FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2008

Contact: Ian Martínez
Director of Communications
(773) 834-7965
imartinez@uchicago.edu

CONNECTIONS:
THE 2008/2009 SEASON OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESENTS

• 2008 Messiaen Festival marks University of Chicago Presents’ first-ever music festival. Various performances, lectures and symposia bring together leading artists, scholars and composers to honor the life and works of Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992).

• Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra kicks off second three-year residency; series moves to Friday evenings. Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard makes Chicago conducting debut.

• New Visiting Artist Series presents bass virtuoso and composer Edgar Meyer for three-concert residency, including recital and bluegrass performance with mandolinist Chris Thile and concerto performance with University Symphony Orchestra.

• Artist-in-Residence the Pacifica Quartet performs season of celebration, honoring anniversaries of Mendelssohn and Elliott Carter.

• Renowned Guarneri String Quartet appears in Farewell Performance.

• Haydn anniversary tribute by Takács Quartet, Quatour Mosaïques and Pacifica Quartet.

• World premieres by Marta Ptaszynska and University composition students, April Mok and Steve Winfield. Chicago premiere of Chen Yi’s New York.

• Salute to American composers highlighted with works by Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Stephen Hartke, Gerald Levinson and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

• Regents Park Discovery Concert welcomes tenor Nicholas Phan.

• Chicago recital debuts by Edgar Meyer, Nicholas Phan, Johannes Moser, Quatuor Mosaïques and Zukofsky Quartet.

• UCP grows series to 31 events. Single Ticket prices to remain fixed.

CHICAGO – The University of Chicago Presents (UCP), the University’s professional music presenting organization, announces its 2008/2009 season, celebrating the musical connections that exist among artists, composers, their music and their environment. Building upon more than 60 years of excellence in the cultural life of Chicago, UCP’s connections to its past, as well as a broadening horizon in the present, will provide for a memorable mix. Included are a tribute to a musical legend, new faces, a farewell to old friends and some of today’s most sought-after artists.

The 2008 Olivier Messiaen Festival, UCP’s first-ever music festival, begins the season with a 10-day tribute to the prolific French composer who developed a musical language uniquely his own and set the stage for a new generation of composers. The celebration, sparked by the 100th anniversary of his birth, will take place at locations on the campus of the University of Chicago and downtown. Included among the lineup are performances, lectures, master classes and symposia dedicated to showcasing Messiaen’s life, inspirations, national pride and legacy.

Drawing upon a number of local resources, the festival will bring its events to six different venues throughout the city’s Hyde Park and downtown neighborhoods. Appearing on the lineup are six of the University’s acclaimed ensembles-in-residence, as well as renowned soloists, including organist Dame Gillian Weir, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, cellist Gary Hoffman, pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Peter Hill, and Christopher Taylor, sopranos Tony Arnold and Marjorie Owens, and clarinetist John Bruce Yeh.

The most diverse of all UCP series, the Classic Concert Series offers seven performances, ranging from soloists to quartets to a chamber orchestra. Making its own connection across series, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, along with conductor/pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, pulls extra duty in its October performance, inaugurating both its own series and the Classic Concert Series. Four virtuoso musicians from around the world—John Bruce Yeh, Cho-Liang Lin, Gary Hoffman and Christopher Taylor—come together to celebrate the works of Messiaen and his contemporaries. The Guarneri Quartet, considered “among the most revered and enduring ensembles of its kind in the world” bids a fond farewell, while award-winning cellist Johannes Moser makes his Mandel Hall debut. Russian firebrand Vladmir Feltsman presents a solo piano recital, including the monumental Pictures at an Exhibition. In a combination of musical greats, pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins with the venerable Takács Quartet. Virtuoso bassist Edgar Meyer closes the series, pairing his own compositions with works by J.S. Bach.

The Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series launches in dramatic fashion with a fully staged production of Judith, a medieval Croatian biblical story arranged by Katarina Livljanic and featuring the Diagolos vocal ensemble. Renaissance chorus Pomerium will offer audiences a glimpse of the music Michelangelo may have heard while painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in a special Rockefeller Chapel performance of Vatican choir works. Period instrument specialists Quatuor Mosaïques finish the series with works by Mozart, Schubert and Haydn.

Moving to Friday evenings, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra continues delighting Chicago audiences as begins its second three-year residency with the University. After its season-opener with Artistic Partner Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the SPCO features a world premiere by a U of C student composer to be announced following a November 2008 competition, as well as an arrangement of a Mahler work by conductor Cliff Colnot. Finally, under young, renowned conductor Xian Zhang, the SPCO continues its dedication to the commissioning new works with the Chicago premiere of Chen Yi’s new work, while new SPCO principal horn player and former Canadian Brass member, Bernhard Scully, performs Strauss’ Horn Concerto.

Proving that one appearance is just not enough to capture his creative output, visiting artist Edgar Meyer brings his own three-concert series to Chicago. Meyer, who has become a household name in classical, jazz and bluegrass circles, will take the stage with Punch Brothers mandolinist Chris Thile, as well as the University Symphony Orchestra, in performances of masterpieces of yesterday combined with his own innovative compositions.

In a season marked by celebrations, artists-in-residence the Pacifica Quartet offer a series with the brand of exciting programming that has brought them international acclaim. Following its role as the Messiaen Festival’s closing act, the Quartet salutes the 100th birthday of American composer Elliott Carter, whose music has become a hallmark of Pacifica’s repertoire, and the 200th anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn’s birth. Detroit saxophonist Erik Rönmark then joins Pacifica for celebrated American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s new work, composed specifically for them.

The Pacifica Quartet, in addition to the Takács Quartet and Quatuor Mosaïques, will also honor the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn. Considered by many the “father of the string quartet,” these three artists will, over the course of the season, fittingly perform works from Haydn’s extensive output.

Showcasing the best of contemporary classical music, Contempo, under the artistic direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Shulamit Ran, commences its 44th season with appearances by Contempo core members eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet and guests throughout Chicago. eighth blackbird returns for the annual double-bill performance, as well as a special tribute to the music of American composer Stephen Hartke with the Hilliard Ensemble at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. A recent addition to the classical touring circuit, the Zukofsky Quartet tackle the demanding rigors of the complete Milton Babbitt quartets series. The series’ traditional closing concerts, titled Tomorrow’s Music Today, highlight new works by rising composers, including April Mok and Steve Winfield, both students of the University of Chicago’s composition program.

Now in its 11th year as a UCP tradition, the Regents Park Discovery Concert welcomes tenor Nicholas Phan to the Mandel Hall stage. With support from Regents Park Luxury Apartments, this annual concert is provided free to subscribers. Phan, who has won rave reviews for his singing and stage presence, joins the ranks of up-and-coming stars of the classical world.

Subscriptions go on sale beginning Tuesday, April 15, at 10 a.m. For more information, contact the UCP Concert Office at (773) 702-8068, Monday through Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

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2008/2009 SEASON IN DETAIL

2008 MESSIAEN FESTIVAL
October 2–11
Ten Concerts

Thursday / October 2 / 7:30 pm
Dame Gillian Weir, organ
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
6:15 pm: Pre-concert lecture by Robert Fallon, PhD

Performing on the newly restored E. M. Skinner organ (one of the four great Skinner “University organs”), Dame Gillian Weir’s program will include Messiaen’s Messe de la Pentecote, interspersed with movements by J. S. Bach and Couperin, which comment on the same liturgical ideas. Also included are Liszt’s St. Francis Walking on the Waves and Toccatas by Peeters, Slonimsky, Musehl and Lanquetuit.

Friday / October 3 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor/piano
6:15 pm: Pre-concert conversation with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Gerard McBurney

Ives: The Unanswered Question
Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op. 58

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, newly appointed SPCO Artistic Partner, will bring his expertise to Mandel Hall for the first time. The SPCO, kicking off its second three-year residency at the University, will present a program featuring one of the cornerstones of Messiaen’s repertoire, Oiseaux exotiques. The second half of the program takes a cue from Messiaen’s life, closing with a piece Messiaen himself toured with in Europe during the 1950s.

Saturday / October 4 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Spheres of Influence
Cliff Colnot, conductor
Shulamit Ran, artistic director
Featuring members of eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet
Stephen Gosling, piano

Messiaen: Piece for Piano and String Quartet
Pierre Boulez: Derive I
Takemitsu: Ame no jumon (Rain Spell)
Gerald Levinson: Time and the Bell…
George Benjamin: Viola/Viola
Marta Ptaszynska: Trois visions de l’arc-en-ciel (World Premiere)
The works of Messiaen’s students and those inspired by his music take center stage. Marta Ptaszynska’s piece, especially commissioned for this festival, is based on the Quartet for the End of Time plus percussion—the one change Messiaen told her he would have made to his piece had there been the opportunity in the POW camp where his piece was composed.

Sunday / October 5 / 3 pm
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
Gary Hoffman, cello
Christopher Taylor, piano

2 pm: Pre-concert performance by New Budapest Orpheum Society
Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano
Stewart Figa, baritone
Ilya Levinson, piano

Program to feature song cycles by Viktor Ullman

Debussy: Premiere Rhapsody
Ravel: Duo For Violin and Cello
Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet For the End of Time)

The contributions to chamber music by Messiaen and his contemporaries are highlighted in this concert featuring three of the genre’s most renowned works, including the Quartet For the End of Time. Four musical colleagues, each a successful soloist in his own right, come together in Chicago for this very special recital. The Budapest Orpheum Society will present additional works composed by Nazi-oppressed composers in a special pre-concert performance.

Monday / October 6 / 7:30 pm
Thomas Weisflog, organ
Rockefeller Chapel Choir
James Kallembach, director
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Program to include Messiaen’s O sacrum convivium!

Written during the early period of his career, Messiaen’s profoundly personal and moving motet for a capella women’s voices, O sacrum convivium!, will begin this performance featuring Rockefeller Chapel’s resident organist, Thomas Weisflog, and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir.

Tuesday / October 7 / 7:30 pm
Marjorie Owens, soprano
Simin Ganatra, violin
Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin
Amy Dissanayake, piano
Fulton Recital Hall
6:15 pm: Pre-concert lecture by David Bevington, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities

Messiaen:
Theme and Variations
Fantaisie
Poèmes pour Mi

This intimate evening is dedicated to music written expressly for the ones Messiaen loved, including his son and first wife. Performing in the evening’s lineup are musicians from Chicago’s Pacifica Quartet, as well as soprano Marjorie Owens, a 2008 graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Center. Interspersed between pieces will be spoken poetry Messiaen’s mother wrote while pregnant with the composer. Professor Bevington will speak to the influence of Shakespeare throughout the arts.

Thursday / October 9 / 12:15 pm
Tony Arnold, soprano
Jacob Greenberg, piano
Fulton Recital Hall

Messiaen: Harawi (Song of Love and Death)

Messiaen’s song cycle Harawi is his first of three works inspired by the theme of human love found in Tristan and Isolde. Highly acclaimed for the vocal artistry she brings to each performance, soprano Tony Arnold performs this work known for its demanding, extensive range and depth of emotion.

Thursday / October 9 / 6:15 pm
Alain Daboncourt, flute
Lei Wang, piano
Alliance Française de Chicago
Pre-concert lecture by Peter Hill, PhD

Debussy: Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune
Messiaen: Le Merle bleu
Messiaen: Le Merle noir
Jolivet: Selections from Incantations

Noted scholar, professor of music and editor of The Messiaen Companion, Peter Hill discusses Messiaen’s depiction of birdsongs in the 1950s, followed by performances of works by Messiaen and other French composers who took cues from the natural environment. French flutist Alain Daboncourt, lauded for his “soaring lyricism” and “immaculate interpretation,” performs.

Friday / October 10 / 7:30 pm
Christopher Taylor, piano
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University

Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus (Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus)

Performing this monumental work entirely from memory, MIT mathematician-turned-piano-soloist Christopher Taylor will perform Messiaen’s devoutly powerful piano work in Roosevelt University’s Ganz Hall, a cultural and architectural gem located in downtown Chicago.

Saturday / October 11 / 7:30 pm
Pacifica Quartet

Ravel: Introduction et Allegro
Berg: Lyric Suite
Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, op. 132

The ten-day tribute to Messiaen comes to a poignant close as Artist-in-Residence Pacifica Quartet performs works by three composers whose works resonated deeply with Messiaen. Berg’s Lyric Suite was a work in Messiaen’s possession when captured and taken to a POW camp during World War II. The version heard here is a 1970s discovery by George Perle featuring soprano.

CLASSIC CONCERT SERIES
Seven Concerts

Friday / October 3 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor/piano
(see details in Messiaen Festival)

Sunday / October 5 / 3 pm
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
Gary Hoffman, cello
Christopher Taylor, piano
(see details in Messiaen Festival)

Friday / October 31 / 7:30 pm
Guarneri String Quartet
Farewell Performance

Kodály: String Quartet No. 2, op. 10
Mozart: String Quartet in D minor, K. 421
Dvorák: String Quartet in F major, op. 96, “American”

Throughout its history, the renowned Guarneri String Quartet has been the subject of television and radio specials, books, and a feature film. After 45 years of award-winning recordings and premieres, the acclaimed quartet will bid a fond farewell. In their final Mandel Hall performance, hear why critics have dubbed Guarneri “the dean of American quartets.”

Friday / November 21 / 7:30 pm
Johannes Moser, cello
Pianist to be determined

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in C major, op. 102, no. 1
Britten: Cello Sonata in C major
Takemitsu: Orion
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in D major, op. 102, no. 2

Since winning the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition, German-born cellist Johannes Moser has become a regular fixture on the stages of Europe’s most prestigious festivals. With two solo recordings already under his belt, the 28-year-old artist performs a diverse program book-ended by works from Beethoven’s final collection of cello sonatas.

Friday / January 23 / 7:30 pm
Vladimir Feltsman, piano

J.S. Bach: Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825
Beethoven: Sonata in C minor, op. 13, “Pathétique”
Musorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Equally known for his expansive repertoire and passionate interpretations, Vladimir Feltsman never ceases to amaze. One of the most prominent names among American pianists today, the former Soviet artist is a regular guest with the leading orchestras and music festivals worldwide as both a performer and conductor.

Friday / February 20 / 7:30 pm
Takács Quartet
Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Haydn: String Quartet in G major, op. 77, no. 1
Bartók: String Quartet No. 5, BB 110
Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat major, op. 44

The Takács Quartet is recognized as one of the world’s foremost string quartets, building upon more than three decades of innovative programming and performing excellence. In a concert including one of their specialties—the music of Bartók—the ensemble joins with another giant of the classical music world, pianist Marc-André Hamelin.

Friday / April 24 / 7:30 pm
Edgar Meyer, bass
Amy Dorfman, piano

Program to include works by J.S. Bach and Edgar Meyer

No other artist so eagerly embraces the term “multi-faceted” than Grammy Award-winning bassist Edgar Meyer. A MacArthur “genius,” Meyer has become a household name in classical, bluegrass, and jazz circles. In this special recital, Meyer pairs works by Bach with his own compositions. As an innovative performer, collaborator, and composer, Meyer is a “remarkable virtuoso” you won’t want to miss.

HOWARD MAYER BROWN INTERNATIONAL EARLY MUSIC SERIES
Three Concerts

Friday / November 7 / 7:30 pm
Katarina Livljanic, voice/direction/text adaptation and musical reconstruction
Diagolos
Hyde Park Union Sanctuary

Judith, a biblical story from Renaissance Croatia

Drawing upon the Glagolithic chants from as early as the 11th century, Judith is a dramatic reconstruction of liturgical texts and melodies passed down from Croatia. Sung in medieval Slavonic, this fully staged presentation, featuring the Diagolos vocal ensemble and ancient instruments, tells the biblical story of Judith in a complex, theatrical package.

Friday / February 6 / 7:30 pm
Pomerium
Alexander Blachly, director
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Musica Vaticana, 1503–34: Musical Masterworks from the Sistine Chapel at the Time of Michelangelo

To view the grandeur of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes is to appreciate a pinnacle of High Renaissance art. To hear the music the great painter must have heard during his labors is quite something else. The American vocal ensemble Pomerium, which models itself on Renaissance chapel choirs, performs an overview of the works found in the papal choirbooks of the day.

Friday / April 17 / 7:30 pm
Quatuor Mosaïques

Mozart: Quartet in C major, K. 465, “Dissonance”
Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, D. 703
Haydn: Quartet in F major, op. 77, no. 2, Hob. III:82

The Quatuor Mosaïques have established themselves as early music’s leading practitioners of period instruments, using gut strings to create their unique sound. For more than 20 years, the European foursome has combined a dedication to the European quartet tradition with a constantly evolving repertoire.

THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA SERIES
Three Concerts
Please note: SPCO concerts are now on Friday evenings.

Friday / October 3 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor/piano
(see details in Messiaen Festival)

Friday / March 6 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Cliff Colnot, conductor
Ruggero Allifranchini and Dale Barltrop, violins
Student composition winner

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1
Mozart: Concertone in C major for Two Violins and Orchestra, K. 190
Work by Chicago Student Composer (World Premiere)
Mahler/Colnot: Adagio from Symphony No. 10

Friday / May 1 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Xian Zhang, conductor
Bernhard Scully, horn

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, op. 25, “Classical”
Chen Yi: New York (Chicago Premiere)
R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, op. 93

Since being named associate conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 2005, Xian Zhang has been in demand throughout the world as a guest conductor. She will lead the SPCO in contemporary composer Chen Yi’s New York—the third and final commission from the orchestra’s composer-in-residence program. Newly appointed principal horn Bernhard Scully steps into the spotlight with Richard Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto.

Visiting Artist Series: EDGAR MEYER
Three Concerts

Friday / October 24 / 7:30 pm
Edgar Meyer, bass
Chris Thile, guitar

Punch Brother mandolinist Chris Thile joins Meyer for a two-man jam that in past team-ups has run the gamut from Bach to bluegrass within one concert. Chris and Edgar’s previous collaborations have taken them everywhere from bluegrass festivals to Carnegie Hall. Hear two gifted performers in a performance critics have called “freewheeling fusions of acoustic music.”

Friday / April 24 / 7:30 pm
Edgar Meyer, bass
(see details in Classic Concert Series)

Friday / April 25 / 8 pm
University Symphony Orchestra
Barbara Schubert, conductor
Edgar Meyer, bass

Program to include:
Giovanni Bottesini: Concerto No. 2 in B minor for Double Bass and Orchestra
Edgar Meyer: Concerto No. 1 in D major for Double Bass and Orchestra

The University of Chicago’s 100-piece Symphony Orchestra, known for its imaginative productions of new works and standard symphonic literature, teams with Edgar Meyer for the bassist/composer’s First Double Bass Concerto, as well as a concerto by another virtuso bassist, 19th-century composer Giovanni Bottesini.

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE SERIES
Three Concerts

Saturday / October 11 / 7:30 pm
Pacifica Quartet
(see details in Messiaen Festival)

Sunday / January 11 / 3 pm
Pacifica Quartet

Mendelssohn: Quartet No. 4 in E minor, op. 44, no. 2
Elliott Carter: Quartet No. 5
Brahms: Quartet No. 2 in A minor, op. 51, no. 2

As many Chicagoans know, the Pacifica Quartet is closely associated with American composer Elliott Carter, frequently tackling his entire quartet cycle in one concert, and which they are currently recording. As part of their tribute to the composer, who celebrates his 100th birthday this season, Pacifica will perform his Quartet No. 5, for which they have received glowing reviews.

Sunday / April 19 / 3 pm
Pacifica Quartet
Erik Rönmark, saxophone

Haydn: Quartet in D major, op. 64, no. 5, “The Lark”
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Piece for Quartet and Saxophone
Mendelssohn: Quartet No. 3 in D major, op. 44, no. 1

Saxophonist Eric Rönmark, who has made a name for himself in the Detroit music scene, has appeared with numerous orchestras and commissioned nearly 30 new works from respected composers. He joins with Pacifica for award-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s new work for saxophone and string quartet, written specifically for them.

CONTEMPO SERIES
Six Concerts

Saturday / October 4 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Spheres of Influence
Cliff Colnot, conductor
Shulamit Ran, artistic director
Featuring members of eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet
Stephen Gosling, piano
(see details in Messiaen Festival)

Thursday / November 13 / 7:30 pm
Zukofsky Quartet (Chicago debut)
Chicago Cultural Center
Claudia Cassidy Theater

The String Quartets of Milton Babbitt

Although one of chamber music’s newest collaborations, the young members of the Zukofsky Quartet have among them a wealth of solo and chamber experience. Taking their name from the violinist and champion of contemporary classical music, the Zukofsky Quartet will fittingly perform the works that earned them rave reviews from the New York Times—the notoriously difficult quartets of American composer Milton Babbitt.

Thursday / February 19 / 7 pm
eighth blackbird
Hilliard Ensemble
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Millennium Park

The Music of Stephen Hartke

Ensemble-in-residence, eighth blackbird, and renowned vocal quartet the Hilliard Ensemble join to celebrate the works of contemporary American composer Stephen Hartke. Pieces included on this program are Tituli and instrumental works The Horse with the Lavender Eye and Meanwhile.

Saturday / April 4 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Double-Bill
Shulamit Ran, artistic director
eighth blackbird
Museum of Contemporary Art

Program to include Lee Hyla’s We Speak Etruscan for bass clarinet and baritone saxophone

Friday / May 15 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Tomorrow’s Music Today 1
Fulton Recital Hall

Thursday / May 28 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Tomorrow’s Music Today 2
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University

Performance of works by young talent has always been an integral part of Contempo’s mission. In these annual concerts, the finest young composers realize their vision through brilliant interactions with Contempo’s world-class artists-in-residence. This year’s concerts present world premieres by April Mok and Steve Winfield, both students of the University of Chicago’s prestigious composition program.

REGENTS PARK DISCOVERY CONCERT

Friday / January 16 / 7:30 pm
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Myra Huang, piano

Songs by Britten, Handel, Schubert and Rossini

Tenor Nicholas Phan, who has already captured the attention of opera audiences around the country, headlines this year’s 11th annual Regents Park Discovery Concert. Praised for his lyrical voice and emotive delivery, Phan has been named “one to keep an eye on” by Time Out Chicago. Hear this rising star in a rare, intimate recital performance.

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FACTS AND FIGURES

UCP offers several different ways to subscribe this season. The new Gold Season Pass offers subscribers the the largest selection of concerts at the best value—18 concerts at less than $21/concert. Student subscriptions are also available at a significant discount. Students must present a valid ID to order at the discounted price.

Subscribers have the option to add the Messiaen Festival pass to their order at the discounted price. All subscribers are entitled to one free ticket per subscriber to the Regents Park Discovery Concert. Other benefits, including discounts on additional single tickets, guaranteed best seating and a one-time ticket exchange privilege are also available to subscribers.

Tickets for Contempo concerts are available only on a single-ticket basis.

To order tickets, or for more information, call the UCP Concert Office at (773) 702-8068. The Regents Park Discovery Concert is included with all series listed below.

Gold Season Pass (18 concerts): $340 / $72 students
6 Classic Concert
3 SPCO
3 Early Music
3 Artist-in-Residence
Meyer/Thile
Dame Gillian Weir
Contempo: Spheres of Influence

Silver Season Pass (15 concerts): $280 / $52 students
6 Classic Concert
3 SPCO
3 Early Music
1 Artist-in-Residence (Oct. 11)
Choice of Meyer/Thile or Dame Gillian Weir

Classic Plus Series (9 concerts)
Includes Classic Concert and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra series
$200 / $36 students

Classic Concert Series (7 concerts)
$155 / $28 students

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Series (3 concerts)
$80 / $16 students

Early Music Series (3 concerts)
$75 / $16 students

Quartet Mini-Series (4 concerts)
Yeh/Lin/Hoffman/Taylor (Oct. 5)
Guarneri Quartet (Oct. 31)
Takács Quartet/Marc-André Hamelin (Feb. 20)
Quatuor Mosaïques (Apr. 17)
$100 / $16 students

Edgar Meyer Series (3 concerts)
$55 / $18 students

Artist-in-Residence Series (3 concerts)
$40 / $12 students

Messiaen Festival All-Events Pass (10 concerts)
Includes all performances throughout the 10-day period
$150 / $30 students

Messiaen Festival 4-Day Opening Weekend Pass (4 concerts)
Thursday, October 2 through Sunday, October 5
$100 / $16 students

Regents Park Discovery Concert
Free with subscriptions, limit one ticket per subscription.
Additional single tickets $10 / $5 student

Single tickets will go on sale beginning Tuesday, September 2.

Concert Locations: All concerts take place in Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street, unless otherwise noted. All performance venues are handicapped-accessible and provide assistive listening devices upon advanced request. Persons who need assistance may call (773) 702-8068 prior to the event.

Photographs of the season’s artists will be available on the UCP Web site at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu. For all photograph or biographical inquiries, please contact (773) 834-7965.

Email to UCP may be sent to concert-office@uchicago.edu.

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UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESENTS 2008/2009 SEASON AT-A-GLANCE
(All performances take place at Mandel Hall unless otherwise noted.)

Thursday / October 2 / 7:30 pm
Dame Gillian Weir, organ
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
6:15 pm: Pre-concert lecture by Robert Fallon, PhD

Friday / October 3 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor/piano
6:15 pm: Pre-concert conversation with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Gerard McBurney

Saturday / October 4 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Spheres of Influence
Featuring members of eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet
Stephen Gosling, piano

Sunday / October 5 / 3 pm
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
Gary Hoffman, cello
Christopher Taylor, piano

2 pm: Pre-concert performance by New Budapest Orpheum Society
Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano
Stewart Figa, baritone
Ilya Levinson, piano

Monday / October 6 / 7:30 pm
Thomas Weisflog, organ
Rockefeller Chapel Choir
James Kallembach, director
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Tuesday / October 7 / 7:30 pm
Marjorie Owens, soprano
Simin Ganatra, violin
Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin
Amy Dissanayake, piano
Fulton Recital Hall
6:15 pm: Pre-concert lecture by David Bevington

Thursday / October 9 / 12:15 pm
Tony Arnold, soprano
Jacob Greenberg, piano
Fulton Recital Hall

Thursday / October 9 / 6:15 pm
Alain Daboncourt, flute
Lei Wang, piano
Alliance Française de Chicago
Pre-concert lecture by Peter Hill, PhD

Friday / October 10 / 7:30 pm
Christopher Taylor, piano
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University

Saturday / October 11 / 7:30 pm
Pacifica Quartet

Friday / October 24 / 7:30 pm
Edgar Meyer, bass
Chris Thile, mandolin

Friday / October 31 / 7:30 pm
Guarneri String Quartet
Farewell Performance

Friday / November 7 / 7:30 pm
Judith, a biblical story from Renaissance Croatia
Katarina Livljanic, voice/direction/text adaptation and musical reconstruction
Diagolos
Hyde Park Union Sanctuary

Thursday / November 13 / 7 pm
Zukofsky Quartet (Chicago debut)
Chicago Cultural Center
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Friday / November 21 / 7:30 pm
Johannes Moser, cello

Sunday / January 11 / 3 pm
Pacifica Quartet

Friday / January 16 / 7:30 pm
Regents Park Discovery Concert
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Myra Huang, piano

Friday / January 23 / 7:30 pm
Vladimir Feltsman, piano

Friday / February 6 / 7:30 pm
Pomerium
Alexander Blachly, director
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Thursday / February 19 / 7:30 pm
eighth blackbird
Hilliard Ensemble
Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Friday / February 20 / 7:30 pm
Takács Quartet
Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Friday / March 6 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Cliff Colnot, conductor
Ruggero Allifranchini and Dale Barltrop, violins
Student composition winner

Saturday / April 4 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Double-Bill
Shulamit Ran, artistic director
eighth blackbird
Museum of Contemporary Art

Friday / April 17 / 7:30 pm
Quatuor Mosaïques

Sunday / April 19 / 3 pm
Pacifica Quartet
Erik Rönmark, saxophone

Friday / April 24 / 7:30 pm
Edgar Meyer, bass
Amy Dorfman, piano

Saturday / April 25 / 8 pm
University Symphony Orchestra
Barbara Schubert, conductor
Edgar Meyer, bass

Friday / May 1 / 7:30 pm
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Xian Zhang, conductor
Bernhard Scully, horn

Friday / May 15 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Tomorrow’s Music Today 1
Fulton Recital Hall

Thursday / May 28 / 7:30 pm
Contempo: Tomorrow’s Music Today 2
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University