Orion Ensemble Reveals 32nd Season Featuring Chicago Premieres & More

The Orion Ensemble is offering iconic chamber works—new and beloved—for its 32nd season, a four-concert series at three venues: Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, where Orion is an Ensemble in Residence this season; PianoForte Studios in downtown Chicago; and New England Congregational Church in Aurora. The Chicago performances also will be available via livestream.

Joining Orion’s core musicians—Florentina Ramniceanu, violin; Judy Stone, cello; Kathryne Pirtle, clarinet; and Diana Schmück, piano—are guest artists Stephen Boe, viola; Mathias Tacke, violin; Robert Kassinger, bass; Andrei Muravev, bassoon; and Gregory Flint, French horn.

Concert 1 “To Melody!” welcomes frequent guest violist Stephen Boe and features Max Bruch’s Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83; Franz Schubert’s Trio in B-flat Major for Violin, Viola and Cello, D. 581; and Antonin Dvorák’s Quartet in E-flat Major for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 87. Performances are September 22 (Aurora), September 23 (Chicago) and September 29 (Evanston).

Concert 2 “To Hope!” has guest violinist Mathias Tacke (above, L) and guest violist Stephen Boe joining the Orion musicians. A highlight is the Chicago premiere of José Elizando’s “The Dawn of Hope, Limoncello and Cherry Blossoms” (c. 2018), along with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Quintet in F-sharp minor for Clarinet and String Quartet, Op. 10 (1895) and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Quintet in G minor for Piano and String Quartet, Op. 57 (1940). Performances are November 10 (Aurora), November 11 (Chicago) and November 17 (Evanston).
 
Concert 3 “To Life!” is a program of trios that includes the Chicago premiere of Alexander Goldstein’s “Trio on the Roof” for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (2013), as well as Johannes Brahms’ Trio in B Major for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 8 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Trio in B-flat Major for Violin, Cello and Piano, K. 502. Performances are March 9 (Evanston), March 10 (Chicago) and March 16, followed by the Spring Benefit (Aurora).

Concert 4 “To Joy!” features Ludwig van Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major for Strings and Winds, Op. 20. Joining the Orion musicians for this work are returning guest musicians Stephen Boe, viola; Robert Kassinger, bass (above, bottom); Andrei Muravev, bassoon (above, top L); and Gregory Flint, French horn (above, top R). The program also includes Richard Strauss’ Quartet in C minor for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano, Op. 13. Performances are April 27 (Aurora), April 28 (Chicago) and May 4 (Evanston).
 
Orion also celebrates its 30th anniversary of live appearances on WFMT radio with a performance on Monday, November 18.
 
Founded in 1992, The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming for its critically acclaimed millennium celebration “An Inside Look at Contemporary Music,” features a roster of four acclaimed musicians—Kathryne Pirtle (clarinet), Florentina Ramniceanu (violin), Diana Schmück (piano) and Judy Stone (cello)—who have performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, as an ensemble and individually in solo, orchestral and other chamber music roles. The Chicago Tribune called Orion “one of Chicago’s most vibrant, versatile and distinctive ensembles,” and the Chicago Sun-Times said Orion is “what chamber music should be all about: Individual virtuosity melded into a group personality.” The Orion Ensemble is supported in part by grants from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the Arts Tour Fund of the Illinois Arts Countil, the John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund and generous donations from its patrons.
 
The Orion Ensemble performs its 2024–25 concert programs at three Chicago-area venues: the PianoForte Studios, 1335 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Mondays (a new weekday this season), September 23, November 11, March 10 and April 28 at 7:30 p.m.; the Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, where Orion is Ensemble in Residence this season, on Sundays, September 29, November 17, March 9 and May 4 at 7:30 p.m.; and New England Congregational Church, 406 W. Galena Boulevard in Aurora on Sundays, September 22, November 10, March 16 (followed by the Spring Benefit) and April 27 at 3 p.m. Single tickets are $30, $25 for seniors (65+) and $15 for students (13+); children 12 and younger may attend free. A four-ticket flexible subscription provides a $10 savings on single tickets plus one complimentary ticket. The March 16 Spring Benefit ticket is an additional $75. For tickets or more information, call 630-628-9591 or visit orionensemble.org.

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