Culture Chronicles

Our second series concert CULTURE CHRONICLES propels composers both living and past into the spotlight, providing an intimate look into how their cultural heritage inspires musical storytelling. Guest Conductor Vinay Parameswaran makes his Sinfonietta debut, having collaborated with Music Director Mei-Ann Chen to bring audiences a program that contemplates ancestry, homeland, and guiding spirits.

The concert opens with Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegia Andina (Andean Elegy), the composer’s first musical foray into exploring her diverse ethnic background from her Chinese-Peruvian-Spanish mother and her Lithuanian-Jewish father. She draws on the indigenious Peruvian instrument arca/ira zampoña panpipe to create elegiac poetry. Darkly lyrical with moments of intense beauty and tonal colors, Frank’s work will leave you spellbound.

Mexican-American composer Juan Pablo Contreras returns to the Sinfonietta for a second season, featuring our newest co-commissioned work and Chicago premiere of his Alma Monarca  (Monarch Soul). This sonic narrative is inspired by Contreras’ remarkable family and cultural traditions, paying homage to departed loved ones during Dia de los Muertos. Coinciding with the annual Monarch butterfly migration, local folk legends believe the souls of dearly departed loved ones transform into Monarch butterflies as they migrate to the next life. Contreras shares a beautiful remembrance of this deeply personal childhood memory. Meet and greet Juan Pablo at both our Naperville and Chicago concerts!

We close the evening with beloved 19th century Bohemian composer, Antonín Dvořák. His Symphony No. 8 is one of his best-known works, celebrated for its integration of folk melodies and celebration of nature, within a classical symphonic structure. This cheerful symphony exudes warmth, lyricism, and a joyful spirit, certain to uplift all who listen.

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