For Immediate Release: Press Contacts: Eileen Chambers, 312-294-3092 Photos Available By Request [email protected] May 2016 Calendar of Events Symphony Center Presents Sunday, May 1, 2016, 3:00 p.m. Piano Yefim Bronfman, piano PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82 PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83 PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84 Tickets: $29-$95 Prokofiev's ominous and emotional "War Sonatas" are tackled by Yefim Bronfman, one of the most talented virtuosos performing today. His combination of impressive technique and fiery passion is a perfect match for this collection of exciting, emotional works. "A marvel of digital dexterity, warmly romantic sentiment, and jaw-dropping bravura" (Chicago Tribune). ___________________________________________________________________________________ Civic Orchestra of Chicago Sunday, May 1, 2016 3:00 p.m. South Shore Cultural Center Civic Orchestra of Chicago 7059 S. South Shore Dr. Matthew Aucoin, conductor Program to include: MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 SCHUBERT Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D.200 Free and open to the public; no tickets are required The Civic Orchestra returns to the historic SSCC for the ninth consecutive season. Last season’s Solti Conducting Apprentice Matthew Aucoin makes his South Shore Cultural Center debut conducting the Civic Orchestra at this special event. No tickets are required for this free concert. Offered in partnership with the Advisory Council of the South Shore Cultural Center and the Chicago Park District. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Civic Orchestra of Chicago Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Civic Orchestra of Chicago Matthew Aucoin, conductor Program to include: MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 SCHUBERT Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D.200 Free and open to the public; tickets are required. The CSO's second Sir Georg Solti Conducting Apprentice Matthew Aucoin returns to lead the Civic Orchestra in a cheerful program that features uplifting symphonies by Mozart and Schubert. "[Aucoin] is quickly making a name for himself in classical music's upper echelons…a natural conductor" (The Boston Globe). ___________________________________________________________________________________ Chicago Symphony Orchestra Thursday, May 5, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 7, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 7:30 p.m. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles, conductor BRITTEN Sinfonia da requiem, Op. 20 STRAUSS, R. Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 ELGAR Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 (Enigma) Tickets: $30-$217 Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles was praised for his "masterful leadership of the orchestra" (The News-Gazette) after concerts with the CSO in October 2014. He returns to Symphony Center to lead a program including Richard Strauss' spectacular and brilliant tone poem Death and Transfiguration. Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da requiem paves the way for fellow Englishman Edward Elgar's popular Enigma Variations, 14 intriguing musical portraits of the composer's friends and family. There is a Classic Encounter preconcert lecture on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Learn more and purchase tickets here. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Friday, May 6, 2016, 8:00 p.m. CSO at the Movies Chicago Symphony Orchestra Richard Kaufman, conductor Silverado Tickets: $50-$199 Take an exhilarating journey through cinema history as the world-renowned CSO performs soaring selections from such beloved movies as Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, The Yearling, King Kong (1933), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and more! Witness breathtaking scenes from the greatest films to grace the silver screen as Richard Kaufman conducts scores by classic Hollywood composers including Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner and Herbert Stothart. Once Upon a Symphony Saturday, May 7, 2016, 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 7, 2016, 11:45 a.m. Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Megan Wells, storyteller Goldilocks and the Three Bears Tickets: $17 The brazen young Goldilocks stumbles upon a quaint cottage, finds that the door is unlocked and goes inside to explore. Little does she know it belongs to three bears and they're on their way home! Through this story, children will experience the wide and wonderful world of the forest through Goldilocks' eyes and playfully explore some of the boundaries and responsibilities that come with growing older. Goldilocks is presented in Collaboration with Chicago Children's Theatre. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Monday, May 9, 2016, 7:00 p.m. MusicNOW Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Cliff Colnot, conductor Tony Arnold, soprano Samuel Adams, Mead composer-in-residence Elizabeth Ogonek, Mead composer-in-residence ...spring, or some such thing IANNOTTA Intent on Resurrection — Spring or Some Such Thing ABRAHAMSEN Wald TRAPANI Waterlines Tickets: $26 ...spring, or some such thing is at once a celebration of renewal and a meditation on the anxieties that accompany the arrival of a new season. Clara Iannotta's hauntingly intimate and tactile sinfonietta Intent on Resurrection – Spring or Some Such Thing opens the evening with intense fragility. At the center of the program is Hans Abrahamsen's evocative masterwork Wald, a set of timbral variations that inhabits a world of mystery and danger. Tony Arnold joins musicians from the CSO for Waterlines, Christopher Trapani's beautiful and tragic song cycle about nature's indifference and power to destroy. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Thursday, May 12, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 14, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit, conductor Javier Perianes, piano Daniela Mack, mezzo-soprano RAVEL Alborada del gracioso FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain DUKAS The Sorcerer’s Apprentice FALLA The Three-Cornered Hat (Complete Ballet) Tickets: $34-$221 Charles Dutoit conducts two enchanting scores by Manuel de Falla. One of Spain's most exciting young artists, Javier Perianes is the soloist for the atmospheric Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and the concert ends with charming music from Falla's humorous ballet The Three-Cornered Hat. Ravel's zesty Alborada del gracioso and Dukas' ever-popular The Sorcerer's Apprentice complete this vibrant program. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Chicago Symphony Orchestra Friday, May 13, 2016, 7:30 p.m. Beyond The Score Sunday, May 15, 2016, 3:00 p.m. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit, conductor Javier Perianes, piano Falla in the South of Spain FALLA Suite No. 1 from The Three-Cornered Hat (Scenes and Dances) FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain FALLA Suite No. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat (Three Dances) Tickets: $26-$132 Passionately loyal to his ancestral roots in the far south of Spain, Manuel de Falla spent nearly 20 of the most intense years of his composing life in the beautiful and historic city of Granada in Andalusia. What so powerfully drew him there was the richly diverse culture of this ancient world, with its exotic blend of Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Romany traditions; its fabulous architecture and landscapes; and most of all, the unforgettably heart-rending and world famous music of flamenco—its sensual dancing, strummed guitars and "deep song," the cante jondo, which Falla himself called the purest and oldest of all the different forms of gypsy music. From such stunningly beautiful material, Falla created his own timeless world, a dream-like Spain of hot and perfumed nights, tragic passions and dark incantations. Civic Orchestra of Chicago Monday, May 16, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Civic Orchestra of Chicago Nicholas Kraemer, conductor MENDELSSOHN Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21 and 61 Free and open to the public; tickets are required. Enjoy a magical evening conducted by Nicholas Kraemer featuring Mendelssohn’s brilliant musical accompaniment to William Shakespeare's play about mischievous fairies who manipulate the lives of young lovers. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Thursday, May 19, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Friday, May 20, 2016, 1:30 p.m. Chicago Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit, conductor STRAVINSKY Fireworks, Op. 4 STRAVINSKY Symphony in C STRAVINSKY The Firebird Tickets: $36-$255 Charles Dutoit, renowned for his refined ear for orchestral color, conducts three of Stravinsky's most expressive works. Two of Stravinsky's early masterpieces, the brilliant Fireworks and magical The Firebird, frame one of his most powerful neoclassical scores, the Symphony in C. Symphony Center Presents Friday, May 20, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Jazz The Chicago Jazz Orchestra Jeff Lindberg, director Dee Alexander, vocals Ann Hampton Callaway, vocals René Marie, vocals A Tribute to Sarah Vaughan The Chicago Jazz Orchestra with Dee Alexander, Ann Hampton Callaway and René Marie Tickets: $24-$76 Honoring the incomparable "Divine One," the stalwart Chicago Jazz Orchestra led by Jeff Lindberg brings a program of Sarah Vaughan's classic music to Symphony Center. Don't miss exquisite performances by Dee Alexander, Ann Hampton Callaway and René Marie, three outstanding vocalists who have been undeniably influenced by one of the most unforgettable voices in jazz. "Vaughan's operatic intonation and range coincided with an improvisatory brilliance and rhythmic drive that made the most casual performance an exercise in virtuosity" (The New York Times). Chicago Symphony Orchestra Saturday, May 21, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Special Concert Chicago Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit, conductor Lang Lang, piano STRAVINSKY Fireworks, Op. 4 PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 STRAVINSKY The Firebird Tickets: $39-$295 Charles Dutoit conducts two dazzling showpieces by Stravinsky: the explosive Fireworks and the electrifying Firebird. These frame Prokofiev's witty and atmospheric Third Piano Concerto, performed by the phenomenally popular Lang Lang, "a spellbinding performer with a flair for drama" (CBS News). Symphony Center Presents Sunday, May 22, 2016, 3:00 p.m. Piano Marc-André Hamelin, piano MOZART Piano Sonata No. 18 in D Major, K. 576 DEBUSSY Images for Piano, Book 2 HAMELIN Pavane Variée HAMELIN Variations on a Theme by Paganini SCHUBERT Four Impromptus, D.