Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Orchestra captivates Pilsen
From top left to bottom: TRP's Board of Director member Dorothy Zukoski (left) and supporter Gene Zubek (right). CSO's Vice President for Education, Community Relations and Diversity Charlie Grode (left) and TRP's New Communities Program Director Alvaro Obregon (right). Supporter of TRP and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School John Buck and TRP's Resource Development Director Ryan Kelsey
Last Sunday March 2nd, the Pilsen Community embraced the sounds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Orchestra of Chicago on a great night for classical music in Pilsen. Students, community leaders, neighbors of all ages and supporters of the fine arts filled the gymnasium-turned-auditorium of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School to enjoy the masterful works of composers such as Brahms, Debussy, Marquez and Respighi. The concert was coordinated by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Resurrection Project and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School as part of their continuous commitment to education and the arts, offering high-quality entertainment and cultural programming to the community.
The evening started with a beautiful rendition of the Mexican National Anthem in honor of Pilsen’s rich cultural heritage. As the audience cheered, Alvaro R. Obregon, NCP Director for The Resurrection Project and Charlie Grode, Vice President for Education, Community Relations, and Diversity for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra took the stage. They both gave opening remarks, extolling the virtues of Andrew Grams, a newly appointed resident conductor of the Florida Orchestra, who led the Orchestra that evening, as well as the talents of Alegre Strings, a group of young musicians who joined the orchestra for a portion of the evening.
CSO's Civic Orchestra of Chicago performs Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 1.
The first performance of the evening transported the audience to Eastern Europe for Johannes Brahms’ (1833-1897) Hungarian Dance No.1. After such a dramatically energetic piece, Andrew Grams expressed how honored he felt to be performing for the community and his love for the Mexican and Latino sounds. He also shared details about his next opportunity as conductor in Mexico City. After a good round of applause, the next piece filled the room with the tropical sounds of Cuba and the coastal Veracruz region of Mexico with Arturo Marquez’s Danzon No. 2. The piece evoked nostalgia within those in our community who longed for those days of dancing at Mexico City’s dance halls in the early 20th century and warmed up the audience for what came next, an excellent display of talent from the Alegre Strings of Merit School of Music. These young musicians, under the lead of Shalisa Kline Ugaz, performed popular classics such as Chucho Monge’s Mexico Lindo, Mendoza y Cortez’s Cielito Lindo and Gerardo Matos Rodriguez’s La Cumparsita among others.
Alegre Strings of Merit School of Music.
Alegre Strings captivated the audience and, to top it off, were joined by the Civic Orchestra in the interpretation of some Traditional Suzuki Selections. Such selections were invented in the mid-20th century by Shin'ichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist who desired to bring some beauty to the lives of children in his country after the devastation of World War II, thus revolutionizing the methods for teaching music at a very young age.
With no intermission, the concert continued with Debussy’s Iberia, an exquisite piece in three movements that effectively captured the atmosphere of the land across the Pyrenees. Each section highlighted specific instruments notable in Spanish compositions: the first one by tambourines and castanets and the second piece dominated by horns, immediately followed by a celebration of strumming guitars closing the 3 movements. Finally, the Orchestra culminated with 20th Century Rome Ottorino Respighi’s The Pines of Rome, a musical saga that evoked Roman past glories.
Overall, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago’s concert was a great success. By bringing families together to enjoy expertly executed classics and promoting the fine arts education in our community, the night’s aim was to cultivate those future musicians who can continue to preserve their multicultural heritage. As opportunities for exposure to the fine arts become more limited, or just simply unaffordable for the working classes, this event (now in its 3rd year)—and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's committment to our communities— will be remembered fondly by its attendees as a great night for classical music in Pilsen.