The Music Institute of Chicago’s fifth annual Jazz Festival celebrates the incredible career and influence of jazz icon Charlie Parker.
Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.: Bird with Strings The festival opens with a rare performance of music from the legendary Bird with Strings recordings, with jazz veteran Charles McPherson as saxophone soloist and Music Institute Artist in Residence Tammy McCannsinging Easy Living and I Thought About You. Also on the program is a newly commissioned work for jazz quartet and strings by Northwestern University Director of Jazz Studies Victor Goines.
Saturday, November 8, 4 p.m.: Lecture and Book-Signing The festival continues with a lecture by acclaimed cultural critic and author Stanley Crouch, who discusses his recent book Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker. WBEZ’s Richard Steele serves as moderator.
Saturday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.: Bebop Extravaganza The closing concert features Charles McPherson on saxophone and the Music Institute jazz faculty quintet, withVictor Garcia on trumpet, Jeremy Kahn on piano, Stewart Miller on bass, Ernie Adams on drums, and Music Institute Jazz Studies Director Audrey Morrison on trombone performing Charlie Parker classics, such as Confirmation,Moose the Mooch and Ornithology.
A Jazz Invitational Saturday, November 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. features high school student jazz ensembles performing and receiving coaching from Charles McPherson and Music Institute jazz faculty. Participating high schools to date include Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), Glenbrook South, and Pritzker College Prep. A master class with McPherson follows at 3 p.m.
The Music Institute of Chicago believes that enjoying and understanding music and developing the skills to create and perform music enhance the quality of life and nourish the human spirit. The Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) is one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the country, setting national standards for excellence in music education. MIC was the first community music school in Illinois to be accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the body that accredits college/university music departments. With a world-renowned faculty and exceptional creative arts therapy staff, MIC provides music education and clinical services for people of all ages and abilities across numerous inner-city sites, a satellite locations in Downers Grove and Chicago and five permanent campuses located in Evanston (2), Lincolnshire, Winnetka and Lake Forest. MIC is passionate about the value of music for all people and is committed to providing every student with a comprehensive music education that transforms their lives. MIC students (ages birth to 102 years) come from neighborhoods across Chicago, and more than 90 communities in Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Mc Henry Counties as well as from nine other states and foreign countries.
The Music Institute of Chicago includes: The Community Music School: whose reputation for the excellence of its teaching faculty attracts students of all ages, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds from across Illinois. The Academy: a nationally-recognized program offering the finest and most comprehensive pre-collegiate music education for gifted pianists and string students who have made a commitment to a career in music. The Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA): provides creative arts therapy to thousands of people annually with special physical and emotional needs at more than 90 locations throughout the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Public Performance Programs: are offered in Nichols Concert Hall a magnificently restored and acoustically-exceptional landmark building in East Evanston. These programs provide opportunities for the public to experience world class artists, MIC artists-in-residence and faculty, student and other special events.
