Awesome Music

New Yorker critic Alex Ross gave a thought-provoking address at Northwestern University's 2006 School of Music Convocation (which was passed along to me in printed form - though Lia had a chance to hear it live!) It has already triggered stimulating discussion here in the office -- we hope you'll read it, and then share your thoughts.

Inspired by his address and want to read more of his writing? Check out his blog here ... and be sure to look over his list of essential Awesome Music (classical) recordings found here.

Dvorák’s "American" String Quartet

We had a lot of fun at the reception and concert last week, Rush Hour's Week 3 -- the skies cleared up just as we opened the doors, and the rain held off long enough for everyone to enjoy a drink and some food before listening to the Dvorák "American" String Quartet . Join us this week for songs from Great Britain! It's our first "bring a friend" concert, so now's your chance to help us fill the house! You can always point out the fun here if they're a little wary.

Rush Hour staff member Sarah (we told you we'd get a picture up here!) talks with Oana, a student of violist Rami Solomonow.

Sue and Ray are long-time Rush Hour fans -- they've been coming for several seasons, and they're so used to it that they no longer remember exactly how or when they first heard about it. They enjoy the music at Rush Hour, and we look forward to seeing them for many more concerts!

The string quartet, from left to right: violinist Jasmine Lin, violist Rami Solomonow, violinist Bernard Zinck, and cellist Marlena Tureski. It was a fantastic performance!

Marshall and new volunteer Mike chat it up outside the Cathedral before the concert begins. Marshall enjoys the free food and drinks (who doesn't?) and found out about Rush Hour because he lives across the street from the Cathedral. We're glad to have all our neighbors attend!

Happy Birthday Mozart!

For someone who died in 1791, Mozart sure knows how to throw down for a great party. Week 2 at Rush Hour featured composition from many eras of his career, and it also included lots of cake and fun times for audience members, musicians, and staff. Don't miss out again -- when we say party, we mean it!

Our wonderful volunteers sliced and are setting out the cake with fresh strawberries, cookies, and brownies before we open the doors.

Anne, Robert, and Patricia have been Rush Hour fans for a while. As music aficionados, the enjoy the opportunity to hear artists of such high calibar at RH.

Cellist Abe Feder posing as Mozart.


Audience members were thrilled for the opportunity to enter the raffle for the tantalizing cake (see the next caption for more info).

Raffle winner Nelson Sarmiento with his enviable prize, a beautiful cake donated from Austrian Bakery, at 2523 N Clark. The little Mozart figure is made entirely of marzipan and is edible. Congratulations Nelson, we hope you enjoy it!


This adorable party-goer enjoying her cake is Maia, the daughter of pianist Kuang-Hao Huang.


Hwan and Heayoung saw RH brochures at the Cultural Center and were attracted to the great music.

Staff Profile: Sarah

It never fails: after attending a symphony concert or playing at a wedding, someone will inevitably come up to me and remark, "it's so nice to see a young person into classical music" or "it must be so fun doing something you love as a profession" or even "I'm glad you're involved with something as wholesome as classical music, rather than the kinds of music kids your age are wrapped up in these days."

Some of the musicians I encounter are no better...the instant they meet you, out comes their arsenal of questions...

"Where did you go to school?"
"Who did you study with?"
"What are you doing now?"
"Are you in school?"
"What music festival did you go to last summer?"
"What music festival are you going to this summer?"
"Do you know *insert name*?"

It's hard to explain why these things bother me – perhaps it is the attempt to classify me into a tiny box, or perhaps it is because I don't have a straight and simple answer to these comments and questions. Profiles bother me because it only scratches the surface of who I am, what I do, and why I do it. But since Andrew asked so nicely, I will comply.

I started playing the viola at age 9 -- when I didn't even know what a viola was. I did know that I thought the violin was too high and squeaky, and the cello was too big to carry around, so when someone told me a viola was in the middle, I thought, "perfect!" I didn't really know what I was getting myself into -- the years and years of merciless viola jokes, the setting loose of my rampant perfectionism, the countless moments of doubt and uncertainty of my future.

You could say that I've always wanted to be a musician -- and you'd be half right. There have been times where it's all I've wanted to do. There have been times when I was sure I didn't want to do it at all -- it was too hard, too competitive, too big of a risk. And there have been many, many times in between. If you're wondering when I outgrew all that -- well, I haven't. The only constant, I suppose, is that all along, even when I felt hopeless and disillusioned about it all, the thought of not pursuing music broke my heart.

As for Rush Hour's goal and why I became involved with it...my parents gave me a cassette tape (yes, a cassette tape) of Vivaldi's Four Seasons when I was young. And I played it over and over and over – I even put it in my Walkman and took it when I left the house. I didn't know at the time that classical music was supposed to be “stuffy” or “elitist” or hundreds of years out of touch with the world today. All I knew that was during the times where it felt like the world didn't understand me, I could listen to Vivaldi and know, just by hearing the music, that someone once had existed who did understand. Later I realized that most people do have the same crazy feelings as everyone else, but that music (or any artform) gives them a means to communicate those feelings with others. And if that's not “in touch” with what people are looking for in their lives today, I don't know what is. If people are given a chance, they really respond to classical music, and I view it as my job to make sure they get that chance.

But although classical music has played an important part of my life, it's not all of it. While at the University of Michigan, I not only got a Bachelor’s in Music, but also in Astronomy (or Astrophysics if I'm trying to sound impressive). I'm such a nerd that I bought a calculus book to review this summer. I rarely listen to classical music in my free time, since I spend a good amount of time listening to and playing it in my “working” time, and there are so many other kinds of music out there – as a musician, I love ALL music (if it's good)! I'm also a fan of yoga and renting TV shows from Netflix. When I'm not working at Rush Hour, you can find me playing in the Chicago Civic Orchestra or tutoring students in math and science. Oh yes, I almost forgot – what do I do at Rush Hour Concerts? I design the programs, contact the artists to arrange rehearsals, and act as stage manager during the concert itself, so most of the time I am backstage with the artists (which is why I'm not in any pictures, *cough cough*). It's very interesting for me to see the flip side of producing a concert – it's a lot more work than I thought! Although I admit I did have a sneaking suspicion...

Anyway, I'm sure you can expect more rambling, introspective essays from me throughout the season, but for now, just sit back and enjoy the concerts, and don't be shy about joining in on the blog discussions whenever you feel the urge. We'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

Staff Profile: Andrew

As we're now solidly in production mode for this season at Rush Hour and preparing for the third concert event, I thought it would be nice to tell you a little bit about myself -- I'll leave it to the other staff members to speak up about themselves!


I'm the concert manager for this season of Rush Hour. Essentially, I'm in charge of scheduling the volunteers every week (comment below if you'd like to help out!), assigning them their duties, making sure everything has been purchased for the pre-concert reception, and organizing the setup and cleanup. Other duties around the office that I assist with: technical troubleshooting (including this here blog), marketing (we all pool our resources here), press/media, and making sure everything runs smoothly at the concert.

I'm a graduate student in Ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago; previously, I was on full-time staff at DePaul University School of Music. My educational background is extensive (I already have graduate degrees in computer science and the social sciences, in addition to my music studies), and may seem impressive, but it basically overqualifies me for most work opportunities out there. I enjoy working at Rush Hour for a number of reasons: it provides me with a different perspective on music, I'm part of a team committed to opening the seemingly exclusive world of art music to new audiences, and the events are way fun!

I was trained as a jazz saxophonist and a modern composer before switching my focus to Ethno; much of my free time these days is devoted to the underground/independent rock culture, including working in promotions for a community radio station. I really can't say that I'm an expert in chamber music, or even art music in general, but I do understand the drive to expose something that you really care about to new people whom you just know would really appreciate it, given the chance. For me, Rush Hour offers a great alternative to the formal stodginess and high learning curve that the art music world often exudes. Not to mention the high prices and loooong concerts! People have fun going to art museums without feeling like they need an entire education in art history to enjoy it, but the same doesn't hold true for art music -- why not? Also, I've gotten pretty comfortable explaining to friends why popular music is so important to our culture, but discussing art music -- especially when I have little expertise on the "dead white guys in wigs" -- is slightly more difficult.

Rush Hour is partly about bridging those gaps: a dash of culture for the uninitiated, perhaps, who may be inspired to search out more. For me already, it's been a great education. I hope our audiences appreciate it as well!

Haydn and friends

Rush Hour opened its seventh season last Tuesday in grand style! If you missed the fun or just want to relive the magical hour, we posted some photos below.

Jasmine Lin, Deborah Sobol, and Brant Taylor channeling their inner gypsy during Haydn's "Gypsy Rondo" trio.

Natalja and Paul love the treats from Whole Foods Market Gold Coast.

Sherlane, Becki, and Chizuko are all smiles.

This group thinks Rush Hour is the perfect way to unwind after work.

RH staffer Andrew at Whole Foods Gold Coast picking up our fruit baskets.

From left to right: Artistic Director Deborah Sobol, Dr. Marilynn Frederiksen of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and cellist Brant Taylor.

What do you think of when someone says Mozart?

This has been a hot topic of discussion this week in the Rush Hour office as we prepare for Tuesday's 250th Birthday Celebration.

For me, the mere mention of the word Mozart makes me start humming his "Rondo Alla Turca," the third movement of his Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331.

No - stay with me - you've heard it: on hold, in elevators, in "Fame" and "Out of Africa," and, if you were very lucky, at 1999 State Piano Contest in Iowa played by yours truly.

If you'd like to hum it right along with me, I invite you to listen to a snippet here. (Sadly, the only mp3 clip I could find was one from "The Little German Band," which sounds exactly like you think it will.)

So tell me - what do *you* think of when someone says Mozart?