CHICAGO S GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS 80 TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON JUNE 11 AUGUST 16, 2014 IN MILLENNIUM PARK

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1 For Immediate Release Contact: Jill Hurwitz, CHICAGO S GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS 80 TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON JUNE 11 AUGUST 16, 2014 IN MILLENNIUM PARK Thirty spectacular concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, with two world premiere commissions: Concerto for Orchestra by Festival Composer-in-Residence William Bolcom and The Legend of the Northern Lights by Christopher Theofanidis Festival Connect an initiative of music education and engagement expands Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, Project Inclusion and Apprentice Chorale Perform in the neighborhoods at Chicago Park District venues throughout the city as part of the Park District s Night Out in the Parks program; Classical Campers return for the fifth year, introducing young people to music In honor of the 80 th Anniversary, former Festival Principal Conductors Leonard Slatkin and Hugh Wolff return as guest conductors Other highlights include Fenton s The Blue Planet in Concert, Holst s The Planets, and Janáček s Glagolitic Mass with the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus and Guest Soloists The Festival shines a focus on young musicians and presents the National Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic CHICAGO (February 12, 2014) Grant Park Music Festival Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell announce an adventurous schedule of programming for the Festival s 80 th Anniversary Season, taking place June 11 August 16, 2014 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago s Millennium Park. All concerts are free and most will take place on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (a complete schedule is attached.) This summer, Carlos Kalmar will lead the Grammy Award-nominated Grant Park Orchestra and Christopher Bell will direct the award-winning Grant Park Chorus in an anniversary season of world premieres, Festival favorites, world renowned guest artists, a weeklong composer-inresidency, two visiting youth symphonies, and collaborations with local artists and cultural organizations. Highlights of the anniversary season include a weeklong residency by Pulitzer Prize winner William Bolcom which concludes with the world premiere of a new concerto for orchestra, written for the Grant Park Orchestra and performed on the season s closing weekend. The Legend of the Northern Lights, with music by Grammy Award-nominated composer Christopher Theofanidis, will also receive its world premiere this summer, showing off the Grant Park Orchestra against a backdrop of awe-inspiring images in a film by Emmy-nominated astronomer and visual artist, Dr. José Francisco Salgado, seen on the huge Millennium Park screen.

2 Audiences will also be treated to The Blue Planet in Concert, led by composer-conductor George Fenton, who returns with his thrilling score set to breathtaking underwater images from the BBC/Discovery series that will be shown on Millennium Park s state-of-the-art screen; Gustav Holst s beloved orchestral suite The Planets, which will be performed at both the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the South Shore Cultural Center, and Janáček s powerful and emotionally charged Glagolitic Mass with the Grant Park Chorus and opera superstars Christine Goerke, Jill Grove, Garrett Sorenson and Shenyang. Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar will conduct favorites such as Brahms Symphony No. 4, Mozart s Violin Concerto No. 5, Rachmaninov s Symphony No. 2, Schubert s Unfinished Symphony, Handel s Water Music, Ravel s Daphnis and Chloé, and Lalo s Symphonie Espagnole, as well as lesser known gems including Tchaikovsky s Piano Concerto No. 2, Elgar s Symphony No. 1, and Chausson s Symphony in B-flat Major. As a nod to its past, the Festival will see the return of two of its esteemed Principal Conductors: Leonard Slatkin ( ) and Hugh Wolff ( ) will reunite with the Grant Park Orchestra for two separate weekends in July. Looking to the future, the Grant Park Music Festival will present two remarkable youth symphonies: the National Youth Symphony featuring Grammy Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham, and America s first youth symphony, the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Throughout the ten week season, the Festival will be joined by a roster of nationally and internationally acclaimed guest artists including conductors Mei-Ann Chen, George Fenton, Andrew Grams, Giancarlo Guerrero, Leonard Slatkin, Jeff Tyzik and Hugh Wolff; pianists Michel Camilo, Jean-Philippe Collard, Stephen Hough and Natasha Paremski; violinists Stefan Jackiw and Christian Tetzlaff; cellist Gabriel Cabezas and trumpeter Byron Stripling. Vocalists appearing during the 80 th Anniversary season include Marva Hicks in a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and Storm Large, of Pink Martini fame, performing The Seven Deadly Sins, along with Paul Appleby (tenor), Julie Boulianne (mezzo-soprano), Tracy Cantin (soprano), Christine Goerke (soprano), Jill Grove (mezzo-soprano), Shenyang (bass), Garrett Sorenson (tenor), Alfred Walker (bass) and artists from Lyric Opera s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. This year, the Grant Park Music Festival will continue to work together with the Chicago Park District s Night Out in the Parks program and expand Festival Connect, its comprehensive initiative aimed to increase music education and engagement opportunities for audiences of all ages. Festival Connect will bring a renewed focus to the neighborhoods with performances by the Grant Park Chorus, Project Inclusion and Apprentice Chorale. Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus will reach new audiences by bringing Choral Splendor, a program of a cappella music, to two Chicago Park District facilities: the South Shore Cultural Center and the Columbus Park Refectory. For the second year, the Festival will partner with the Chicago Sinfonietta on Project Inclusion, a professional development program that guides young minority musicians in their career, with a goal of increasing diversity among orchestral ensembles. After a rigorous audition process, four string musicians will be selected in March to spend their summer rehearsing and performing with Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra. In addition to Millennium Park, the fellows from Project Inclusion will perform at numerous Chicago Park District sites throughout the summer. -2-

3 The Festival will again collaborate with DePaul and Roosevelt Universities to offer advanced training and performance opportunities for pre-professional vocal students as part of the Apprentice Chorale. Led by Christopher Bell, the students will perform alongside the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, as well as with the Project Inclusion ensemble at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse and at Nancy Jefferson Park in Garfield Park. The Festival will continue to host Classical Campers, its popular half-day music and arts immersion program for children ages 6-12, in collaboration with the Chicago Park District. Throughout the season, 1,400 students from more than 30 different Chicago neighborhoods will tour Millennium Park and the Lurie Garden, learn about the instruments and sections of the orchestra with Project Inclusion fellows, take part in hands-on musical activities, and conclude their day with a visit to a Grant Park Music Festival rehearsal. Now in its fifth summer, Classical Campers often provides children with their first exposure to a live classical music performance. Every Friday at 5:30 p.m. before the Grant Park Orchestra takes the stage, audiences will be treated to concerts by students from local music schools and summer music programs at the front of the Great Lawn at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. This year, the Festival s Young Artists Showcase program will include performances by Merit School of Music, Chicago Metamorphosis Orchestra Project and Music Institute of Chicago, among others. The Festival will continue to provide educational experiences for people of all ages that encourage the audience to learn more about the music. Returning for a third year is Club 615, a free pre-concert lecture series that takes place every Saturday night throughout the season at 6:15 p.m. in the Choral Hall, located on the east side of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Hosted by Derek Matson and other guest lecturers, Club 615 provides an engaging way to learn about the evening s program, with insights shared by the Festival s conductors, composers, and musicians. Club 615 begins on Saturday, June 14; lectures are 45 minutes long. Open lunchtime rehearsals of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus return June 10 through August 15 and typically take place Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Audiences are welcome to sit in the Pavilion Seating Bowl during rehearsals and Festival docents will be on site to talk about the week s concerts during rehearsal breaks. Membership and Ticket Information All Grant Park Music Festival concerts are free and open to the public. Seating in the Seating Bowl and on the Great Lawn is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Memberships to the Grant Park Music Festival 80 th season are also available, and allow access to premium seats in a reserved area for all Festival concerts. Memberships begin at $157 and include parking and restaurant discounts, as well as other exclusive benefits. Priority access to reserved seats in the Pavilion is available for groups of ten or more. Exclusive seating on the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the Choral Balcony is available for groups of 50 or more. Group seating begins at $25 per person. For more information about the Grant Park Music Festival including membership and group seating, visit gpmf.org or call For additional information, visit the Grant Park Music Festival Facebook page or follow the Festival on -3-

4 Grant Park Music Festival Acclaimed by critics and beloved by audiences, the Grant Park Music Festival is the nation s only free, summer-long outdoor classical music series of its kind. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, located between Michigan and Columbus Avenues at Washington Street, is the official home of the Grant Park Music Festival. The Grant Park Music Festival is proudly presented by the Grant Park Orchestral Association with key support from the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Grant Park Music Festival is led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar, along with Grant Park Chorus Director Christopher Bell, Grant Park Orchestral Association President and CEO Paul Winberg, and Board Chair Chuck Kierscht. The Grant Park Music Festival gratefully acknowledges the generous support from its 2014 sponsors: BMO Harris Bank, Season Sponsor; American Airlines, Official Airline; Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Official Hotel; Mariano s, Official Picnic Sponsor; and Millennium Park Garages, Parking Sponsor. The Grant Park Music Festival is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. The Grant Park Music Festival participates in Mayor Rahm Emanuel s Night Out in the Parks series. Night Out in the Parks is an initiative featuring more than 1,000 cultural activities in Chicago Park District locations citywide, in support of the City of Chicago s Cultural Plan. Carlos Kalmar Carlos Kalmar has been Principal Conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival since 2000, and in 2011 was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. Under Kalmar s leadership, the Festival has become one of the world s preeminent classical music festivals, and he has played a central role in shaping its artistic vision. In addition to his role at the Grant Park Music Festival, Carlos Kalmar is the Music Director of the Oregon Symphony, a position he has held since 2003 and Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española in Madrid. He has served in artistic leadership roles for the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera House and Philharmonic Orchestra in Dessau, Germany and the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna, while also traveling the world as a guest conductor appearing with the world s most important orchestras. Kalmar has made six recordings with the Grant Park Orchestra. Christopher Bell Christopher Bell has served as Chorus Director of the Grant Park Chorus since 2001, and led the Chorus through its 50 th anniversary in 2012 with a series of special events, including the release of its first ever a cappella recording entitled Songs of Smaller Creatures and other American Choral Works, available on Cedille Records. In addition to working with the Grant Park Music Festival, Bell is the Chorus Master of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, and the Belfast Philharmonic Choir. Largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) in 1996, he has been its Artistic Director ever since. In 2012, Bell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow for his contributions to music in Scotland. He is the recipient of the 2013 Michael Korn Founders Award given by Chorus America, established in 1978 to honor an individual with a lifetime of significant contributions to the professional choral art. Note: all programs subject to change # # # -4-

5 SELECT 2014 CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS The world premiere of a concerto for orchestra by William Bolcom written for the Grant Park Orchestra in honor of its 80 th anniversary season. Pulitzer Prize winner Bolcom, composer-in-residence for the closing week of the 2014 season will be on hand for open lectures and discussions, as well as a performance of his Cabaret Songs, sung by artists from Lyric Opera s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. Carlos Kalmar conducts. (Cabaret Songs on August 13; Concerto for Orchestra on August 15 and 16). The world premiere of The Legend of the Northern Lights, a KV 265 Science and Symphony Work, with music by Grammy Award-nominated composer, Christopher Theofanidis and awe-inspiring NASA and Canadian Space Agency images in a film produced by Emmy-nominated astronomer and visual artist, Dr. José Francisco Salgado. Inspired by a children s story about the origins of the aurora borealis, this work takes visitors on a spectacular journey to the beautiful and desolate arctic and subarctic regions. Featured throughout are rich and vibrant displays of the Northern Lights, set against the majestic landscapes of the North. Carlos Kalmar conducts. (August 8 and 9). After thrilling Festival audiences with Planet Earth and Frozen Planet in Concert, Emmy Award-winning composer-conductor George Fenton returns to the Grant Park Music Festival with The Blue Planet in Concert, his symphonic score to accompany some of the most spectacular underwater images ever seen, from the BBC/Discovery Channel series, shown on the state-of-the-art Millennium Park screen. (July 16) Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus return to two of the city s cultural hubs the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center and the Columbus Park Refectory with Choral Splendor, a concert of moving a cappella music, as part of the Chicago Park District s Night Out in the Parks program. (July 17, 7 p.m. at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive; July 20, 3 p.m., Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W Jackson Boulevard). The Grant Park Orchestra will perform Holst s beloved orchestral suite The Planets at the South Shore Cultural Center and at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Local favorite and one of America s most dynamic young conductors, Mei-Ann Chen leads the program. (July 11, 6:30 p.m. at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive; July 12, 8 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion). The return of two of the Festival s esteemed former Principal Conductors: Hugh Wolff will pair with pianist Stephen Hough for Dvořák s Piano Concerto; Leonard Slatkin will reunite with the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus to conduct The Execution of Stepan Razin. (Hugh Wolff on July 18 and 19; Leonard Slatkin on July 25 and 26). Janáček s powerful and emotionally charged Glagolitic Mass, featuring the Grant Park Chorus and distinguished soloists, opera superstars Christine Goerke (soprano), Jill Grove (mezzo-soprano), Garrett Sorenson (tenor) and Shenyang (bass). Carlos Kalmar conducts. (June 27 and 28). -5-

6 2014 SEASON LINE-UP all programs subject to change OPENING NIGHT: TCHAIKOVSKY EXTRAVAGANZA Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Natasha Paremski, piano Corigliano Tournaments Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini BERLIOZ ROMEO AND JULIET Friday, June 13, 6:30 PM Saturday, June 14, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus director; Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano; Paul Appleby, tenor Berlioz Romeo and Juliet MOZART AND DVOŘÁK Wednesday, June 18, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Stefan Jackiw, violin Nicolai Overture: The Merry Wives of Windsor Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 Dvořák Symphony No.3 WATER MUSIC Friday, June 20, 6:30 PM Saturday, June 21, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor Handel (arr. Harty) Weber Elgar Suite: Water Music Jubel Overture Symphony No.1 VIVA MEXICO! Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano The festive and rhythmic music of mariachi performed by the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano with the Grant Park Orchestra. BARBER AND HAYDN Friday, June 27, 6:30 PM Saturday, June 28, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus director; Christine Goerke, soprano; Jill Grove, mezzo-soprano; Garrett Sorenson, tenor; Shenyang, bass Barber Haydn Janáček Fadograph of a Yestern Scene Symphony No. 98 in B Flat Glagolitic Mass -6-

7 SAINT-SAËNS CELLO CONCERTO Wednesday, July 2, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Giancarlo Guerrero, guest conductor; Gabriel Cabezas, cello; Tracy Cantin, soprano Danielpour Saint-Saëns Poulenc Darkness in the Ancient Valley Cello Concerto in A Minor Suite from Les Biches INDEPENDENCE DAY SALUTE Friday, July 4, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Christopher Bell, conductor An evening full of American spirit and song. PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC Saturday, July 5, 7:30 PM Performers: Portland Youth Philharmonic; David Hattner, conductor (The Grant Park Orchestra does not perform) Bunch Super-maximum (Chicago premiere) Cowell Ancient Desert Drone Theofanidis Visions and Miracles Dvořák Symphonic Variations, Op. 78 Brahms Academic Festival Overture ELLA, LOUIS, AND ALL THAT JAZZ Wednesday, July 9, 8 PM NOTE START TIME Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Jeff Tyzik, guest conductor; Marva Hicks, vocalist; Byron Stripling, trumpet A tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, featuring the music of Gershwin, Berlin, Waller and more. HOLST THE PLANETS Friday, July 11, 6:30 PM NOTE LOCATION Location: South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive Saturday, July 12, 8 PM NOTE START TIME Location: Jay Pritzker Pavilion Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and women of the Grant Park Chorus; Mei-Ann Chen, guest conductor Leshnoff Price Holst Starburst Dances in the Canebreaks The Planets THE BLUE PLANET IN CONCERT Wednesday, July 16, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; George Fenton, guest conductor After thrilling Festival audiences with Planet Earth and Frozen Planet in Concert, composer-conductor George Fenton returns with his symphonic score to accompany some of the most spectacular underwater images ever seen, from the BBC/Discovery Channel series. -7-

8 GRANT PARK CHORUS: CHORAL SPLENDOR NOTE DATE, LOCATION AND TIME Thursday, July 17, 7:00 PM Location: South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive Sunday, July 20, 3:00 PM Location: Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Boulevard Performers: Grant Park Chorus; Christopher Bell, chorus director Tavener Tavener Whitacre Macmillan Macmillan Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky Funeral Ikos The Lamb Leonardo Dreams Data est mihi omnis potestas In splendoribus sanctorum (from the Strathclyde Motets) The Cherubic Hymn (No. 7 from Liturgy of St. John Chystosto) The Legend DVOŘÁK AND BEETHOVEN Friday, July 18, 6:30 PM Saturday, July 19, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, guest conductor; Stephen Hough, piano Beethoven Dvořák Symphony No. 6 Pastoral Piano Concerto MUSICAL THRILLS! Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Andrew Grams, guest conductor; Damon Gupton, narrator Wagner Gounod Mozart Bolcom Saint-Saëns Schifrin Stookey Ride of the Valkyries Funeral March of a Marionette Abduction from the Seraglio Overture Commedia for (almost) 18 th century orchestra Danse Macabre Theme from Mission Impossible The Composer is Dead (an orchestra mystery by Lemony Snicket) SLATKIN CONDUCTS SHOSTAKOVICH Friday, July 25, 6:30 PM Saturday, July 26, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Leonard Slatkin, guest conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus director; Michel Camilo, piano, Alfred Walker, bass Chabrier Camilo Shostakovich Borodin España Piano Concerto No. 2 Tenerife The Execution of Stepan Razin Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor -8-

9 NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA WITH GIL SHAHAM NOTE DATE Monday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. Performers: National Youth Orchestra; David Robertson, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin S.C. Adams Bernstein Britten Mussorgsky World premiere commission Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Violin Concerto Pictures at an Exhibition SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, violin Chausson Lalo Halffter Symphony in B-flat Major Symphonie Espagnole Tiento BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO. 4 NOTE LOCATION Friday, August 1, 6:30 PM Saturday, August 2, 7:30 PM Location: Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Street Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Jean-Philippe Collard, piano Widmann Con Brio Bartok Piano concerto No. 3 Brahms Symphony No. 4 THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS Wednesday, August 6, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Storm Large, vocalist; male quartet from the Grant Park Chorus Weill The Seven Deadly Sins Schubert Symphony No. 8 Unfinished R. Strauss Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome NORTHERN LIGHTS Friday, August 8, 7:30 PM Saturday, August 9, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor NOTE START TIME Norman Theofanidis Rachmaninov Drip The Legend of the Northern Lights (World Premiere) Symphony No.2 The Legend of the Northern Lights, a KV 265 Science and Symphony Work, with music by Christopher Theofanidis and a film by José Francisco Salgado, is presented in collaboration with KV 265 and in association with the Adler Planetarium and the Canadian Space Agency Inspired by a children s story about the origins of the aurora borealis, this Science and Symphony work takes you on a spectacular journey to the beautiful and desolate arctic and subarctic regions. Featured throughout are rich and vibrant displays of the Northern Lights set against the majestic landscapes of the North. The work features original music by Grammy Award-nominated composer, Christopher Theofanidis, and awe-inspiring NASA and Canadian Space Agency images in a film produced by Emmynominated astronomer and visual artist, Dr. José Francisco Salgado. -9-

10 BOLCOM AND MOZART Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Artists from Lyric Opera s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Mozart Symphony No. 25 Bolcom Cabaret Songs Piston Suite: The Incredible Flutist DAPHNIS AND CHLOÉ Friday, August 15, 6:30 PM Saturday, August 16, 7:30 PM Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus director Adams Bolcom Ravel Tromba Lontana Concerto for Orchestra (World Premiere) Daphnis et Chloé (complete ballet) # # # Note to Press: Photos available for download, scroll halfway down the page at gpmf.org/press-room For additional images, contact Lauren Matson at lauren.matson@gpmf.org -10-