FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2010
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Chicago a cappella serves up a musical feast in “Tastes of Paradise”

 

Chicago, IL—Chicago a cappella will take audiences on a whirlwind journey through the earthly pleasures of food and drink at their season-opening concert, Tastes of Paradise: Music for Pleasures of the Palate.  The acclaimed vocal ensemble has whipped up a delicious—if not always nutritious—musical menu, including songs about wine, coffee, sweets, and even bagels, mashed potatoes, and chocolate milk.  The group will make a banquet of a medieval drinking song, J.S. Bach’s Coffee Cantata, contemporary song cycles by Bob Chilcott (Fragments from his Dish) and Oak Park composer Paul Carey (Play With Your Food!), and steamy jazz standards “Black Coffee” and “Java Jive.”  Audiences will get additional treats as well, including a wine tasting in Oak Park, a pre-concert chat with “Wine Goddess” Diana Hamann in Evanston, and gourmet chocolate creations in Chicago and Naperville.

Tastes of Paradise: Music for Pleasures of the Palate will take place Saturday, October 2, at 8:00 pm (pre-concert chat at 7:30), at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, IL; Sunday, Oct. 3, at 4:00 pm, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St. in Oak Park, IL; Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8:00 pm, at Anne and Howard Gottlieb Hall, 38 S. Peoria St. in Chicago; and Sunday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 PM, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville, IL.  For tickets and information, visit www.chicagoacappella.org or call (773) 755-1628.

Appetizer and desserts

In addition to the great music on hand, audiences will enjoy some tasty non-musical treats at Chicago a cappella’s upcoming concert, Tastes of Paradise.  At the Evanston performance (Oct. 2), music director Patrick Sinozich will be joined by “Wine Goddess” Diana Hamann, for a free pre-concert chat at 7:30 pm. Hamann has served as wine director for the likes of Chicago’s Le Colonial, Le Passage, and Fox & Obel, and her wine lists have received multiple Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.  In Oak Park (Oct. 3), House Red Wine Shop of Forest Park will host a free mini wine-tasting in the lobby after the performance.  In Chicago (Oct. 9), Vosges Haut-Chocolat will provide samples of their renowned creations. And in Naperville (Oct. 10), Le Chocolat du Bouchard will serve up a beautiful array of chocolate creations from the Naperville shop’s acclaimed menu.

Tasty Poetry and Sinful Indulgences

Chicago a cappella will dish out some delicious poetry along with its music at Tastes of Paradise.  Two contemporary choral cycles will illuminate food-related poems, from the touching to the hilarious.  Fragments from His Dish, a work by British composer Bob Chilcott, a longtime member of the King’s Singers, includes texts ranging from a witty musing by Ogden Nash (“The Clean Platter”) to an eighteenth-century newspaper item about an unbelievably large pie, and a moving entry from Samuel Pepys’ diary describing his Christmas dinner in 1666.  Composer Paul Carey, from Oak Park, chose five delectable poems for his 2004 cycle Play With Your Food.  Highlights include May Swenson’s tongue-twisting ode to berries (“Summer’s Bounty”), Robert Brimm’s romantic memory of a treat shared by lovers (“After the Muffin”), and Grey Held’s delightful depiction of a child eating a peanut butter cracker (“Vending Machine”).  Not all “tastes of paradise” are recommended, however: Chicago a cappella will also sing a new arrangement of singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright’s ode to unhealthy cravings, “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk.”

Chicago a cappella

Chicago a cappella is one of the area’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Spanning a repertoire from Gregorian chant to the Beatles and beyond, the group is launching its 18^th season under founding Artistic Director Jonathan Miller.  With musical preparation by Music Director Patrick Sinozich, the ensemble was recently lauded for its “appealing charisma and seamless blend” (Chicago Tribune).  Chicago a cappella has released seven acclaimed CDs and has been hailed as “a jewel in the crown of Chicago’s musical life”(American Organist).

Chicago a cappella is partially supported by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; a CityArts Program 2 grant from the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council; the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. The Naperville Sun is a media sponsor for Chicago a cappella’s series at Wentz Hall in Naperville.

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