ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Emma Slings
An Outdoor Symphony!
Tchaikovsky at the Park Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra close the season at 6:30 p.m., June 27, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., with a FREE, 70-minute concert featuring Tchaikovsky’s unabashedly autobiographical score. His Fourth Symphony (first performed in 1878) starts with an ominous opening horn fanfare – fate hanging over one’s head like a sword – proceeds to melancholy, then, as he wrote, “fleeting images that pass through the imagination when one has begun to drink a little wine.” Finally, there is the joyful abandon of the finale: “If you cannot find reasons for happiness in yourself, look at others. Get out among the people.…Oh, how gay they are!…Life is bearable after all.” Shostakovich’s Festive Overture sets the evening’s tone in rousing terms. No tickets required.
Jam in the Park!
(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT
Evanston Starlight Concert Series - The Midnight Sun Band The band that’s backed big names like Gerald Albright and Destiny’s Child is coming to perform for you! Known for their precision and attention to intricacies, Midnight Sun continues to light up parks with their 10-piece ensemble and 5-part harmony, full horn section and percussion. Head to Baker Park, Forest Ave. & Keeney St., Evanston, on June 28 for this group of Chicago’s elite funk, soul, and R&B talent performing music from throughout the decades. 7 - 8:30 p.m. Free admission, but remember to bring your own lawn chairs and blankets for seating. For more, visit cityofevanston.org.
4
A Classical Lunch Break!
AYA Piano Trio Witness young classical talent from the AYA Piano Trio. As part of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, a free concert series every Wednesday that features solo and ensemble performances and emerging classical performers, the AYA Piano Trio will be performing two pieces: Mozart’s “Adagio” and Clara Schurmann’s “Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 19.” This trio, made up of a cello, piano, and violin, has performed extensively throughout the U.S., winning the WDAC Young Chamber Musicians Competition and being featured at many chamber music festivals. On June 29, from 12:15 - 1 p.m., listen in person at Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 55 E. Wacker Drive, or online at imfchicago.org.
Mixologist Magic!
Chicago Cocktail Social Attend an evening with Chicago’s most talented bartenders from reputable beverage programs! Sip on mixed cocktails while eating gourmet appetizers and listening to Cage + Aquarium on June 30. Green Curtain Events is hosting this 7th annual Chicago Cocktail Social at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie St., from 6:30-10 p.m. Tickets are $45-$75. Visit choosechicago.com. The evening’s proceeds will benefit Women Unite.
