Sir Georg Solti Memorial Festival

10 Mar Sir Georg Solti Memorial Festival

Counting down to Day 1 of the Festival…

Sir Georg Solti was born in 1912 in Budapest, Hungary, and died in 1997 in France. Decca Classics says he was one of the twentieth century’s “most brilliant conductors and a leading figure of musical culture in Europe and the US.” He had a long partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), beginning in 1954, when he led the Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. He served as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1991, and as Music Director Laureate from 1991 to 1997. During his long tenure he raised the Orchestra’s profile in the U.S. and internationally. He left an indelible mark on the city of Chicago.

American Music Festivals, in partnership with the Illinois Society for Arts and Music Promotion among Youth, is presenting this tribute to a giant of the music world.

The festival will run for two evenings at the Copernicus Center on the northwest side of Chicago at 5216 W. Lawrence Ave. Works were chosen that relate to his career and heritage.

Both evenings will feature musicians whom Solti invited to join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Sunday, April 3rd, 4:00 pm will feature the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Philip Simmons, and brother and sister singers Pavel and Anastasiya Roytman. Music of Bartok, Liszt, Weiner, Verdi, Weber, Tartini, Vitali, Kalman, and Yitzhak. Tickets start at $15. A VIP ticket for $80 includes preferred parking, preferred seating, and a post-concert reception.

Monday, April 4th, 7:00 pm will feature Grammy Award-winning Chicago Pro Musica.  Music of Tchaikovsky and Brahms. Tickets start at $10.

In an article about this festival Solti Festival article, the Chicago Tribune reports how the idea was born in Albert Igolnikov, former CSO violinist. He had the “good fortune to play under two of the world’s greatest conductors”–in Russia under Yevgeny Mravinsky and in the U.S. under Solti. It was at a concert in Russia, in memory of Mravinsky, that the idea emerged to have a festival in Chicago to honor Solti. “He was a great mentor to me and to so many musicians who are still in the Chicago Symphony.”

American Music Festivals is a nonprofit committed to cultural exchange and promoting American music around the world. In Chicago it is the presenter of the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra. American Music Festivals collaborates with like-minded civic, educational, and other performing arts and cultural organizations to present programs which feature diversity and inclusivity.

The Illinois Society for the Promotion of Arts and Music among Youth provides cultural access to underprivileged students and young musicians throughout Chicagoland.

http://copernicuscenter.org/sir-georg-solti-memorial-festival/

http://www.americanmusicfestivals.com/