Displaying items by tag: Millennium Park

Celebrate the start of Chicago's cultural season with a melodic evening under the stars. Lyric's annual free concert, Sunday in the Park with Lyric, takes place on August 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and promises an opportunity to embrace the end of summer with a fun-filled night of music. The event will be hosted by Lyric's Chief Artistic Administration Officer Matthew Ozawa, NBC5's Arts and Entertainment Reporter LeeAnn Trotter, and the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth.

Visitors can take in the city skyline as they enjoy this highly anticipated favorite annual event. The evening will showcase performances by members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center and the Lyric Opera Orchestra in selections from Lyric's upcoming 2024/25 Season, conducted by Music Director Enrique Mazzola and Ryan Opera Center Conductor Chi-Yuan Lin. As a special feature, Lyric Unlimited's Artist-in-Residence Karen Slack will make her inaugural appearance. All selections will feature projected English titles.

In his fourth season with Lyric as Music Director, Mazzola will conduct Rigoletto, Fidelio, and The Listeners, in addition to a collaboration with Sondra Radvanovsky for her world premiere trio of concerts, The Puccini Heroines. The upcoming season also marks the 50th anniversary of the Ryan Opera Center — Lyric's acclaimed artist-development program.

Lyric's upcoming season, opening on Saturday September 14, is an enchanting mix of new, contemporary works and familiar, classic productions. The season begins with Verdi's Rigoletto (September 14 - October 6) and will be celebrated through the season opening gala: Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes (October 4). Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, comes next, with performances from September 26 to October 10. Next is Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (November 9 - 30), followed by Jeanine Tesori's Blue (November 16 to December 1), Puccini's La Bohème (March 15 - April 12), and Missy Mazzoli's The Listeners (March 30 - April 11).

As part of the Sunday in the Park with Lyric festivities, children and their adults can enjoy a new Lyric offering, Art-See Jamboree, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Highlights include:

• Ongoing creative performances by storyteller Jasmin Cardenas of Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, with sessions starting every half hour from 11:30 a.m., will provide a preview of the upcoming Opera in the Neighborhoods performance tour based on the story.
• Art creation activities with William Estrada from the Mobile Street Art Cart Project.
• Live music featuring DJ Jawon Mayberry.
• Photo opportunities, Lyric goodies, and a giveaway raffle for attendees.

Attendance is first-come, first-served for this free event and no tickets are required. For more information and to view program notes for Sunday in the Park with Lyric, visit lyricopera.org/millennium.

Lyric's performances in the 2024/25 Season will take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, and will feature easy-to-follow English translations projected above the stage. Subscriptions and single tickets are available now. For detailed information on specific performance dates and ticket availability, please visit lyricopera.org or call 312.827.5600.

To learn more about the 2024/25 Season, visit lyricopera.org/newseason.

The Joffrey Ballet announces the programming for the Joffrey for All free performance, which will feature a mixed repertory program in Millennium Park by Joffrey Company Artists and students from the Joffrey Academy of Dance Community Engagement programs. The program is comprised of a series of powerful performances by the most pioneering choreographers from around the globe, including Cathy Marston, Justin Peck, Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, and 2024 Winning Works Choreographer Manoela Gonçalves. The Joffrey Ballet for All free performance kicks off with family-friendly movement classes featuring partner organizations, including the Poetry Foundation and Ensemble Español, starting at 4:15pm on the lawn, followed by the mixed rep program at 5:30pm on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE says, "The Joffrey for All free performance is truly a gift to the people of Chicago, offering the opportunity to see works by powerhouse choreographers, in addition to pieces illustrating the breadth of our Academy and Community Engagement programs. I am especially delighted to share an excerpt from Carousel: A Dance by Christopher Wheeldon, which will be the final performance by retiring artist Christine Rocas, who celebrates 20 illustrious years at the Joffrey. Audiences will also see works from our upcoming 2024-2025 season: Yuri Possokhov's Andante and Cathy Marston's Heimat (a preview of the beauty to come in our season opener, Atonement)."

Joffrey President and CEO Greg Cameron says, "The first-ever Joffrey for All free performance took place in June 2023, opening our arms to over 7,500 Chicagoans in the heart of the city. This year, with gratitude to our Producing Sponsor, Gallagher, we are planning an even larger celebration by partnering with community organizations for free dance workshops to allow everyone to experience the joy of dance. The Joffrey for All free performance reflects the collaborative spirit of the city of Chicago and the power of the arts to bring people together."

The Joffrey for All free performance features world-class works that are captivating for audiences of all ages. Highlights include Yuri Possokhov's Andante, a pas de trois set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto #2; Cathy Marston's Heimat, which paints a halcyon picture of a family in the Swiss countryside; an excerpt from Carousel: A Dance by Christopher Wheeldon, the internationally renowned choreographer of the Joffrey's perennial favorite, The Nutcracker; and The Times Are Racing, a modern piece by West Side Story and Illinoise choreographer Justin Peck, set to the last four tracks of Dan Deacon's expansive 2012 album, America.

The program also features a moving new solo by 2024 Winning Works choreographer Manoela Gonçalves, Benteveo (saudade), set to a score by Nina Simone. Benteveo, named after the famous Latin American bird known for its singing, is Gonçalves's tribute to her late father, who she describes as "the inspiration for this piece. His freedom could only be represented by a bird following the melody of its own song."

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of the Joffrey for All free performance Producing Sponsor Gallagher, and Presenting Sponsors The Chicago Free for All Fund through the Chicago Community Trust, Anne L. Kaplan, The Negaunee Foundation, The Women's Board of The Joffrey Ballet, and Zell Family Foundation.

Co-Chairs: AARP Illinois, Abbott, Crain's Chicago Business, Brendan Fernandes, Sonja and Conrad Fischer, ITW, Kovler Family Foundation, Willie and Nichelle Mayberry, and Sarah Wills.

About Joffrey for All

The Joffrey Ballet's Joffrey for All free performance commemorates the Joffrey's mission to create a Joffrey for All. In the last decade, Joffrey has launched several initiatives to welcome dancers of all backgrounds into the Chicago dance community. These include offering more than $500,000 in scholarships and financial aid annually to increase access to professional and educational opportunities regardless of financial barriers, and a state-of-the-art studio space at 1920 S. Wabash to expand the Company's access to students from Chicago's south and west sides.

The Joffrey for All strategic plan forms pathways for every person to experience the joy of dance. Launched in summer 2023, Dancing with Parkinson's, offered by the Joffrey Ballet's Community Engagement division in partnership with Northwestern Medicine, is a supportive space to explore dance for people with Parkinson's and their caregivers. The Joffrey Academy of Dance also offers Adaptive Dance programs for neurodivergent students and students with diverse movement abilities to improve their mind and body awareness while engaging in creative expression. 

About The Joffrey Ballet­­

The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for more than 65 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.

Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2023–2024 Season Sponsors: Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, Anne L. Kaplan, The Florian Fund, and Margot and Josef Lakonishok.  

Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges our Season Partners: ATHLETICO, Chicago Athletic Clubs, and Jewell Events Catering. 

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.