Chicago Philharmonic Finds Inspiration in GLORIOUS EARTH for 2017-18 Season

The Chicago Philharmonic presents a unique and diverse offering of symphonic concerts across the Chicago area in its new season, Glorious Earth.

Says Artistic Director Scott Speck, "The virtuoso musicians of the Chicago Philharmonic always play with such warmhearted empathy and emotion. We have devoted a season to the glories of being alive on this planet, with an array of masterpieces that show us what it means to be human."

This year, the orchestra expands its symphonic subscription season to six concerts, with performances at Pick-Staiger Hall in Evanston, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie and Harris Theater in downtown Chicago, where they became a resident company last year.

Fresh from their first New York tour at the Lincoln Center of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Philharmonic continues a decades- long tradition of presenting both well-loved classics and ground-breaking new works.

The season opens in October in Evanston where the Apollo Chorus and the Evanston Children's Choir, along with star vocalists Martha Guth, Hugh Russelland Justin Berkowitz, will join with the Chicago Philharmonic for Orff's stunning masterpiece Carmina Burana. The second concert in the season is the long-awaited world premiere of Sonorous Earth. Commissioned by the Chicago Philharmonic Society, one of America's premier contemporary composers Augusta Read Thomas joins forces with 2017 Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion for this aural spectacle. Thomas describes the piece as "extraordinarily singular": inspired by the resonant and vibrational richness of metals and bells, and their importance in the history and development of the world and culture.

In spring 2018, the Chicago Philharmonic returns to Pick-Staiger Hall with "Bows and Beasts", headlined by the enduring Carnival of the Animals and starring married piano duo Per Tengstrand and Shan-shan Sun. The award-winning pianists boast an illustrious performance and recording career both together and individually. April sees a program of Russian masters Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff featuring Xiayin Wang, whose recordings of Rachmaninoff's piano solos have been praised for technique and clarity.

Also in April The Dream, the critically acclaimed convergence of literature, music and dance with Visceral Dance Chicago, returns to the stage. And finally, the family-friendly season finale, "Hollywood Heroes", celebrates the stars and film scores of the silver screen in May.

"We are excited to be sharing our music and musicians' talents in a wider offering of concerts and venues this year. From supporting new works to performing beloved favorites with inspiring soloists from afar, as well as bringing forward the best Chicago has to offer, we are passionate about connecting to- and truly being the orchestra for- the people of Chicago."
- Donna Milanovich, Executive Director, Chicago Philharmonic Society

Subscriptions are on sale from April 10, 10am.

Single tickets for all concerts will be on sale from May 1.

CONCERTS

BODY AND SOUL

October 15 2017, 7pm

Pick-Staiger Hall, Evanston

SCOTT SPECK Conductor

APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO

EVANSTON CHILDREN'S CHOIR

MARTHA GUTH Soprano

HUGH RUSSELL Baritone

JUSTIN BERKOWITZ Tenor

CARL ORFF Carmina Burana

CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS Rainbow Body

Igor Stravinsky Firebird Suite

SONOROUS EARTH

November 12 2017, 3pm

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago

SCOTT SPECK Conductor

THIRD COAST PERCUSSION

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS Composer

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS Sonorous Earth

JOAN TOWER Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 5

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 41 (Jupiter)

BOWS AND BEASTS

March 4 2018, 3pm

Pick-Staiger Hall, Evanston

SCOTT SPECK Conductor
PER TENGSTRAND Piano
SHAN-SHAN SUN Piano

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Carnival of the Animals

PYOTR ILYCH TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings

ANTONIO VIVALDI Concerto for Four Violins in E minor, RV 550

Ogden Nash Verses for Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals

BEYOND THE BLACK SEA
April 29 2018, 3pm
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie

SCOTT SPECK Conductor

XIAYIN WANG Piano

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2

Philip Glass Music from The Secret Agent

THE DREAM

With VISCERAL DANCE CHICAGO

January 14 2018, 3pm
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie

SCOTT SPECK Conductor

NICK PUPILLO Choreographer

Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Chamber Symphony, String Quartet no. 8.
OSVALDO GOLIJOV Mariel
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Elegy from Serenade for Strings
Johnny GreenWOOD Proven Lands, Future Markets, and Oil from "There Will be Blood"
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Vocalise
Heitor Villa-Lobos Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5
MINORU MIKI Time for Marimba
Thom Yorke Creep
ALLESSANDRO MARCELLO Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D minor
ENNIO MORRICONE Gabriel's Oboe from "The Mission"

HOLLYWOOD HEROES
May 27 2018, 3pm
Harris Theater, Chicago

Walk the red carpet dressed as your favorite Hollywood hero or star as Chicago Philharmonic presents a thrilling afternoon of music from the silver screen.

Full program to be announced.

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