Chicago Sinfonietta Closes 36th Season With Dynamic, Colorful Soundscape

Chicago Sinfonietta reverberates with powerful sound and energy as closes its 2023-24 subscription series with an evening of exciting music.

Dynamism permeates the evening, beginning with Unsuk Chin's energetic curtain-raiser, Subito con Forza, followed by Louise Farrenc's bold and powerful Symphony No. 3 with its intense opening and triumphant finale. The passion continues with Carlos Simon's Profiles, an energetic, colorful work inspired by the work of the late visual artist Romare Bearden. The piece, writes the composer, "aims to highlight the rich energy and joyous sceneries that Harlem expressed as it was the hotbed for African American culture."

The final, evergreen work of the season is no less than the rock star of the 18th century, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed with internationally renowned pianist George Li in his Chicago Sinfonietta debut.

American pianist George Li possesses an effortless grace, poised authority, and brilliant virtuosity far beyond his years. Since winning the Silver Medal at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Li has rapidly established a major international reputation and performs regularly with some of the world's leading orchestras and conductors.

An exclusive Warner Classics recording artist, his third album with the label, which will include solo pieces by Schumann, Ravel, and Stravinsky, is scheduled for release in the spring of 2024.

Li gave his first public performance at Boston's Steinway Hall at the age of ten, and in 2011 performed for President Obama at the White House in an evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel. Among his many prizes are a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and the First Prize winner, the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 2019, he completed the Harvard/New England Conservatory dual degree program, with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Master's degree in Music. He subsequently graduated with an Artist Diploma at New England Conservatory in 2022.

About Chicago Sinfonietta

A tenured orchestra and acclaimed cultural leader that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating community through curated symphonic experiences, Chicago Sinfonietta is a source of community through music, ensuring and inspiring a continued investment in diversity and inclusivity in the genre of classical music to promote fairness and equity. Recognized as ground-breaking, dynamic, and daring, with core values built around being culturally responsive and advocates of inclusivity in all aspects of the 36-year-old organization's work, Chicago Sinfonietta's unrelenting commitment to being at the forefront of innovation drives its high standard of symphonic experiences. CS takes pride in leading by example with immersive audience engagement activities, impactful career development, education, and extensive community outreach programs.

Photo credit: Paul Marc Mitchell