Press release
The Chicago Philharmonic Society proudly opens its 33rd Season with William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony on October 13, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck, the orchestra performs Still’s Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American Symphony) for the first time, as well as music by Price, Márquez, Villa-Lobos, and a Chicago premiere by Donna Milanovich Composer in Residence Jonathan Bingham.
The concert centers on the early 20th century resurgence of folk influence in classical music. The headlining piece, Still’s Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American), combines the traditional symphonic form with blues patterns and melodies. Still is one of the most notable and prolific American composers of the last century; he broke barriers as the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, and the first to have his work performed by one.
Also following the theme of folk-inspired classical music is Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America, which weaves folk idioms into a symphonic tone poem. There has been a recent resurgence in Price’s oeuvre, spurred in part by a 2009 discovery of Florence Price’s archives in her summer home in St. Anne, Illinois. Among the findings was Price’s orchestral arrangement of Ethiopia’s Shadow, which was originally written for solo piano. Musicologists believe this may have been Price’s first written orchestral piece.
Donna Milanovich Composer in Residence Jonathan Bingham returns for his second year of the Composer in Residence program with the Chicago Premiere of Monograph. Bingham’s Chicago Philharmonic debut came last year with the world premiere performance of his critically acclaimed Tautology.
Rounding out the program is Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, Preludio, which combines the composer’s love of his home country’s folk music with the J.S. Bach circle-of-fifths chord progressions; and Arturo Márquez’s homage to one of Mexico’s beloved dance traditions, Danzón No. 2.
“I’m so proud to be part of an orchestra that makes space for innovative programs like this one,” said Maestro Scott Speck. “We’ve built a reputation for presenting ‘mixed rep’ programs that eschew the traditional concert structure of an overture, concerto, and major symphony. It allows us to explore, to be more creative, and I think the artistic result is thrilling.”
This event is supported in part by Concert Sponsor U.S. Bank. Chicago Philharmonic’s 22/23 Symphonic Series is supported by Chicago DCASE and the Illinois Council for the Arts.
Tickets start at $35 for adults and $10 for students. For tickets and further information, visit chicagophilharmonic.org/still/
ABOUT THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY
Founded by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1979, The Chicago Philharmonic Society is a collaboration of over 250 of the highest-level classical musicians in the Midwest. The orchestra, known as the Chicago Philharmonic, has been called one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras, and its unique chamber music ensembles perform as Chicago Phil Chamber. The brilliance of Chicago Philharmonic’s structure is in its versatility – the organization curates the best ensemble for each concert from an exceptional pool of musicians, be it classical, jazz, pops, movie concerts, outreach programming, and everything else.
The Illinois Council of Orchestras has awarded Chicago Philharmonic “Orchestra of the Year” (2018), “Programming of the Year” (2019), “Community Relations of the Year” (2019), “Executive Director of the Year” (2020), and “Conductor of the Year” (2021). Find out more about Chicago Philharmonic at chicagophilharmonic.org.
ABOUT MAESTRO SCOTT SPECK
With recent performances in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence, and winning personality.
Scott Speck was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Chicago Philharmonic in June of 2013 and has been Music Director of the Joffrey Ballet since 2010. He has become a frequent guest for the Chicago Symphony’s family concerts. His work with Chicago Philharmonic earned him the award “2021 Conductor of the Year” from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
In past seasons Scott Speck has conducted at New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Opera House, the Paris Opera, Washington’s Kennedy Center and in cities across the globe including Paris, Moscow, Shanghai, Beijing, Vancouver, and Romania. He was named Principal Guest Conductor of the China Film Philharmonic in Beijing. Speck is the co-author of two of the world’s bestselling books on classical music, Classical Music for Dummies and Opera for Dummies. His third book in the series, Ballet for Dummies, was released to great acclaim as well. Scott Speck has been a regular commentator on National Public Radio, BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and has been featured in TED talks and at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Scott Speck can be reached at scottspeck.org, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ScottSpeckMusic.
ABOUT JONATHAN BINGHAM
Over the last decade, composer Jonathan Bingham has been recognized for his use of electronic and acoustic instrumentation. He’s composed music for film, advertisements, and has received commissions to write for numerous ensembles. Bingham received the Vincent C. LaGuardia Award in composition leading to a residency with the Arapahoe Philharmonic in 2016. Over the following several years, he premiered five orchestral works and obtained a subsequent residency with the Boulder Symphony.
Through his collaborations with filmmakers, dancers, and painters, he has had work premiered internationally in concert halls, cinemas, galleries, and playhouses. Recent commissions include SOLOS for the Carpe Diem String Quartet and DEIFIED for the National Brass Ensemble. In addition, he’s created original scores for over a dozen film productions which have premiered in festivals such as the New York Film Festival, Rome International Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival among others. He currently teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has been invited to lecture on concert and film music at Fayetteville State University, the School of Visual Arts, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Holding degrees in composition from Howard University and New York University, his most recent project is Cool Story—a record label researching scores and producing recordings of lesser-known music.
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