Dear friends,
Happy springtime! I hope you are well and feeling more positive about the possibilities of gathering again: to see family and friends, to go to a restaurant, to travel — and of course, to hear music together — if not now, then in the near future.
We very much appreciate the support by so many wonderful patrons of UChicago Presents over the past season. Whether you’ve tuned into our streamed concerts over the past year or supported our efforts with a donation, your involvement means so much to us — thank you!
By this time in a typical year, UChicago Presents would have announced our season in full and invited you to join us often for concerts by subscribing. However, this is not a usual year, and the resumption of activities is still somewhat a rollercoaster, making it difficult to know what news to share with you and when to do so. Still, we are eagerly looking and planning ahead to the 2021/22 season…
Our theme for the new season is MUSIC FORWARD, which we believe underscores UChicago Presents’ commitment to placing music front and center, whether experienced from the couch or the concert hall. We do anticipate being able to offer a limited number of in-person concerts, depending on what state, city, and University guidelines will allow, as well as more streamed performances. Our priority, of course, is to ensure the safety of artists, audiences, and staff when we move to in-person events.
Because of the current uncertainties around reopening, we will continue to announce our concert plans on a quarterly basis, and concerts will be sold on a per-event basis, rather than by subscription. We anticipate sharing the fall concert schedule with you some time in August. In the meantime, we invite you to catch one or more of the remaining streamed events on our spring schedule.
Ticketholders who have credit on account with the UChicago Arts Box Office will be able to apply that credit to future concerts, convert balance into a donation to UChicago Presents, or request a refund.
During this time, email will remain our primary means of communication, so please sign up for our mailing list if you haven't done so already, and keep an eye on your email box for more updates. Current information can always be found here, on the UChicago Presents website.
A final word: this is also usually the time when I ask if you will consider supporting our music-making with a gift to UChicago Presents. During this challenging time, our priority has been to connect you with exceptional music, to support the outstanding artists who give us these performances, and to continue to be a source of artistic inspiration and connection on campus. Though we have been unable to experience music together in the concert hall this season, UChicago Presents has worked hard to bring you high-quality virtual performances from around the globe. These concert streams have been illuminating in their own way — while we miss the energy that only a live performance can impart, we still benefit from the artists’ compelling interpretations, and the films offer us up-close and intimate views unattainable from our seats in the hall. The musicians we have engaged have been so grateful for both the opportunity to appear on our series and for the income during an especially devastating year for artists. And we have seen a much greater engagement of students with our concerts. Please consider a gift to UChicago Presents to sustain the good musical work that we do for so many. If you would like to make a gift, you can do so online or by sending a check made out to the University of Chicago Presents Concert Series to the following address on this page.
I miss sharing music with you in the concert hall! I am happy that music has an important role in your life and grateful for your patronage of our concert series. Thank you again for helping UChicago Presents to move MUSIC FORWARD.
Sincerely,
Amy Iwano
Executive Director