Mei-Ann Chen, new Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, continues the orchestra's annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in
THE JOURNEY, THE DREAM
North Central College, January 15
Symphony Center, January 16
CHICAGO — December 7, 2011 — Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, continues Founder Paul Freeman's cherished annual tradition of paying tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in The Journey, The Dream. Maestro Chen and guest conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson, Founder and Music Director of Philadelphia's Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, lead the Sinfonietta through a selection of works that celebrate King's pioneering fight for civil rights and his enduring legacy. The third concert in the Sinfonietta's subscription season, The Journey, The Dream is performed at Wentz Concert Hall of North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville, Sunday, January 15 at 3 pm and at Orchestra Hall of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago on the official holiday, Monday, January 16 at 7:30 pm.
"The opportunity to work with the Atlanta Symphony provided a crucial pivotal change in my musical career," remarked Chen. "As I got to experience the city that was so influential to Dr. King's life, little did I know that I would later come to serve as music director in two other cities that played important roles in Dr. King's life — Chicago and Memphis. When I came to the States as a teenager, Dr. King's legacy and 'I have a dream' speech made a tremendous impact on me. Therefore I am extremely honored to continue the Sinfonietta's very important tradition of its annual concert tribute to Dr. King."
Maestro Chen opens the concert with Zoltán Kodály's lively Dances of Galánta (Galántai táncok), inspired by the folk music of Kodály's native Hungary. Johnson then takes the podium to conduct the overture to Ludwig van Beethoven's delicate Fidelio.
Both Chen and Johnson share the podium for Charles Ives' Central Park in the Dark, an impressionistic work that paints a vivid sound picture of Central Park at night before combustion engines and radio waves took over the world. This unique work calls for two conductors to be on stage at the same time.
The MLK tribute program continues with Johnson conducting the World Premiere of Harambee: Road to Victory,composed by jazz flutist Nicole Mitchell and featuring the powerful voices of the Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir. Harambee: Road to Victory ("harambee" is a Swahili term meaning "pulling together") is a work for flute, choir and orchestra that musically illustrates the hope and joy of people coming together to resolve differences and to celebrate oneness.
The concert closes with Chen conducting the Sinfonietta and the Apostolic Choir in a selection of gospel music and spirituals.
For the seventh year in a row, the concert will be preceded by the orchestra's signature Arts & Diversity Reception, an invitation-only event for leaders in Chicago's diversity community. This year's reception will be marked by the presentation of the first ever Chairperson's Diversity & Inclusion Award to one for-profit and one non-profit organization for excellence in the field.
Single tickets for The Journey, The Dream range from $35-$45 at Wentz Concert Hall and $26-$96 at Orchestra Hall, with special $10 pricing available for students. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chicago Sinfonietta at 312-236-3681 ext. 2 or online at www.chicagosinfonietta.org .
Jeri Lynne Johnson is the Founder and Music Director of Philadelphia's newest classical music ensemble, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (BPCO). Based in Philadelphia, the BPCO is dedicated to creating excellence by reflecting the cultural diversity of the community in its artists onstage. Through the creative use of technology, encouraging audience participation and creating unique artistic collaborations with the city's most prominent institutions, the BPCO promises to engage the entire community and take the audience beyond spectatorship to participation in the artistic experience. In addition to leading the BPCO, Johnson is currently the cover conductor for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. She began conducting during her doctoral studies in music theory and history at the University of Chicago. While a student in Chicago, Johnson was awarded the 1998 Jorge Mester Conducting Scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival and since then her conducting teachers and mentors have included Sir Simon Rattle, Marin Alsop and Daniel Barenboim among others. Soon after, Ms. Johnson was engaged by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (COP) and served as that ensemble's assistant conductor from 2000-2004. A recipient of many civic, community and artistic honors, including a 2010 British American Project Fellow, 2010 Philly 360 Creative Ambassador by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation, a 2010 Honoree in Arts and Culture for The Power Shift and a 2009 Leeway Transformation Award, Johnson heralded as one of today's leading women conductors on NBC's Today Show alongside prominent woman conductors Marin Alsop and Joann Falletta. In 2005, Johnson made history as the first African-American woman to win an international conducting prize when she was awarded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship.
A creative flutist, composer and bandleader, Nicole Mitchell has been named "Top Flutist 2010" by Downbeat Magazine's Critic's Polls and was awarded "Jazz Flutist of the Year 2010" by the Jazz Journalist Association. The founder of the critically acclaimed Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings, Mitchell's compositions reach across sound worlds, integrating new ideas with movements in jazz, gospel, pop and African percussion, to create a fascinating synthesis of "postmodern jazz." Mitchell's entry into the world of improvisation was inspired by trombonist Jimmy Cheatham and flutist James Newton while she was a student at University of California: San Diego. After a studying briefly at Oberlin with Donald Byrd and Wendall Logan, Mitchell moved to Chicago where she met many members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), who would soon become mentors and fellow musicians. Mitchell joined the AACM in 1995 and helped co-found the AACM's first all-woman ensemble, Samana. She also served as the first woman president of the AACM.
Mei-Ann Chen, also Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, has appeared with symphonies all over the country and the world, include the symphonies of Alabama, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Edmonton (Canada), Florida, Fort Worth, Honolulu, National (Washington, D.C.), Oregon, Pacific, Phoenix, Princeton, Seattle, Toronto, and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra. The first woman to win the Malko Competition (2005),Chen has served as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony. Born in Taiwan, Chen has lived in the United States since 1989. She was the first student in New England Conservatory's history to receive master's degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting.
The Chicago Sinfonietta has a proud history of having enriched the cultural, educational, and social quality of life in Chicago, while gaining significant recognition on the national and international stage. Performing in both downtown Chicago and in west suburban Naperville, the Sinfonietta presents a full season of symphonic concerts. The Chicago Sinfonietta has also served as the official orchestra of The Joffrey Ballet since 2003. Under the guidance of FoundingMusic Director Paul Freeman, the orchestra has performed at the highest artistic level since 1987. Chen was named Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta in July 2011, succeeding Freeman upon his retirement. Freeman remains Music Director Emeritus. The Chicago Sinfonietta musicians truly represent the city's rich cultural landscape and continue to fulfill the orchestra's mission of Musical Excellence through Diversity™.
The Chicago Sinfonietta thanks Lead Season Sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Supporting Season Sponsor Capri Global Capital, and Lead Media Sponsor Chicago Sun-Times Media. Additional thanks to Fifth Third Bank, Lead Concert Sponsor, Peoples Gas, Exelon and ABC7 Chicago. Quarles & Brady LLP is a sponsor of the North Central College performance of The Journey, The Dream. Additional media support provided by Chicago Magazine, Arte Y Vida Chicago, WBEZ 91.5, the Chicago Defender and Naperville Magazine.
For more information on the Chicago Sinfonietta, please visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org .
