Fall 2024 classical music and jazz in Chicago

Another arts season is upon us, and as ever, the city’s biggest presenters offer mouthwatering spreads. The Hyde Park Jazz Festival welcomes ascendant stars like trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins; the Chicago Symphony promises the returns of the Berlin Philharmonic and music director emeritus Riccardo Muti; and Lyric Opera is decked out with a full slate, from Verdi’s “Rigoletto” to Jeanine Tesori’s “Blue.”

But I fear other exciting cultural developments may get buried in the autumn bounty. So, this year, we’re celebrating the other guys: the hidden, the one-offs, the thoroughly unmissable. A critic’s picks:

South Side stalwart celebrates a quarter-century

September promises the usual bevy of free jazz festivals. But just one hits a major milestone this year: the Englewood Jazz Festival, founded by saxophonist and pedagogue Ernest Dawkins 25 years ago. This year’s lineup focuses on artists with Chicago roots: experimental flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Junius Paul, young pianist (and 2023 Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz) Jahari Stampley, saxophonist Greg Ward and trumpeter Corey Wilkes. The festivities are capped by an encore performance of “Paul Robeson: Man of the People,” Dawkins’ and librettist Lasana D. Kazembe’s new “jazz poetry opera.” The festival makes good use of the Hamilton Park Fieldhouse, so show’s on, rain or shine.

Sept. 19-21 at Hamilton Park and Cultural Center, 513 W. 72nd St.; free admission; set times and other information at englewoodjazzfestival.org

Paul Robeson, Part 2

Clearly, Dawkins isn’t the only one with the late actor, singer and civil rights activist on the mind. Bass-baritone Davóne Tines teams up with city chamber collective D-Composed and composer Ahmed Al Abaca for a one-night-only presentation of “ROBESON,” Tines’ and director Zack Winokur’s musical-theatrical work based on Robeson’s repertoire. Also featured: bassist/sound artist Khari Lucas and Chicago-based piano marvel John Bitoy, who accompany Tines on the soon-to-be-released album version of “ROBESON” (Sept. 13, Nonesuch).

6 p.m. Oct. 1 at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St.; tickets $23; more information at harristheaterchicago.org

Of reeds and records

How saxophonists Dave Rempis and Geof Bradfield have time to run record labels — and notably prolific ones, no less — on top of their packed gig schedule is beyond me. We’re fortunate that they do: Aerophonic and Calligram, respectively, have put forward essential documents of the city scene in recent years. Rempis’ September residency at the Hungry Brain culminates in a release show for “Propulsion,” the debut of his quartet with vibist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist/multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams and drummer Tyler Damon. Meanwhile, Bradfield is everywhere this fall, including at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Sept. 28 with his Colossal Abundance ensemble, which is indeed colossal): his quintet plays Jazz Showcase (Sept. 19-22) and the Green Mill (Nov. 1 and 2).

Geof Bradfield Quintet, Sept. 19-22 at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.; tickets $20-$40; more information at jazzshowcase.com

Geof Bradfield Quintet, Nov. 1 and 2 at the Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway; tickets $20; more information at greenmilljazz.com

Dave Rempis appears 9 p.m. every Thursday in September, including with the “Propulsion” quartet on Sept. 26, at the Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont Ave.; tickets $15; more information at hungrybrainchicago.com

A symphonic marathon

It’s something of a trope about Americans: we like to do everything big. The Illinois Philharmonic’s season opener, a co-production with nonprofit American Music Project, is true to form in this concert of not one, not two, but three rarely heard American symphonies: John Vincent’s Symphony in D, William Grant Still’s “Sunday” Symphony No. 3, and David Diamond’s Symphony No. 2. The Still and Diamond are believed to be Midwest premieres. (Note the early start time —  there are three symphonies to get through, after all.)

“Three Great American Symphonies,” 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Chapel, 6601 W. College Drive, Palos Heights; tickets $20-$86; more information at ipomusic.org

Dance music

Classical meets choreo in two first-time collaborations this season: between Chicago a cappella and Orland Park company Ballet 5:8, and between Third Coast Percussion and the singular Twyla Tharp. CAC and 5:8 take on Thomas Tallis’ “Lamentations of Jeremiah” at several area venues; meanwhile, Tharp’s new work interprets Philip Glass’ “Aguas da Amazonia,” with TCP’s exclusive sneak peak doubling as the quartet’s 20th birthday benefit. (And we really do mean exclusive: you’ll be dropping serious coin if you can’t wait until April, when the Tharp/TCP combo is finally unveiled to local hoi polloi at Harris Theater.)

“Lamentations,” presented 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at DePaul’s Holtschneider Performance Center, 2330 N. Halsted St.; 3 p.m. Sept. 29 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake St., Oak Park; and 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville; tickets $20-$53; more information and on-demand concert replay available the week of Oct. 21 at chicagoacappella.org

“20th Anniversary Benefit with Twyla Tharp,” 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at Walden Chicago, 2145 W. Walnut St.; tickets start at $500 and include dinner; more information at thirdcoastpercussion.com

Jazzin’ at the Salt Shed

Named after a Nelson Algren line, Empty Bottle’s Warm Love Cool Dreams is the latest addition to the city’s festival roster. Unlike most, though, it’s staunchly genre-omnivorous. (To wit: The Jesus Lizard shares the festival’s banner with Kelela and British DJ/producer Floating Points.) The quintet SML, whose self-titled debut was among alt-jazz label International Anthem’s strongest offerings this year, is part of the inaugural year’s teeming mix. They’ll play their own music, then accompany iconic Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer Sister Nancy for her set. Shabaka, the new mononymous billing of the unboxable Barbadian British wind player Shabaka Hutchings, appears the same day, Sept. 29.

3:30 p.m. Sept. 28 and 29 at the Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; single-day tickets $50-$115, weekend passes $90-$200; more information at emptybottle.com 

A “Fidelio” B-side

While Lyric puts on its first “Fidelio” in two decades, Chicago Opera Theater offers a different take on this tale inspired by a true story: during the French Revolution, a desperate woman cross-dressed as a man to break her husband out of jail. Ferdinando Paër’s “Leonora” predates Beethoven’s first adaptation of this true story by a year. It, and a few other “Leonores,” have since been overshadowed by “Fidelio,” which ended up being Beethoven’s only opera — so much so that COT’s production marks a North American premiere. Dame Jane Glover conducts.

Oct. 1, 4 and 6 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave.; tickets $60-$160; more information at chicagooperatheater.org 

Guarneri Hall swings for the fences

This cozy Loop venue is radically expanding its programming this year with a chamber music (Nova Linea Musica) and jazz series (Jazz@GH). Piano luminary Jahari Stampley — also an Englewood Jazz Fest headliner — keeps things in the family in an Oct. 8 show alongside his mom, saxophonist D-Erania Stampley. Meanwhile, Nova Linea Musica presents the Dover Quartet, with a piece by former CSO composer-in-residence Mason Bates. The hall closes a very busy 2024 with Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire,” presented two ways — once in a traditional performance and again semi-staged. Both feature soprano Kristina Bachrach and literary context aplenty.

“Jazz@GH: Jahari Stampley with D-Erania Stampley,” two sets at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 8; “Nova Linea Musica presents Dover Quartet,” 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23; “Pierrot Unmasked,” 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10; all at Guarneri Hall, 11 E. Adams St., 3rd floor; tickets $40; more information at guarnerihall.org 

Not your mama’s string quartet

Ever heard a string quartet and thought, “Man, what this really needs is more cello?” Owls thought so, too. But their answer isn’t Schubert’s String Quintet in C: it’s having a string quartet with two cellists rather than two violinists. Said cellists are Gabriel Cabezas, a homegrown talent, and Paul Wiancko of the Kronos Quartet; violinist Alexi Kenney and violist Ayane Kozasa round out the band. They lend their unusual instrumentation to everything from Couperin to (Chick) Corea in this November booking.

7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Logan Center Performance Hall, 915 E. 60th St.; tickets $43, $22 for audiences under 35; more information at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu 

Sounds of war

With several wars raging overseas that show no sign of abating, two timely programs arrive not a second too soon. On top of the plentiful programming already acknowledged elsewhere on this list, Guarneri Hall commemorates the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with “Sounds of the Cold War,” a three-day lecture/concert series. The same day Guarneri’s survey wraps with Kurtág and Ligeti, Music Institute of Chicago faculty pianist Matt Hagle presents “Phantoms of Countless Lost,” a recital of canonic pieces that tackle conflict and loss in some way, at MIC’s Evanston campus.

Update: This story has been changed to correct details about the piece being performed by the Dover Quartet.

“Sounds of the Cold War,” 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7-9 at Guarneri Hall, 11 E. Adams St., 3rd floor; tickets $40; more information at guarnerihall.org

“Phantoms of Countless Lost,” 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston; tickets $30; more information at musicinst.org

Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic.

Originally Published: September 5, 2024 at 5:15 a.m.