By TOM BOWSER
The free Chicago Chamber Musicians hosts an interesting variety of musicians and musical styles. Concerts are held every Monday at 12:15 pm in the breathtaking Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center. Concerts are sponsored by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Chamber Monday concerts are a great lunch break if you work or attend school downtown. These concerts are also an excellent opportunity for music students to network, watch and learn from professional musicians.
Classical music needs to evolve in order to stay relevant and attract new, younger audiences. Ensembles like Picosa help expand the definition and perception of "classical" music. Picosa looks forward by choosing to play the works of contemporary composers using contemporary technologies. Picosa links the present and future with the past through it's performance of standard works composed by the "masters" of classical music. Visit PicosaMusic.com to learn more about Picosa.
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Picosa played to a receptive and appreciative audience. Picosa's performances were well rehearsed and professionally presented (even though the room seemed unusually cold). I enjoyed the diversity of music they performed. It's always exciting to discover something new during my exploration of Chicago's music scene. Picosa performed works by a number of contemporary composers I had not previously heard of. Jonathon Kirks arrangement of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun worked very nicely for the Picosa ensemble. My wife and I both enjoyed the concert. I highly recommend you schedule time to see a Picosa performance.
Mondays performance included a unique opportunity to hear flutist Jennie Brown perform "Wraith" accompanied by the composer Jonathon Kirk. Jonathon Kirk used contemporary digital effects technologies to interact and react in real time to Jennie Browns live, electronically modified flute performance. What makes this type of performance especially unique and interesting is it can never be performed exactly the same way twice. Cool! They both did a great job.
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Picosa:
- Jennie Brown, flute
- Andrea R. DiOrio, clarinet
- Elizabeth Brausa Brathwaite, violin
- Sara Sitzer, cello
- Jeffrey Panko, piano
- Joann Cho, piano
- Jonathon Kirk, composer, electroncs
Picosa performed:
Hospital Suite for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano by Felipe Perez Santiago- Vesiculobiliar
- Neurocardiogenico
Wraith for flute and electronics by Jonathon Kirk
Circulo, op. 91 for violin, cello, piano by Joaquin Turina
- Dawn
- Midday
- Dusk
Three Miniatures for clarinet and piano by Krzysztof Penderecki
- Allegro
- Andante cantabile
- Allegro ma non troppo
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano by Claude Debussy. Arranged by Jonathon Kirk.