strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion will be performed by several student ensembles, including the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia.

Hosted by the University’s Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, upcoming events will take place at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive on the Evanston campus, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Chicago’s Millennium Park, 201 East Randolph St., as noted.

A spring season highlight will be two free performances of Mahler’s monumental “Resurrection” Symphony scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. The Friday, May 27 concert will be held indoors at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, and the Sunday, May 29 program will take place outdoors at the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Loop. Both events will feature the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and Apollo Chorus of Chicago, a 150-voice choir best known for its yearly performances of Handel’s “Messiah.”

Spring 2016 Orchestra events

• The Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra will present a program titled “French Musical Gems” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Conducted by Robert G. Hasty, the performance includes Ravel’s “Le tombeau de Couperin,” Ibert’s “Divertissement,” Roussel’s “The Spider’s Feast” and Debussy’s “Petite Suite.” Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with a valid ID. 

• The Northwestern Philharmonia will perform works by Walton, Mozart and Britten at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The program includes Walton’s “The Wise Virgins: Suite,” Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major and Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to Orchestra” (Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell).” Led by faculty member Robert G. Hasty and graduate student conductor Vincent Povázsay, the concert will feature clarinetist Andrew Hudson and narration by the Bienen School’s Bernard J. Dobroski, professor of music education. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with valid IDs.

• The Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorale, Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, will join forces for two performances of Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”). The first will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The four ensembles will reconvene for another presentation of the symphony outdoors at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 29 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. This exploration of the afterlife and resurrection established Mahler’s compositional style and launched his fame. Conducted by Victor Yampolsky, the performance features soprano soloist Jessica Rivera, who has appeared in the critically acclaimed premieres of John Adams’ “A Flowering Tree” and “Doctor Atomic.” The Mahler performance also highlights mezzo-soprano Renée Tatum, who has appeared in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” at the Metropolitan Opera and Houston Grand Opera and who joined an international cast in Japan as Flora in Verdi’s “La traviata.” Stephen Alltop will direct the Apollo Chorus. Alltop also is the director of Northwestern’s Alice Millar Chapel Choir and conductor of the Baroque Music Ensemble. Admission to both concerts is free.

• The Northwestern University Philharmonia will be the featured during the “Kids Fare” program, “Phabulous Philharmonia” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 28, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Ideal for ages 3 to 8, the hourlong concert allows children to marvel at the magic of combined strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion as Philharmonia presents a colorful program of orchestral music, including Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.” Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with valid IDs and children.

For more information on these or any other spring Bienen School events, call the Bienen School of Music Concert Management Office at 847-491-5441 or visit concertsatbienen.org or Northwestern’s new Arts Circle website. To order tickets, contact the Bienen School Ticket Office at 847-467-4000 or visit concertsatbienen.org.