Music Of The Baroque Rounds Out February With 'McGill Plays Mozart' Feb. 27-28
Music of the Baroque (MOB) completes February 2022 programming with performances of "McGill Plays Mozart" at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 and at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 28. This concert is sponsored by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.
For this concert, Mozart scholar and MOB Music Director Jane Glover joins forces with Chicago native and New York Philharmonic principal clarinet and first African-American principal player Anthony McGill. The program will include:
• Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet in A Major. Written shortly before Mozart's death, it is considered one of his greatest concertos. As stated by McGill in an interview in the Times Argus: "It's the standard (by) which we judge everything on our instrument. It's hard to put into words how important it is as a clarinetist, because we play it our entire lives. It never gets old, and it always gets more and more beautiful. I absolutely love it."
• Mozart's haunting Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, one of Mozart's most frequently performed works.
• Overture to "Lucio Silla," which Mozart wrote when he was only 15.
Hailed for his "trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character," (The New York Times), as well as for his "exquisite combination of technical refinement and expressive radiance,"(The Baltimore Sun), McGill also serves as an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities and for addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music
"McGill Plays Mozart"also marks the first time Music of the Baroque is participating in Project Inclusion. Inspired by Chicago Sinfonietta founder Paul Freeman, Project Inclusion is a unique development opportunity aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion, ultimately guiding young professionals toward successful careers in music. In 2013, The Grant Park Music Festival forged a partnership with Sinfonietta to launch its own Project Inclusion program.
The Music of the Baroque Orchestra will feature four Project Inclusion Fellows: Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Fellows Audrey Lee (violin) and Edwardo Rojas (viola); and Chicago Sinfonietta Fellows Lindsey Sharpe (cello) and Alexandria Hill (violin). All four musicians will have the opportunity to work closely with Dame Jane Glover and the ensemble in this important learning and professional performance experience.
"McGill Plays Mozart" follows Bill Barclay's "The Chevalier," a new concert theater work written about the life and music of 18th-century Black composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a master composer, virtuoso violinist, a friend of Mozart's, music teacher to Marie Antoinette, the finest fencer in Europe, general of Europe's first Black regiment and a crusader for the abolishment of slavery.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 at the Kehrein Center for the Arts; 5628 W. Washington Blvd.; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at the North Shore Center in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd. and 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. "The Chevalier" tickets for the performance at the Kehrein Center for the Arts are free (visit baroque.org/chevalier-austin for more information). Tickets for the North Shore Center and CSO performances are $25-$100 and are available now through the box offices of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts (northshorecenter.org) and Symphony Center (cso.org).
Music of the Baroque presents "McGill Plays Mozart," conducted by Dame Jane Glover, with guest clarinetist Anthony McGill 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, Ill.; and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, The Harris Theater in Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph Dr., Chicago. Tickets: $25-$95. Both the North Shore Center and the Harris require wearing of masks and proof of vaccination.
For information, visit northshorecenter.org and harristheaterchicago.org respectively. For tickets or more info, including COVID-19 protocol updates, visit baroque.org/mcgill. "McGill Plays Mozart"will also be offered On Demand beginning March 4 through April 4. Viewing passes are $25 and are available at baroque.org/mcgill.
Students can attend any of Music of the Baroque's performances at the Harris Theater during the 2021-2022 season free of charge. Students can reserve up to two complimentary tickets per valid student ID by visiting baroque.org or calling 312.551.1414. Student tickets will also be available at the Harris Theater box office starting two hours prior to the performance.