Blog – Page 36 – Clef Notes Chicagoland Journal for the Arts

Music Spring 2021

LUMINARY: Q&A with Singer Marc Broussard

June 15, 2021 Fred Cummings City Winery, Marc Broussard

Some of the best discoveries are made in the most unconventional places. Fans of emerging singer/songwriter Marc Broussard know this well. They first made their acquaintance with the artist when his catchy tune, “Must Be The Water,” was featured in television commercials for the 2008 NBA All-Start game. The independent artist had been hard at work for years releasing his own music including 2002’s Momentary Setback, which gave listeners the introspective “The Wanderer.” Broussard re-released an updated version of the song years later with Island Def Jam Records on his subsequent album, Carencro (2004). The album also featured one of the artist’s best-known songs, “Home.”

Arts Chicago Arts and Culture Spring 2021 Technology

Project SYNCERE’S 2021 ENpowered Games Focuses on STEM Challenges and Careers

June 2, 2021 Leslie Price

This summer, on May 7th, over 300 students from Chicago’s south and west sides met virtually to participate in Project SYNCERE’s fourth annual ENpowered Games—an event during which students used their knowledge of engineering and science to solve a variety of challenges people encounter every day. The theme for this year’s event, “Engineering Social Change,” was as timely as it was pregnant with possibilities. As part of the celebratory culmination of a 10-week program in engineering design, critical thinking and collaboration skills, participants created projects designed to offer engineering solutions that impact real social change. The project entries ranged from concepts for eradicating homelessness to developing ways to provide equitable access to healthcare.

Architecture Spring 2021

Chicago Architecture Taking Center Stage

June 2, 2021 Leslie Price

With theaters still shuttered and outdoor performances not quite up and running at full speed yet, how are Chicago theatergoers to get their drama fix after emerging from more than a year of isolation? Look no further than Chicago’s storied architecture.

Architecture History Spring 2021

Jackson Park and its Latest Date with History

May 28, 2021 Patrick Curran Jackson Park, Obama Presidential Library

Over the course of the next few months, local and national media attention will soon be directed towards Chicago’s historic Jackson Park as groundbreaking ceremonies are set to begin in September 2021 on the historic Barack Obama Presidential Library and Center. After a tumultuous year battling the COVID-19 pandemic and culminating in the historic election of President Joseph Robinet Biden, the selection of Chicago’s own Jackson Park to honor the nation’s first African-American president (Chicago’s own native son) keenly underscores the intractable connections of the south side community haven to Chicago’s own history and that of the nation. Just as Jackson Park served as the symbolic platform for the promotion of nineteenth century “American ideals” as host to the 1892 Columbian World’s Exposition, so too will it promote in the halls of the new presidential library the more inclusive multi-cultural ideals of twenty first century America most poignantly represented in the life and legacy of America’s 45th president.

Music

Ravinia Appoints Steve Wilson Co-Director of Jazz Program

May 14, 2021 Fred Cummings Billy Childs, Bridges Competition, Ravinia Festival, Steans Music Institute, Steve Wilson

In anticipation of the reopening of its gates for the 2021 season, the Ravinia Festival has announced the appointment of saxophonist Steve Wilson as a co-program director of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) Program for Jazz. Wilson joined the program for Jazz faculty in 2019, bringing his extensive performance expertise and a deep respect for jazz education to the role. A talented multi-instrumentalist specializing in alto and soprano saxophone performance, he has served as the director of Jazz Studies at City College of New York and conducts clinics and master classes around the world. Jazz Times calls him “the consummate saxophonist-composer” and “one of the finest alto and soprano saxophonists of our time.”

Greg-Cameron-Raymond-Rodriguez-Joffrey-Academy-Team

Ballet Dance

Joffrey Ballet Expands Growing Footprint into Chicago’s South Loop

May 14, 2021 Fred Cummings Ashley Wheater, Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Ballet has announced the establishment of new studio space and training facilities at 1920 South Wabash Avenue (formerly

Black-Ensemble-Theatre-Soul-of-a-Powerful-Woman

Theater

Black Ensemble Theatre Announce 8th Annual “Soul of a Powerful Woman”

May 12, 2021 David Henley Black Ensemble Theater, Jan Schakowsky

Black Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor has announced Jackie Taylor’s Soul of A Powerful Woman (Her To Save The World), now in its eighth year. The virtual one-night fundraising event to benefit Black Ensemble Theater will be streamed live on May 23 at 6:00 p.m. on Facebook and Youtube.

Art

Hyde Park Art Center to Present The Metamorphosis of Gabriel Villa

May 12, 2021 Oscar Peterson Gabriel Villa, Hyde Park Art Center

Hyde Park Art Center, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, will present The Metamorphosis of Gabriel Villa and a related virtual artist talk. This major new solo exhibition introduces the Chicago artist’s new direction in installation and clay sculpture created during his 2018-19 Jackman Goldwasser Residency at the Art Center, along with a selection of his earlier paintings. Curated by Allison Peters Quinn, Hyde Park Art Center Director of Exhibition & Residency Programs, the exhibition—which is available for in-person viewing—runs through July 17, 2021.

Music

Chicago Children’s Theatre Appoints Sam Mauceri Inclusive Education and Programs Manager

May 12, 2021 Fred Cummings Chicago Children's Choir

Chicago Children’s Theatre has announced the appointment of Sam Mauceri (they/them/theirs) to a new full-time staff position: Inclusive Education and Programs Manager. Mauceri’s responsibilities include creating and ensuring an open and inclusive environment for all education programming at Chicago Children’s Theatre, including its full, year-round roster of performing arts classes and camps for children 0 to 18.

Dance

Ensemble Español Embraces New Era with “Zafiro Flamenco”

May 12, 2021 Fred Cummings Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theatre

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, will present three performances as part of the “Zafiro Flamenco” 45th Anniversary Festival at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.