looking to the past and future: Carlos kalmar and christopher bell introduce the 80th season

At an exclusive Season Preview Reception on February 11, guests were treated to an early look at the 2014 Season.

Artistic Director Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell were on hand to preview the exciting highlights they have planned for audiences this summer to celebrate the 80th Anniversary Season.

Celebrating history, investing in the future

"Marking the 80th Season, we are going to collaborate with composers from two generations of American music to present two world premieres. William Bolcom, who has a great, long history with the Festival and who will be our composer-in-residence for the last week of the Festival, will premiere his concerto for orchestra. Also, Christopher Theofinidis, along with Dr. José Francisco Salgado of the Adler Planetarium, will give audiences The Legend of the Northern Lights, a wonderful mixture of music, visual arts and science based on a children's story on the origins of the aurora borealis."

Kalmar also highlighted the return of two former Festival principal conductors, Leonard Slatkin and Hugh Wolff, as well as concerts with two stellar youth ensembles - the National Youth Orchestra and the Portland Youth Philharmonic. "We are celebrating our history. At the same time, we are showing our investment in the future of classical music.

Unique programming

"The Festival continues on its very distinctive road of programming,' Kalmar went on. "On one side, very well-known, well-loved music performed at a very high level. We'll present Brahms Symphony No. 4, Beethoven Sixth Symphony, The Planets by Gustav Holst conducted by Mei-Ann Chen, and Daphnis and Chloé by Ravel with the Grant Park Chorus"

"The Festival also continues to give exposure to pieces that are not performed regularly, but that deserve to be heard. Pieces like Dvorák's Symphony No. 3, Haydn's Symphony No. 98, and a piece by the first African American female composer, Florence Price."

Stunning guest artists

"We have cavalcade of world-class soloists joining us this Season," Kalmar revealed. "Christian Tetzlaff, my friend the pianist Stephen Hough, and Jean-Philippe Collard, the renowned French pianist is coming back. Stefan Jackiw, Gabriel Cabezas, Natasha Paremski on Opening Night - the list goes on."

The Grant Park Chorus

Kalmar then introduced Chorus Director Christopher Bell to talk about his plans for the Grant Park Chorus this season, saying: "Of course, the focal point of the Festival is when the two ensembles, the excellent orchestra and the magnificent chorus, get together."

"We've got some spectacular pieces organized this year." Bell shared as he took the podium. "I'm particularly looking forward to Janácek's Glagolitic Mass, which is an extraordinary piece of music that I've been particularly terrified of doing for years. It exists in two versions - a simple version, which isn't that simple, and a complicated version, which is so much better. We've decided we're going for the complicated one."

Bell also announced the return of the Grant Park Chorus to neighborhood locations, part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series. "I absolutely loved going out to the South Shore Cultural Center and Columbus Park last year, and I am very much looking forward to going back to both of those places with some of my favorite choral music."

Bell also shared something new for this Season. "For the first time in many years, the Chorus will be accompanying the Grant Park Orchestra on July 4 with some patriotic numbers, and possibly competing with me on their outfits."

A spectacular summer begins June 11

At the end of the evening's presentation, Kalmar looked forward to the 80th Season by exclaiming: "We have a great season planned, with a lot of variety and many celebrations. I can't wait to see you all this summer!"

PREVIEW THE ENTIRE UPCOMING SEASON AT GPMF.ORG >