Chicago Sinfonietta, renowned for its creative orchestral collaborations with other performing arts organizations, is proud to conclude its 2004-05 season in May with the World Premiere of Lahara by Chicago composer-sitarist Fareed Haque. The concert will also feature world renowned tabla master Zakir Hussain, and Grammy-nominated pianist Joseph Joubert.
The evening begins classically with Chicago Sinfonietta’s performance of Carl Maria von Webber’s romantic and emotion filled Jubel Overture (1818). Taking a world music turn, Haque and Hussain join the Chicago Sinfonietta to perform the World Premiere of Haque’s Lahara Concerto, Double Concerto for Tabla, Sitar- Guitar and Orchestra. Joubert will follow with his rendition of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's Grass: A Poem for Piano, Strings, and Percussion. Completing the program, the Chicago Sinfonietta will stage Three Dances from “The Bartered Bride” (1866), Bedrich Smetana’s personal favorite and world famous comic opera.
Fareed Haque, born to a Pakistani father and Chilean mother, was exposed to various genres of music from a very early age. This natural eclecticism has become the hallmark of Haque’s music. The 1981 recipient of North Texas State University's Jazz Guitar Scholarship, Haque spent a year studying with renowned jazz guitarist and pedagogue Jack Peterson. Haque’s growing interest in the classical guitar led him to transfer to Northwestern University. In 1989, Fareed joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University, where he currently holds an associate professorship in jazz and classical guitar studies. Haque enjoys a career that spans the spectrum of musical styles, moving easily between jazz and classical guitar.
Zakir Hussain, a classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, the Hong Kong Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony. As well as performing, Zakir has co-composed the opening music for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 1996, composed music for San Francisco's premiere contemporary ballet company, Lines, and for the San Francisco Jazz Festival.
In 1991 he was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition. Zakir is the recipient of the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States' most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts.
Joseph Joubert’s wide ranging and versatile talents have earned him a reputation as a soloist and ensemble performer both in the U.S. and internationally. Joubert has performed with the Manhattan Symphony, the New Philharmonia, and the West Palm Beach Symphony, to name a few. He has appeared as a soloist and an ensemble player in New York City's major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall. He also served for two seasons as staff pianist for Metropolitan Opera's revival of Porgy and Bess. Entertaining an exciting career as an arranger and composer of keyboard, vocal and orchestral literature, as well as an ensemble director, has led him to collaborate with musical greats, such as Ashford and Simpson, Diana Ross, George Benson, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Jennifer Holiday, and Diane Reeves, among others. He has received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his orchestrations for the Off-Broadway show Violet and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Cross-Over Album.
The Chicago Sinfonietta presents an exciting blend of musical and artistic genres, taking its audience on an orchestral adventure like no other. Mixing the Classical and Romantic repertoire with bold contemporary works, the Sinfonietta shatters traditional boundaries through its collaborations, creating synergies between classical, dance, theater and other musical styles including jazz, rock, and World music. Founded in 1987 by distinguished Music Director Paul Freeman under the mission of Musical Excellence Through Diversity™, the Sinfonietta is Chicago's premier mid-size professional orchestra and serves as a cultural crossroads, featuring talented soloists, composers and musicians of color.
The Chicago Sinfonietta is proudly sponsored by American Airlines, the Illinois Arts Council, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs’ CityArts Grant program, the State of Illinois, the Joyce Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, the Alphawood Foundation, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Fairmont Hotel-Official Hotel of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Aria-Official Restaurant of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Bettiann Gardner, The Ungar Group – Official Advertising Agency of the Chicago Sinfonietta, and many other generous contributors. WFMT-FM is the official radio partner for the Chicago Sinfonietta 2004-2005 season. This concert is sponsored by Conscious Choice Magazine.
For more information visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org.
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