CHICAGO — The world premiere of "Higher: Renée Fleming and Patricia Barber Perform the Music of Patricia Barber" on December 14at 7:30PM is nearly sold out. A top holiday pick from the likes of Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Crain's Chicago Business, and many others, this one-night-only engagement can be heard a second time exclusively on WFMT at 8PM on Monday, December 21, as Renée Fleming and Patricia Barber take the stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and National Sawdust in Brooklyn throughout December.
"Higher" is a musical collaboration between Grammy winning soprano Renée Fleming and Chicago jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer,Patricia Barber for a virtuosic, adventurous, and uniquely harmonious evening of music, produced by the Harris Theater, in association withLyric Unlimited. Just in time for the holidays, Ms. Fleming will perform a recital program of Ms. Barber's songs which have been newly arranged for this special engagement. In keeping with the season, Ms. Fleming and Ms. Barber will also join forces for a selection of holiday favorites. Accompanying these dynamic artists will be collaborator and pianist Craig Terry, who is also Artistic Director for the Harris Theater'sBeyond the Aria series and the Music Director of Lyric Opera's Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, and Patricia Barber's trio:Patrick Mulcahy ( bass ), Neal Alger ( guitar ), and Jon Deitemyer ( drums ). The performance will then be presented at the Kennedy Center on December 16.
"Higher" is the debut performance of Ms. Fleming's new series, Renée Fleming: To the Edge, produced by the Harris Theater, in association with Lyric Unlimited. A creative work in progress, this series beckons audiences to the cutting edge of performance, exploring the voice as it enriches a variety of artistic forms. With the Harris' expertise in producing and commissioning works that excite, inform, and push the envelope, this is a perfect artistic partnership and a thrilling premise for an innovative and truly special series. Renée is known for her personal dedication to projects that transcend the notion of genre boundaries; born of Ms. Fleming's role as Creative Consultant at Lyric Opera of Chicago, this series reflects her breadth and passion for performance in its entirety, outside of any expectation of the structure of opera presentation. More details to come.
Tickets for this special engagement are $35—$125, now available at www.HarrisTheaterChicago.org or by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312.334.7777.
Programs, prices, and dates are subject to change.
Sponsorship
This broadcast was made possible with support from Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols, Broadcast Sponsor and Presenting Sponsor.
The Harris Theater is proud to have the support of The Northern Trust Company as its 2015—2016 season sponsor. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of the Harris Theater. Hyatt Regency Chicago is the Harris Theater's season hotel partner. The Theater also gratefully acknowledges the Irving Harris Foundation for its leadership support of the Presenting Fund. The Harris Theater is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency. All performances take place on The Elizabeth Morse Genius Stage at the Harris Theater.
About Harris Theater for Music and Dance
The Harris Theater's mission is to partner with an array of Chicago's emerging and midsize performing arts organizations to help them build infrastructure and achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. Opened on November 8, 2003, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929. Today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city's world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and international artists and ensembles.
Imagine: The Campaign for Harris Theater, is a $38.8M comprehensive fundraising effort supporting the Theater's multifaceted mission. The campaign ensures the continued growth and artistic development of the Harris Theater over the next 10 years.
The Imagine campaign is led by four transformational gifts: from The Irving Harris Foundation, Joan W. Harris; Alexandra and John Nichols; Chauncey and Marion D. McCormick Family Foundation, Abby McCormick O'Neil and D. Carroll Joynes; Caryn and King Harris, The Harris Family Foundation. Additional leadership gifts supporting programmatic and capital projects have been generously funded by The Crown Family, Jay Franke and David Herro, Jack and Sandra Guthman, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Neisser Family Foundation, The Northern Trust Company, Christine and Glenn Kelly, Laura and Ricardo Rosenkranz, and Marilyn and David J. Vitale.
The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust and Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust are the lead underwriters of fundraising for Imagine: The Campaign for Harris Theater.
The Harris Theater maintains a commitment to engaging Chicago residents of all ages and communities. Programs like the popular Eat to the Beat and Exelon Family Series advance access to, and understanding of, the performing arts. The Theater partners with health and human service agencies, K-12 schools, and community arts organizations, providing more than 8,800 underwritten performance tickets through the Access Tickets Program since 2009. The Theater also connects gifted young artists and students to presented artists through master classes, artist talks, and other enrichment activities.
To learn more about the Harris Theater, please visit HarrisTheaterChicago.org . Call the Box Office at 312.334.7777 to request a brochure or additional information.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago's state-of-the art 1,525-seat performance venue, can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Learn more at the link: www.lyricopera.org/lyricunlimited .
