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For all the latest Rush Hour news and discussions, please visit us at our new home at rushhour.org.

If you'd like to reminisce about the summer of 2006 or read past articles from Artistic Director Deborah Sobol, fear not! This blog and its archives will remain available.

We hope to see you soon at rushhour.org and at Rush Hour!

2007 Season Preview

Once again this season, Rush Hour Concerts is delighted to partner with the Consulates General of Brazil, China, France, Germany, and Great Britain to present concert events celebrating each country’s culture, music and cuisine.
These programs are denoted with * below.

June 5, 2007 - France*
French Impressionism:
Claude Debussy Trio for Flute, Viola, and Harp, L.137
Mathieu Dufour, flute
Richard Young, viola
Sarah Bullen, harp

June 12, 2007
Fulcrum Point New Music Project:
Music for Brass – The New Romanticism
Stephen Burns, trumpet & flugelhorn
Kevin Hartman, trumpet
Gregory Flint, horn
Adam Moen, trombone
Rex Martin, tuba

June 19, 2007
A Cello Celebration:
Cellists of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Friends
Stephen Balderston, cello
Abraham Feder, cello
Micah Fusselman, cello
Richard Hirschl, cello
Kenneth Olsen, cello
Brant Taylor, cello

June 26, 2007 – Great Britain*
A Summer Afternoon Tea:
Music of Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams
Larry Combs, clarinet
Levi Hernandez, baritone
Deborah Sobol, piano

July 3, 2007 - Brazil*
Global Rhythms:
Music of Camargo Guarnieri and Claudio Santoro
Bernard Zinck, violin
Kuang-Hao Huang, piano

July 10, 2007 – China*
- Sponsored in part by the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China -
From Ancient Persia to Modern China:
The Pipa’s Musical Journey
Yang Wei, pipa

July 17, 2007
A Giant of the Four Hand Piano Repertoire:
Franz Schubert Fantasie in F minor, D. 940
James Giles, piano
Deborah Sobol, piano

July 24, 2007
The Percussive Arts:
Beauty and Dazzling Virtuosity
Third Coast Percussion Quartet

July 31, 2007
- Sponsored by The Poetry Foundation -
Inventions on Inventions, Part II:
Bach Three-Part Inventions paired with poetry
Kuang-Hao Huang, piano
Diana Schmuck, piano
Deborah Sobol, piano

August 7, 2007 – Germany*
- Sponsored in part by the Consulate General of Germany -
A German Masterpiece:
Brahms Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40
Jeremiah Frederick, horn
Jasmine Lin, violin
Deborah Sobol, piano

August 14, 2007
Baroque to Modern:
Music of J.S. Bach and François Morel
Claire Chase, flute
Katinka Kleijn, cello
Bruce J. Barber II, organ

August 21, 2007
Paris Mornings, Havana Nights:
Music of Paquito D’Rivera and Darius Milhaud
Quintet Attacca, woodwind quintet

August 28, 2007
Humor & Whimsy:
Music of P.D.Q. Bach
Carole FitzPatrick, soprano
Emily Lodine, mezzo-soprano
Harold Brock, tenor
Peter Van De Graaff, baritone
Kuang-Hao Huang, piano

MozartFest at St. James Cathedral

This weekend, our partner organization St. James Cathedral is hosting MozartFest, a two-day celebration of Mozart's music (not to mention his 250th birthday!) We think these concerts may be of particular interest to this summer's Rush Hour attendees:

Violinist Bernard Zinck frequently appears at Rush Hour and will be playing on Saturday evening's concert of chamber music. This concert will also feature music familiar to RH attendees from June 13's Mozart Birthday Celebration. Hear the Divertimento for String Trio in E-flat, K. 563, and the Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370, in their entireties!

Saturday, October 14 - 7:30 p.m.
Mozart Chamber Music
Faculty Musicians from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Divertimento for String Trio in E-flat, K. 563
Quartet in F Major for Oboe, Violin, Viola & Cello, K. 370 (K. 368b)
Quartet in C Major for Flute, Violin, Viola & Cello, K. 171

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. - Requested donation: $10
Program length approx. 90 min. with brief intermission

And, while we here at Rush Hour are partial to chamber music, we are very excited about Sunday's program as well!

Sunday, October 15 - 4:00 p.m.
The Cathedral Choir & Soloists
Gregory Flint, French horn
The Chamber Orchestra of St. James
Bruce J. Barber II, conductor

Divertimento for Winds, No. 9 in B-flat, K. 240
Concerto for French Horn in E-flat, K. 495
Vesperae solennes de Confessore, K. 339

Doors open at 3:00 - Requested donation: $15
Program length approx. 70 min. with no intermission

Great music is presented at the Cathedral year-round! Please click here to see the 06-07 St. James Cathedral Concert Series schedule.

Looking Back on Rush Hour 2006

There's much to be said at the end of such a wonderful experience as this year's season of Rush Hour Concert. However, for now I invite you to simply join us in remembering the season. Back at the beginning of the summer, the RH staff took some time to introduce ourselves to you:

Andrew
Lia
Sarah

Our Founder and Artistic Director Deborah Sobol has taken time each week to write a post for the blog as well:

Art Songs vs. Rock Songs
How Did Rush Hour Begin?
Connections Made Through Musical Diversity
Folk Music of China Q&A
How Do Rush Hour Programs Come Into Being?
Staff (Re-)Introductions
Inventions on Inventions
What is a "World Premiere?"
Thanks for a Great Season!

There have been some thought-provoking posts, and just plain fun things we've found and have wanted to share with everyone in our audience:

What Do You Think of When Someone Says Mozart?
Awesome Music
Media Spotlight
Bittersweet Chocolate Cake
Rush Hour on WTTW

We've profiled some integral member of the Rush Hour community both at the concerts and here on the blog:

Jackie Lee, Volunteer Bartender
Henry, St. James Cathedral Sexton
Chuck, Head Usher
Anstiss Krueck, Board Member
Davide, Utility Infielder
Kristin Lunardini, Marketing Guru
Bruce Barber, Director of Cathedral Music

And lastly, how could we forget the concerts themselves? Spend some time reminiscing with us, let us know which were your favorite concerts, and what are your best memories of Rush Hour Concerts 2006. See you next summer!

June 6: Haydn Trio in G Minor
June 13: Mozart's 250th Birthday Celebration
June 20: Dvorak "American" String Quartet
June 27: Songs from Great Britain
July 4: Fireworks for Organ
July 11: Music of Enriquez, Galindo, and Revueltas
July 18: Debussy Violin & Cello Sonatas
July 22: RH at the Dragon Boat Races
July 25: Folk Music of China
August 1: Bon Appetit!
August 8: Mozart Trio in G Major, KV 496
August 15: Inventions on Inventions
August 22: CINCO Brass Quintet
August 29: Brahms Liebslieder ("Lovesong") Waltzes, Op. 52

Season Finale: Brahms Lovesong Waltzes

Once again, a hearty thank you to everyone who came to Rush Hour throughout the season. Those of you who came to our season finale on August 29 experienced a very special concert: Germany was our last and final stop for the RH 2006 season, and to celebrate, four world-class vocalists presented the Brahms Lovesong Waltzes, accompanied by four-hand piano. Audience members enjoyed special pastries provided by Chicago's Austrian Bakery during the reception. We couldn't have hoped for a better ending to a fabulous season. Thank you, one and all!


Artist Emliy Lodine, Director of Cathedral Music Bruce Barber, violinist Bernard Zinck (whom you might remember from the Debussy violin and cello sonatas concert), and artist Carole FitzPatrick enjoy some refreshments at the reception before the concert begins.


Board member (and sometime RH volunteer) Arun Eapen enjoys the pre-concert reception with his friends Eric and Minette.


Stephen and Martha Anne are RH regulars who live right down the street from St. James Cathedral and consider RH "a neighborhood treasure."


From left to right: pianist Deborah Sobol, pianist Kuang-Hao Huang, RH Managing Director (and resident page-turner) Julie Hutchison, soprano Carole FitzPatrick, tenor Harold Brock, baritone Jeffrey Strauss, and mezzo-soprano Emily Lodine performing in front of the beautiful Keiskamma Altarpiece.


The gang's all here! The RH staff, from left to right: RH staffer Davide Pezzini, Jason McCabe of DickinsonGroup, volunteer bartender Jackie Lee King, RH Managing Director Julie Hutchison, RH staffer Lia DeRoin, RH staffer Sarah Scanlon, Kristin Lunardini of DickinsonGroup, RH staffer Andrew Mall, St. James Cathedral Head Sexton Henry Leach, RH Founder and Artistic Director Deborah Sobol, and Director of Cathedral Music Bruce Barber. Thanks again for a wonderful season!

Spotlight on Bruce Barber, Director of Cathedral Music

Bruce Barber, Director of Cathedral Music at St. James Cathedral, has been associated with Rush Hour since coming to the Cathedral in 2004. Part of the Cathedral's mission is to build a solid bridge between the Cathedral and the surrounding community through radical, outrageous hospitality, and Rush Hour Concerts serves as one of these bridges.

Although Bruce has been involved in both the building and running of major music programs (in both parish and cathedral) around the country, never had he encountered a series of concerts that took place in the summer, every week, during the busy time of rush hour! While he was truly amazed upon first hearing of Rush Hour Concerts, Bruce has been even more amazed with the series' growth just during the few short years he has been involved.

Bruce is responsible for overssing all of the music making requirements of both the Cathedral and the Diocese which include such things as conducting the Cathedral Choir, arranging the Cathedral Concert Series, and the Choral Services Series. He give recitals, both on solo organ and on organ and violin, with violinist Bernard Zinck, who has performed at Rush Hour numberous times. He also teaches private organ lessons, leads choral workshops, and performs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on occasion -- both making music and planning the making of music keeps him quite busy!

A chamber music lover at heart, the only thing that could keep Bruce from attending Rush Hour is “Vacation! And nothing else!”

Triple threat: CINCO, world premiere, and Keiskamma Altarpiece

Last week, an excited crowd experienced the CINCO Brass Quintet performing some of the more contemporary music heard this season at Rush Hour Concerts, including the world premiere of "Kiln," by Chicago composer Drew Baker. They performed alongside the magnificent Keiskamma Altarpiece, a beautiful artwork created by 120 women in South Africa as a sign of hope for those who have struggled with the devastation that AIDS has wrought in their lives. The Altarpiece is on display at St. James Cathedral through September 20, and we encourage you to come witness it first-hand. There no better time to do it than this week's upcoming season finale, on Tuesday, August 29!


Janet and Bob have been coming to Rush Hour for several years. We hope they continue to come for several more!


Adin (left), who is friends with members of CINCO, poses with her fiancée Craig.


Some of Rush Hour’s youngest fans, Caitlin, age 6 (left), and Ryan, age 2, came with their grandparents Dorothy and Marty. At Rush Hour, we like to get our audience involved as early in their lives as possible!


Composer Drew Baker chats with friends during the pre-concert reception. Clockwise from bottom left: Marcos, Jason, Drew, and Jessica.


The CINCO Brass Quintet performing "Kiln" with Drew Baker. From the left: composer/pianist Drew Baker, trumpeter Mike Sapienza, trombonist Brian Risinger (partially hidden), tubist Jared Bulmer, hornist Anna Mayne, and trumpeter Ryan Barwise. Note the opened Keiskamma Alterpiece.


Drew Baker performing "Kiln" with the magnificent Keiskamma Altarpiece (here it is closed) in the background.