Chicago Sinfonietta celebrates women with UNAPOLOGETIC on March 18 & 20

This concert program will take place at 8 p.m. on March 18 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and at 7:30 p.m. on March 20 at Symphony Center in Chicago.

Photo: Rachel Barton Pine, courtesy of Rachel Barton Pine.

“She doesn't have to choose between being gentle or being fierce. Both exist in nature, and both exist in her. That's ok. She'll know to nourish them both and when applicable, use each unapologetically,” said the author of Life, the Truth, and Being Free, Steve Maraboli. March is Women’s History Month, and Chicago Sinfonietta is happy to celebrate it with a concert program that champions women. The UNAPOLOGETIC concert program will take place at 8 p.m. on March 18 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and at 7:30 p.m. on March 20 at Symphony Center in Chicago.

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s input into history, culture, and society. In the United States, it has been observed annually in March since 1987. Certainly, American female composers have contributed to our society an unprecedented amount of their intellectual treasure – unique musical compositions – and deserve attention and recognition.

Chicago Sinfonietta, a nationally and internationally acclaimed cultural leader and a powerful advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, supports women composers, musicians, and professional leaders. Led by globally renowned Taiwanese American conductor and music director Mei-Ann Chen, this orchestra is known for its groundbreaking programming and versatility.

Maestro Mei-Ann Chen is praised for her dynamic and passionate conducting style, incomparable mastership, and the deep understanding of symphonic music. She has been Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, and during these years the love and the interest of the Chicagoland audience for this orchestra and for this talented conductor has been growing tremendously.

During the years of its existence, Chicago Sinfonietta has been presenting a higher percentage of works by women composers than any other orchestra in the United States. Only by promoting music written by women and by making it available to various audiences is it possible to prove that women composers are as skillful as men and can create timeless masterpieces.

The March 18 and 20 concerts will feature two Chicago premieres. The concert program will start with the Chicago premiere of Tania León’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize winning Stride. This work was inspired by Susan B. Anthony, the American activist who was a pioneer crusader for the women’s suffrage movement in the US. She helped pave the way for the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Stride was originally commissioned as part of a project commemorating this historic fact.

Internationally renowned American composer and conductor Tania León was born in Havana, Cuba. She was born Tania Justina León of mixed French, Spanish, Chinese, African, and Cuban heritage. León plays an important role in the world of classical music, musical education, and the development of arts. In July 2022, she was named a recipient of the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements. In 2023, she was awarded the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition from Northwestern University. Recently, León became the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s next Composer-in-Residence. She will also hold Carnegie Hall’s Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair for its 2023-2024 season.

León’s orchestral work Stride was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The sounds of this powerful composition will impress everyone in the audience.

Internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine will return to Chicago Sinfonietta to perform Violin Concerto No. 2 written by famous American composer Florence Price. It will be the Chicago premier of this composition.

This historic work was written by Price shortly before her death in 1953. It was discovered in 2009 in an abandoned Illinois house just 70 miles from Chicago, and it was a lucky discovery because it demonstrated to the world another gem created by this talented African American female composer.

Price was the first African American to have a symphonic work performed by a major American orchestra. She created more than three hundred compositions and was inducted into the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 1940, but after her death in 1953 her music was partially lost and partially forgotten. Chicago Sinfonietta is proud to demonstrate all the passion and the talent of this African American female composer who deserves to be praised for her contribution to classical music.

Violin Concerto No. 2 is incredibly touching and sincere, and the audience will have a chance to experience its beauty presented by the violinist Rachel Barton Pine playing along with the Chicago Sinfonietta. Pine’s incredible technique, emotional presentation, lustrous tone, deep understanding of music, and remarkable mastery certainly make her one of the best violin players of our time. Being a devoted musician, Pine literally lives in music while playing her favorite instrument and carries her listeners away from this reality by swirling them on the brilliant waves of classical masterpieces.

Pine’s infectious joy in music-making affects everyone who watches her perform. Pine combines an innate gift for emotional communication with her audience with a scholarly fascination for historical research.

After the intermission, Chicago Sinfonietta will present the ever-popular Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, a symphonic suite inspired by the courageous, intelligent heroine of the Middle Eastern folktale, The Arabian Nights. Your blood will run faster in your veins while you listen to this masterpiece written by one of the greatest composers of all time.

The Chicago Sinfonietta is happy to welcome you to its spirited spring musical celebration of women’s unapologetic daring, inspiration, and courage. For tickets, please call 630-637-7469 (Naperville), 312-284-1554 (Chicago), or go to https://chicagosinfonietta.org/tickets/?eid=3001.

Natalia Dagenhart

03/07/23