Preview: Orion Ensemble Goes Back to Its Roots
In its second offering of the 2016-17 season, the Orion Ensemble goes back to its roots with three of its founding members playing music from the 20th century. Serenade by […]
A lover of music his whole life, Louis Harris has written extensively from the early days of punk and alternative rock. More recently he has focused on classical music, especially chamber ensembles. He has reviewed concerts, festivals, and recordings and has interviewed composers and performers. He has paid special attention to Chicago’s rich and robust contemporary art music scene. He occasionally writes poetry and has a published novel to his credit, 32 Variations on a Theme by Basil II in the Key of Washington, DC. He now lives on the north side of Chicago, which he considers to be the greatest city in the country, if not the world. Member of the Music Critics Association of North America.
Third Coast Mixtape No. 8: Contemporary Classical Music from the Ear Taxi Festival
This mix tape was inspired by the Ear Taxi Festival (ETF), an extraordinary event that, over six days, shined a bright light on Chicago’s contemporary classical art music scene. From […]
Ear Taxi Festival: Final Thoughts on an Awesome Experience — and a Few More Reviews
The six-day Ear Taxi Festival (ETF), which concluded on Monday evening, was an extraordinary event that shined a bright light on Chicago’s contemporary classical art music scene. Our local scene […]
Ear Taxi Festival Day 4: A Concert Not To Be Missed
Day 4 of the Ear Taxi Festival (ETF) continued the excellence and excitement that had been ginned up in the previous days, but ended up in an especially spectacular […]
Ear Taxi Festival Day 3: Fascinating Sounds and More World Premieres
Halfway through its six-day run, the Ear Taxi Festival (ETF) continues to showcase Chicago’s rich contemporary classical music scene, with 88 local composers presenting 54 world premieres played by over […]
Ear Taxi Festival Day 1: Chicago’s Lively, Contemporary Sounds Come to Harris Theater
Nearly 400 enthusiastic admirers enjoyed day one of the Ear Taxi Festival (ETF) showcasing Chicago’s rich contemporary classical music scene. Wednesday’s excellent concerts were the first of six days devoted […]
Preview: Contemporary Classical Music Takes Center Stage at the Ear Taxi Festival
An underappreciated facet of Chicago’s rich cultural offerings goes on display next week when the first-ever, multi-day festival devoted to contemporary classical art music begins. For six days–October 5-10–the Ear […]
Preview: Chicago Sinfonietta Goes Unhinged with the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo
Opening its 2016-17 season in a wild and exuberant fashion, conductor Mei-Ann Chen and the Chicago Sinfonietta present Unhinged, an evening featuring the ersatz histrionics of the Anderson & Roe […]
Preview: Duo Belcorde Opens the 11th Chicago Latino Music Festival
Celebrating the rich musical heritage of Latin America and Spain, the 11th installment of Chicago’s Latino Music Festival kicks off with the violin and guitar Duo Belcorde performing music from […]
Preview: Classical Music Hits the Streets in the First Thirsty Ears Festival
The latest manifestation of Chicago’s well-documented cultural phenomenon of partying in the streets is the Thirsty Ears Street Festival, Chicago’s first and only street fair devoted to classical music. Hosted […]
Emerson String Quartet Devotes Three Hours to Haydn at Ravinia
In a marathon, three-hour concert that included two intermissions at Ravinia on Tuesday night, the Emerson String Quartet gave an energetic, vibrant, yet nuanced, performance of six quartets that comprise […]
Preview: 28th Annual Chicago Duo Piano Festival Kicks Off This Weekend
The repertoire for piano duo is very rich, but performances can be rather rare. The Music Institute of Chicago has been remedying this situation with its annual Chicago Duo Piano […]