ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Opera at Home!

Sole e Amore

Revel in the sounds of Italy with a virtual recital awash with beautiful lesser-known musical gems by beloved Italian opera composers, curated and hosted by Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola and presented by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. With Maestro Mazzola at the piano, members of the Ryan Opera Center 2020/21 Ensemble will perform songs by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini, and Mascagni, selected with love by Mazzola. This event is available for streaming now at www.youtube.com/user/LyricOperaofChicago

Personal narratives of resilience

Virtual Book Panel: Voices of Srebrenica

Join the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and the Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center for a panel discussion of ”Voices from Srebrenica” with its authors, Ann Petrila and Hasan Hasanović, as well as Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center. They will be joined by Jessica Hulten, assistant manager of education, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center; Ida Sefer, president, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute Chicago; and David Pettigrew, professor, Southern Connecticut State University, and board member, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute. Live questions from the audience will follow the discussion. “Voices from Srebrenica: Survivor Narratives of the Bosnian Genocide” tells the story of 14 survivors of the Bosnian Genocide. Through individual narratives of trauma and resilience, the book forges personal connections with the reader, ensuring that "never forget" and "never again" are more than just catchphrases. This moving book assures that remembrance and prevention live in the hearts of readers. This virtual panel discussion will start at noon on March 25. The event is free, however, a donation of $10 is accepted at registration. Reserve your spot at www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/programs/events/

Find new ways to engage!

Chicago Theatre Week

This year’s offerings have much in common with Black Lives Matter and Women’s History Month empowerment, from Congo Theatre’s “Hit ‘Em on the Blackside,” to Silk Road Theatre’s “Black Teens’ Lives Matter,” written with its Empathic Playwriting Intensive Course; to Playmakers Laboratory’s “That’s Weird Grandma: House Par-Tay” celebrating Women’s History Month, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter; to Artemisia Theatre’s “Opposing Ophelia:” new ideas about beauty, blackness and womanhood. The shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on the theatre community. Many are offering online performances while developing opportunities to safely bring the community together in person again. Log on to ChicagoTheatreWeek.com to engage with and support companies. Buy a digital subscription, donate to individual theatres, give to the League of Chicago Theatres Workers Relief Fund, choose a digital show to watch.

CHIditarod Returns!

CHIditarod Film Festival

CHIditarod season is here, but with more and more families in need during this trying time and the pandemic keeping people apart for fear of endangering loved ones and the community, CHIditarod has created a new series of events to keep make sure everyone can express their creativity, help those in need, and celebrate together even when they’re apart. On March 6 at 7 p.m., CHIditarod will be livestreaming on Twitch for a night of fundraising. During the livestream, they will be showing off the best of the Film Challenge entries, awarding prizes and concluding their day of Greater Chicago Food Depository takeover. You can learn more about both of these events a www.chiditarod.org/

Virtual Tours!

Historic Chicago Cultural Center Virtual Tours

The historic Chicago Cultural Center remains closed to the public due to COVID-19, so the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is piloting new virtual tours of the “People’s Palace.” Drawn by its beauty and the fabulous free public events, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Chicago Cultural Center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in Chicago. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions and family events. The virtual tour is at 11 a.m. March 3 and covers the stunning architecture and history of the Chicago Cultural Center, completed in 1897. Request your free tour today at DCASEvoluntours.org.

Art Reflects Life!

Fractures: Creating Around Devastation

Join artists, scholars, and policymakers in a two-day symposium from the Museum of Contemporary Art centered on ideas of ecofeminism, architecture, and water. These guiding topics are at the forefront of thinking and work presented by artists at the MCA. Knowing that each of these areas touches all of our individual lives, voices in this symposium help us understand how these urgencies are interconnected and how creativity helps us imagine a future around devastating situations. The symposium includes an afternoon and an early evening program on March 4 and 5. Before each program, Chicago’s own LAMPO presents a musical piece inspired by the program topic. RSVP and learn more at https://mcachicago.org/Calendar

Thought Inspiring!

Degrees of Separation: Working Toward Racial Justice in the U.S. and South Africa — Panel Discussion

Join the Illinois Holocaust Museum for a thought-provoking conversation on the fight for racial equality in the United States today, and its parallels to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Chicagoan Dr. Rozell “Prexy” Nesbitt, educator, activist and speaker on Africa, foreign policy, racism, and international leader who supported the struggle to end apartheid, will be joined by Marissa Moorman, professor of African History and Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University, whose work focuses on the history of South Africa. This virtual panel discussion will start at 6:30 p.m. on March 4. The event is free, however, a donation of $10 is accepted at registration. Reserve your spot at www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/programs/events/

Author Talk!

Virtual Author Conversation: Randa Jarrar and Leila Abdelrazaq

Join Women & Children First's Crowdcast Channel to celebrate "Love Is an Ex-Country" by Randa Jarrar. For this March 1 event, Jarrar will be in conversation with Leila Abdelrazaq. Jarrar is a fearless voice of dissent who has been called "politically incorrect" (Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times). As an American raised for a time in Egypt, and finding herself captivated by the story of a celebrated Egyptian belly dancer's journey across the United States in the 1940s, she sets off from her home in California to her parents' in Connecticut. Hailed as "one of the finest writers of her generation" (Laila Lalami), Jarrar delivers a euphoric and critical, funny and profound memoir that will speak to anyone who has felt erased, asserting: "I am here. I am joyful." The event starts at 7 p.m. Register at www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/event.