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!

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.

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.

Art in Motion!

Art on theMART: Year of Chicago Dance

As the “Year of Chicago Dance” designated by the City of Chicago reaches its halfway point, Art on theMART continues to spotlight local dancers, choreographers and visual artists on the most prominent public art canvas in the city while also featuring international artists. This summer’s lineup includes Billiken, an all-new projection directed by fourth generation youth dance troupe leader Shkunna Stewart and Time Out Best in the City Award-winner Wills Glasspiegel. Bridging local and international arts communities, summer 2022 will also see “Explore,” a work by international artist Jonas Denzel, recognized for his stunning and creative projection mapping presentations in his native Germany. The two new pieces will debut on Thursday, June 30, and will play twice nightly at 9 p.m. through September 7, alongside Nick Cave’s “Ba Boom Boom Pa Pop Pop” in the 9:30 p.m. slot. FREE. Viewing is best on the Riverwalk between Wells and Franklin Streets.

Stretch It Out!

Millennium Park Summer Workouts

Get your body moving this summer with Millennium Park’s Summer 45-minute workouts! Join in the dance-like martial arts form of Tai Chi, strengthen the connection between mind and body through Yoga, improve flexibility and balance learning Pilates, and boost cardio endurance with Zumba. Join on Saturday, July 2, from 8 - 11:45 a.m. for this free event. ASL interpretation will be provided for all workouts. Can’t make it? Don’t worry, this event recurs weekly.

The Force is Strong!

‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ at CSO

In the climactic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker joins R2-D2, C-3PO and Princess Leia to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet. Watch the complete film unfold as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performs John Williams’ legendary score. Richard Kaufman leads the CSO at 7:30 p.m. June 30-July 2 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Ticket holders are invited to a free preconcert conversation with Kaufman in Orchestra Hall 75 minutes before the performance. The conversation will last approximately 30 minutes. No additional tickets required. The presentation is licensed by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm. Tickets $74-$217 at cso.org

Healthy Mind & Body!

Who is Wellness For?

Explore the mind, body, self-care, and justice of wellness with writer and poet Fariha Róisín. Through her own experience as a Muslim queer Bangladeshi working through overwhelming personal struggles, Róisín wrote “Who Is Wellnss For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind,” a combination of memoir and journalistic investigation that unpacks the reality of wellness as a luxury good. Róisín’s work commonly stirs contemporary Islam and queer identities with wellness and has been featured in The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and Vogue. Róisín will be in conversation with Mimi Zhu, a queer Chinese-Australian artist and writer whose work has also been featured on esteemed platforms such as The New York Times, VICE, and more. This virtual event is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St. Visit www.womenandchildrenfirst.com to register.

Lecture & Book Signing!

Black Travel and the Pullman Company Maid

Gender discrimination. Racial discrimination. For years, the Pullman Company porters harshly overshadowed the maids who worked in the railroad cars, but Miriam Thaggert works to share their stories in her curation of “Handmaidens for Travelers: The Pullman Company Maids.” On Wednesday, June 29, Thaggert will be in conversation with Mia Bay, who chairs the American History department at the University of Pennsylvania. Thaggert is an associate professor of English at SUNY Buffalo, currently a long-term fellow at Newberry. Together, the two will address the unique experiences, pleasures and perils, of the Pullman Company maid. This event is in Ruggles Hall at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., from 6 - 7 p.m., with a book signing afterward. To register for free, or for more information, visit newberry.org.