MILLENNIUM PARK’S FREE MUSIC SERIES RETURN
Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations and
Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz Highlight Summer 2013 Events
When
the season of free concerts presented by the Department of Cultural
Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) kicks off at the Jay Pritzker
Pavilion in Millennium Park, music fans will want to return more than
“Once” including on June 10 when Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist Glen
Hansard headlines that evening for Downtown Sound, the ten-week Monday
evening series that runs from May 27 to July 29. All concerts begin at
6:30 p.m.
The
performance, An Evening with Glen Hansard, features the Irish
singer-songwriter, Lisa Hannigan and members of Hansard’s former band,
The Frames. Hansard’s original song, “Falling Slowly”, for the movie
“Once” earned him an Oscar®.
The
Grammy® Award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops certainly demonstrates
the influence of its regional Piedmont background with fiddle and
banjo-based music, but to merely call the group bluegrass would ignore
the band’s constant evolution as members seek to highlight the central
role African-Americans have played in shaping our nation’s popular
music. Their performance is June 24.
The
Los Angeles-based band, Dawes, performing on July 8, features
singer/guitarist Taylor Goldsmith, his brother Griffin on drums,
keyboardists Tay Strathairn and bassist Wylie Gelber. While the band
recorded its latest release Stories Don’t End in North Carolina, their
Laurel Canyon sound is still distinctive.
Downtown Sound is sponsored in part by Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat Ale and 93XRT.
Returning
this summer season is Loops & Variations, a music series launched
in 2012 that features new music mixed with electronica. On opening
night, June 13, Falty DL will turn the Pritzker Pavilion’s Great Lawn
into a dance floor with his unique style of abstractions and abrupt
changes. His work encompasses intelligent dance music, drum’n’bass,
hardcore techno, house, garage and dubstep, but he presents that
combination in his own style.
Other
performers include Matmos on June 27, a duo creating music from the
most unusual sources, and crowd favorite and electronic musician Dan
Deacon on July 11.
Loops
& Variations is held on Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. beginning
June 13, June 27, July 4, July 11 (at a special time: 8 p.m.) and July
18. (Thursday, June 20 will be the opening night of the 28th Chicago
Gospel Music Festival.)
A
special Wednesday night of Loops & Variations will be August 28
featuring eighth blackbird with Glenn Kotche. Concert begins at 6:30
p.m. with Leslie Flanigan.
Then
on July 25, jazz music takes center stages with Made in Chicago: World
Class Jazz for six consecutive Thursday evenings culminating in the
August 29 performance which simultaneously kicks off the 35th Annual
Chicago Jazz Festival. The music series is programmed in partnership
with Jazz Institute of Chicago and with the support of the Chicago
Community Trust.
This
summer’s season of Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz will be dedicated
to the late Helen Doria, the first Executive Director at Millennium
Park, who conceived and launched the series in the summer of 2005.
Back
to the scene of her triumphant success of last year’s Made in Chicago
finale, “A Songbook Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald,” is vocalist/songwriter
and Chicagoan Dee Alexander. She has earned worldwide notoriety for her
vocal tributes to artists such as Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Dinah
Washington, but this evening, she switches gears and genders. Paying
tribute to two of the biggest influences in American Music, Alexander’s
performance is titled, Dee Alexander’s Funkin’ with Acoustic Soul:
Tribute to James Brown and Jimi Hendrix.”
The
tribute performances continue on August 15 when drummer, composer and
bandleader Dana Hall celebrates the work of one of Chicago’s jazz piano
innovators, Andrew Hill, in an evening titled, The Andrew Hill Project
with Black Fire.
The
Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz finale on August 29 will also open
the Chicago Jazz Festival in style with a celebration of Jack
DeJohnette’s 70th birthday. DeJohnette leads a Special Edition Chicago
band featuring Muhal Richard Abrams, Larry Gray, Roscoe Mitchell and
Henry Threadgill for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion.
“Millennium
Park is one of Chicago’s most extraordinary venues, a state-of-the-art
collection of architecture, landscape design and art,” said Michelle T.
Boone, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special
Events. “This summer, the Park provides an amazing backdrop for hundreds
of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours and
family activities.”
Detailed information on each music series will be released in May and June. Complete schedules follow.
Other free events in Millennium Park this summer include:
Legends, Myths and Truths: Jun Kaneko, Boeing Galleries, April 12 - November 3
As
a pioneer in the field of monumental ceramic sculpture, Jun Kaneko has
played with scale and proportion. This installation represents the
artist’s past and present artistic practices. Works in the South Boeing
Galleries feature Kaneko’s signature Dangos (meaning “rounded form” or
“dumpling” in Japanese).
The
North Boeing Gallery features a new body of work by Kaneko, drawing
upon the myths and legends of the Tanuki figure. From ancient times, the
Japanese have expressed the Tanuki in a variety of ways, for it is
considered to be a trickster who causes trouble and mayhem in both the
human and supernatural worlds. The exhibit is co-presented by DCASE and
Millennium Park, Inc., and is sponsored by The Boeing Company, with
support from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
Tours of the Lurie Garden, May 5 - September 22 (No tours on May 12)
Guided
walks in the Lurie Garden take place on Fridays and Sundays. Learn
about the Garden’s design, its plant life and how this applies to your
home garden.
Dinosaur Petting Zoo, [Location TBD], May 25 - 27
Dinosaurs
come to life in a fun, educational and imaginative performance.
Dinosaur Petting Zoo™ encourages interaction for kids and adults.
Audiences can feed, water and care for these puppet-like, prehistoric
marvels.
This event is suitable for children 5+.
30th Annual Chicago Blues Festival Opening Night Concert, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, June 6
A
special Thursday evening concert will kick off this milestone Chicago
Blues Festival with Shemekia Copeland (crowned the “new” Queen of the
Blues in 2011) headlining the evening joined by special guest, blues
guitar prodigy and Buddy Guy collaborator, Quinn Sullivan. The evening
will begin at 6:30 p.m. with openers Blues Kids of America followed by
Jamiah on Fire & The Red Machine.
Millennium Park Workouts, Great Lawn, June 8 - August 31
Participate
in energizing workouts on the Great Lawn. Supported by McDonald’s® and
presented by the DCASE, these free workout sessions will be held from 7
a.m. to 11 a.m. Workouts are 45 minutes long with classes in Tai Chi at 7
a.m., Yoga at 8 a.m., Pilates at 9 a.m. and Zumba®, a Latin-inspired
calorie-burning dance fitness party, beginning at 10 a.m.
Family Fun Festival, Chase Promenade North, June 10 - August 18
The
Family Fun Festival presented by Target returns offering interactive
activities, arts and crafts and games for kids of all ages. Every day
includes Wiggleworms® at 10 a.m., when instructors from the Old Town
School of Folk Music lead young children in a fun-filled sing-along and a
reading circle at 11 a.m.
Bike Chicago Week, Cloud Gate, June 10-14
Celebrate
Chicago’s commitment to being the best big city for bicycling. Bike
Week includes spin classes at Cloud Gate and a bike-related movie night
at the Pritzker Pavilion.
The 79th Season of the Grant Park Music Festival, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, June 12 - August 17
Highlights
of the season are the Chicago premiere of Qigang Chen’s evocative Iris
dévoilée, a work that blends Eastern and Western musical traditions,
showcasing Chinese singers Xiaoduo Chen and Meng Meng, and featuring the
Chinese instruments erhu, pipa and zheng along with the Grant Park
Orchestra.
The
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus will commemorate the centenary of the
birth of Benjamin Britten with two performances of his powerful
masterwork, “War Requiem”, and the Festival will celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s seminal piece, “The
Rite of Spring” with two performances on closing weekend. For the
complete schedule, visit grantparkmusicfestival.com.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival opening night, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, June 20
This
year’s festival begins with a Chicago Gospel Choir Competition! Choirs
from across the City will compete to win a prime performance slot on
the main stage Saturday night at the Festival’s new home in Ellis Park.
Choirs interested in participating will find more information on the
festival website, chicagogospelmusicfestival.us
Millennium
Park is located on Michigan Avenue, bordered by Randolph St. to the
north, Columbus Dr. to the east and Monroe St. to the south. Convenient
parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage (entrance on Columbus
at Monroe or Randolph), Millennium Lakeside and Grant Park North.
For
the latest Millennium Park news and events, visit millenniumpark.org,
like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, @Millennium_Park.
# # #
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated
to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This
includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector,
independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a
framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via
the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a
worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable
cultural programs for residents and visitors.
CONCERTS at the JAY PRITZKER PAVILION
Downtown Sound
May 27—July 29, Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
(Headliners appear first in the line-up below)
Monday, May 27, 6:30 p.m.
Lee Ranaldo Band + Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog
Monday, June 3, 6:30 p.m.
Sharon Van Etten + Speck Mountain
Monday, June 10, 6:30 p.m.
An Evening with Glen Hansard feat. Lisa Hannigan and members of The Frames
Monday, June 17, 6:30 p.m.
Daniel Lanois + Brokeback
Monday, June 24, 6:30 p.m.
Carolina Chocolate Drops + Angela James
Monday, July 1, 6:30 p.m.
Lee Fields & the Expressions + Theo Huff and the Platinum Band
Monday, July 8, 6:30 p.m.
Dawes + The Cairo Gang
Monday, July 15, 6:30 p.m.
Fatoumata Diawara + Alasdair Roberts and Friends
Monday, July 24, 6:30 p.m.
The Handsome Family + AZITA
Monday, July 29, 6:30 p.m.
Dessa + Psalm One
Loops And Variations
June 13—July 18, Aug. 28 (no L&V concert June 20- Opening night of Chicago Gospel Music Festival), Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 13, 6:30 p.m.
Falty DL + Bill Kouligas
Thursday, June 27, 6:30 p.m.
Matmos + Fonema Consort
Thursday, July 4, 6:30 p.m.
ICE +Nosaj Thing
Thursday, July 11, 8 p.m.
Dan Deacon (no opening act)
Thursday, July 18, 6:30 p.m.
Olafur Arnalds + Sarah Neufeld
Wednesday, August 28, 6:30 p.m.
eighth blackbird with Glenn Kotche + Lesley Flanigan
Made In Chicago: World Class Jazz
July 25—August 29,Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.
Dee Alexander’s Funkin’ with Acoustic Soul: Tribute to James Brown and Jimi Hendrix
Thursday, August 1, 6:30 p.m.
Victor Garcia’s Crossing Borders
Thursday, August 8, 6:30 p.m.
Jeff Parker-Nels Cline Quartet : The Turning Point
Thursday, August 15, 6:30 p.m.
Dana Hall: The Andrew Hill Project with Black Fire
Thursday, August 22, 6:30 p.m.
Tale of the Tiger: Pat Mallinger Quartet feat. Bill Carrothers & Cameron Pfiffner’s Marco Polo
Thursday, August 29, 6:30 p.m.
Jack DeJohnette: Special Legends Edition - Chicago
Muhal Richard Abrams, Larry Gray, Roscoe Mitchell & Henry Threadgill