Review by Michael Cameron of the Chicago Tribune.

This past Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston, Midwest Young Artists took the venue by storm, armed with three concerts from an assortment of groups with varied programs. The concert I attended bore the title “Future Virtuosos”, and featured winners of the Walgreens Concerto Competition.  It was a prime opportunity to not only measure the continuing growth of two MYA orchestras under the leadership of Allan Dennis, but also to hear a sample of young soloists primed to try their hands in the highly competitive world of the concert soloist.

Though this battle for and against new music has been raging for a while now, I still at times secretly wonder why I can't just sit back and enjoy modern music. Is it just me? What am I missing that most people are not? Not that I have any specific beef, but let's take Carter for instance. What makes the rest of the audience burst into applause at the end of a piece while I sit there dumbfounded.

Not that I've found the answer, but I have found an interesting article from the Telegraph, that suggests what I am missing.

For many the name Mahler conjures (among other) images, one of sprawling orchestras. The Rembrandt Chamber Players’ Mahler Project, which culminates in a fast-approaching concert at the Merit School of Music’s Gottlieb Hall, has served to emend such associations via its annual performances of, you guessed it, “chamber” versions of Mahler masterworks. Rembrandt promises to show again that Mahler’s music does not necessarily call for 100+ performers on a stage the size of a small island nation in its March 23rd performance of Das Lied von der Erde, conducted by Jane Glover.

Chicago a cappella presents "Roll, Jordan, Roll" on Feb. 6, 7, 13, and 14. 
 
How did the African-American spiritual come about?  Here are some thoughts about the social background and history of the spiritual, from my program notes for these upcoming performances.   
 
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This is the first in a series of blogs to provide historical context for Chicago a cappella's upcoming February performances of spirituals, Roll, Jordan, Roll.  Some of this material didn't make it into the program notes and so is unique to this blog and this website.  Enjoy, and don't be shy about commenting if you have something to say.