Rush Hour Concerts

About 500 people showed up for the final summer concert: Chausson’s concerto for violin, piano and string quartet. The string quartet was played by the Spektral quarted, while the husband and wife team of Winston Choi and MingHuan Xu played the piano and the lead violin, respectively. I found the violin and string quartet quite good, hitting their notes with flair. Was disappointed by the relatively flat piano playing, even during the grave, which was supposed to be solemn, and then manic notes during the tres animé final. The acoustics of the cathedral does not lend itself well, I thought.
All in all, it was quite nice to pop in for 45 minutes and listen to high quality classical music. I look forward to the next year.

After work wanna unwind to some live meditative classical music in a beautiful setting? Every Tesuday during the summer, St James Episcopal Cathedral offers a wonderful getaway right off the Michigan Avenue. It’s a beautiful church. Check out my panoramic photo in the review.
Get there no later than 5:30pm to get a seat. It fills up.
I like to sit along the wall, so when I use my phone to tweet or checkin to foursquare or Unilocal,I won’t be annoying to the older crowd. And it’s truly an elderly crowd.
I sat and watched a spider spin a web. And a bug crawl on some guy’s collar.

What a fun thing to do on a Tuesday after work! My friend David invited me to this, and it made me wonder what else I’m missing that’s going on right under my nose in this lovely city o’ mine.
First of all, fear not, non-​Christians! This is a secular event that happens to be hosted in an absolutely stunning acoustically brilliant Church. I’m a fan of the high ceilings and the stained glass myself. Refreshments were served at the entrance of the Church from 5:15p — 5:45p and the performance went on from 5:45 — 6:15. Refreshments included cheese and fruit and beverages. Some Tuesdays will feature alcoholic beverages as well, according to the pamphlets.
Watching an expertly professionally played chamber music performance right after work set the tone for the rest of my evening. It is truly a perfect way to end the work day and begin a summer night. While attendees can sit in the pews, there were also chairs set up on the altar, where I sat. Folks, these are the best seats in the house, so keep that in mind when you attend!
The music choices were compelling, though I cannot say I loved the Schrader piece; but his piece (played by the composer himself, a well-​known Chicago ensemble player) challenged my concept of chamber music, which I liked. One thing this series is NOT is old-​fashioned or stodgy, stuck-​up or rote. In the brochure for the event, the Church’s artistic director, Deborah Sobol, says, «(chamber music) is deeply personal music– a conversation among friends in the emotional language of sound.» I couldn’t agree more, especially in light of the choices for the concert that I experienced. I loved the Koestier piece absolutely.
I attended on June 22^nd and the music pieces were as follows:
Mozart’s Adagio for English Horn & Organ (K580A)
David Schrader’s Serenade for Oboe and Organ
Jan Koestier’s Partita (in 5 movements)
The Rembrandt Chamber Players were Robert Morgan on oboe and David Schrader on organ.
Other upcoming pieces include chamber music by Schumann, Chopin, de Falla, Schubert and Leos Janacek, among others.
This event is free.

While there is a Unilocal Chicago listing for St James Episcopal Cathedral and its Walking Labyrinth, and a review of this annual concert series in the former (with great photos of the venue too), I felt that the Rush Hour Concerts were notable enough to get its own Unilocal page. Especially since it’s been offering Chicagoans and visitors to the city an exceptional and consistently excellent series of professional classical performances for over 10 years.
The series and its welcoming reception, with snacks and drink prior to the mini performance, are all offered free of charge. This has been made possible by the dedicated work by its founder and artistic director, Deborah Sobol (who is a well-​regarded concert pianist in her own right), her generous board of directors and collaborative organizations, and a friendly cadre of volunteers. Almost every concert I’ve been to has been packed. The draw is not just the freebies, but the top-​notch performers, some drawn from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the music that is not just from the popular classical repertoire.
The attendees are always polite folks, even though they’ve stood in a loose line for the on-​the-​dot 5:15 PM door opening. Be amongst the early birds to partake of the pre-​concert refreshments. On this past week’s season opener, we got a small plate of a pastry snack (cheesecake, cookie, or nut cake) plus 3 huge strawberries, and our choice of wines or light beverages (from Argo Tea.) A pleasant and civilized way to end your work day and to begin a brief concert! The concerts are usually about 30-​minutes total. So it’s perfect if you are not used to attending a «conventional» classical performance that could last almost a hour before intermission. I should add that even though the cathedral’s address is on Huron, the entrance to the church and the reception and concerts is on Wabash.
This model has worked for over a decade and has also spawned its imitators in other metropolitan centers (NYC and San Francisco are notable cities that also copied this Rush Hour idea.) The series also offers a high-​tech way for you to enjoy and share the concerts afterwards: their innovative «In a Flash» library of recordings on USB flash drives let you take the music home, even the very concert that you’ve just listened to live! Concerts are on Tuesdays during summer months and start at 5:45 PM, just after the free reception, when doors open at 5:15 PM. Check their Web site for the scheduled performers and music for each concert.