• A note from Tracy Stanciel and Lenese Reynolds
• Upcoming performances at Ravinia
• Stay tuned: the 2024/25 CSO AAN Season Announcement
• Stay connected! 

Dear CSO African American Network Members,

The Advisory Board held its first election, and the results are in! We are thrilled to introduce ourselves as the newly appointed leadership team. I, Tracy Stanciel, am honored to serve as your Chair alongside our Vice Chair, Lenese Reynolds. As the new AAN leadership team, we are excited to serve in our new capacity.

We had a thrilling 2023/24 Season with the first AAN-curated CSO concert subscription series. Our year also included several postconcert receptions, artist Q&A sessions and a host of wonderful photo opportunities. Reflecting on the past season, we are proud of the vibrant community we’ve built and the memorable experiences we’ve shared. Your continued support and engagement have been the cornerstone of our success.

As we look forward to the upcoming season, we are filled with anticipation for the exciting events and programs we will share. Our AAN season concerts and events will be announced in early fall, and we are already planning some exceptional experiences that will continue to celebrate and uplift our community.

In the meantime, Ravinia is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and several upcoming Ravinia concerts feature composers, conductors and artists the AAN celebrated this past season. Explore more information below about each of these upcoming concerts, and enjoy a special offer Ravinia is extending to AAN members for the August 1 African Queens concert.

• August 1: African Queens (20% off with promo code QUEENS)
• August 17: CSO: Disney & Pixar’s Up in Concert
• August 18: CSO + Jonathan Rush with Rachel Barton Pine
• August 25: Samara Joy

Thank you for your continued support. Lenese and I look forward to working with you this upcoming season. As always, if you have questions, comments or ideas, we are available. Have a wonderful summer!

Warm regards,

Tracy A. Stanciel, Chair
CSO African American Network Advisory Board

Lenese Reynolds, Vice Chair
CSO African American Network Advisory Board

Thursday, August 1, 7:30 PM | 201 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park

The Blacknificent 7 is a dynamic network of trailblazing Black composers committed to promoting and serving future generations of underrepresented composers. This concert showcases works by the Blacknificent 7 composers, who gathered in person for the first time for a CSO MusicNOW concert and celebrated postconcert with AAN members and friends back in December.

Composers Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon and Joel Thompson celebrate the history and legacy of seven fierce African queens who were revered as rulers and warriors, yet not widely heralded in the West. Soprano Karen Slack is “not only one of the nation’s most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music” (Trilloquy). The Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum joins pianist Kevin Miller for African Queens, a new project with Ravinia as its lead commissioner.

Plus, check out the Blacknificent 7’s new merchandise collection at symphonystore.com!

Special offer for AAN members:

Use promo code QUEENS to save 20% on Reserved Seats in Ravinia’s Martin Theatre for Karen Slack’s African Queens.

While supplies last. Orders are subject to a transaction fee. Offer may not be applied to previously purchased tickets or combined with other offers and does not include Discover Reserved Lawn seating. Onsite parking, food, beverages and chair rentals are sold separately.

Saturday, August 17, 7:00 PM | 201 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park

Conductor Anthony Parnther captivated audiences and AAN members at the Gateways Festival Orchestra concert in April and spoke at the postconcert event co-hosted by the AAN and the Gateways Festival Orchestra.

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Disney and Pixar’s blockbuster Up, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs Michael Giacchino’s Academy Award-winning score alongside a screening of the film. Follow Carl, a 78-year-old curmudgeonly balloon salesman, as he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. As he finally fulfills his lifelong dream of adventure, Carl discovers an 8-year-old stowaway named Russell and this unlikely duo soon finds themselves on a hilarious journey in a lost world filled with danger and surprises.

Sunday, August 18, 5:00 PM | 201 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park

This concert features the CSO with Jonathan Rush and the remarkable Rachel Barton Pine — an AAN member and steward of the Music by Black Composers project — performing a piece by José White Lafitte.

Conductor Jonathan Rush, a protégé of Marin Alsop and last summer’s Lead Seminario Conductor, joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and more. A graduate of Peabody Conservatory, Rush grew up steeped in gospel and other roots-based genres. Chicago native and recurrent CSO collaborator Rachel Barton Pine takes the stage with Rush and the orchestra for the CSO premiere of José White Lafitte’s Violin Concerto in F-sharp Minor plus Niccolò Paganini's La Campanella.

Sunday, August 25, 7:00 PM | 201 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park

Ravinia presents a soulful evening with Samara Joy, who kicked off the 2023/24 AAN Season with the memorable Joy After Dark event.

24-year-old jazz phenom Samara Joy makes her Ravinia debut following the release of her first album on Verve Records, Linger Awhile. That record reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, after Joy won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and was named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. “Listening to Joy’s approach is a revelation,” says All About Jazz. “The ease with which her voice moves, her ability to sing with and without vibrato ... Her phrasing is always spot-on.” Joy’s distinct vocal stylings have already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King.

For more information on upcoming AAN events or to find out how to get involved, email Alyssa Greenberg, Audience Engagement Manager, at greenberga@cso.org.

Forward this newsletter to someone who might be interested in joining the African American Network! Membership is free and members enjoy access to exclusive special events and ticket offers.