GRAMMY WINNERS SHARON ISBIN & ISABEL LEONARD AT HARRIS THEATER NOVEMBER 16
In A Concert of Spanish Music for Voice and Guitar
Chicago Premiere of Danielpour’s “…Of Love and Longing”
CHICAGO – Harris Theater for Music and Dance will present Grammy Award winning musicians Sharon Isbin (guitar) and Isabel Leonard (vocalist) in a one-night-only engagement on Monday, November 16 at 7:30PM. Isbin and Leonard come together to form a power duo guaranteed to thrill audiences in a program of Spanish music for voice and guitar. Together they will perform the Chicago debut of the Carnegie Hall and Harris Theater co-commissioned work “…Of Love And Longing,” composed specially for Isbin and Leonard by Grammy Award–winning composer Richard Danielpour.
“The anticipation of a concert with musical forces as strong as Sharon Isbin and Isabel Leonard could only be heightened by a commission with a composer of Danielpour’s grandeur,” said Harris Theater President and Managing Director Michael Tiknis. “‘…Of Love and Longing’ is beautiful and highlights and expands upon the brilliant talents of all involved. Co-commissioning this work with Carnegie Hall has given the piece two of the country’s most revered stages to call home, and we cannot wait to bring it here to Chicago.”
Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique, and versatility, multiple Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin has been hailed as “the Monet of the classical guitar.” She was recently honored with the 47th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for Television Broadcast for her documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour which has now been viewed by millions nationwide. The New York Times calls Isbin “a trailblazer both for female musicians and for the guitar’s place in the classical music world” and she was named one of the “Best Classical Guitarists” by Guitar Player magazine. She is coming to Chicago fresh off the heels of a sold out performance alongside Sting, Katy Perry and Jerry Seinfeld at “Change Begins Within,” a David Lynch Foundation benefit concert at Carnegie Hall.
Isabel Leonard is making her highly-anticipated return to Lyric Opera of Chicago this fall in the title role of Rossini’s sparkling comedy, Cinderella (La Cenerentola). Ms. Leonard is enjoying a major career thrilling audiences all over the world in opera houses and on the concert stage with her passionate intensity. “Leonard has the vocal and physical beauty, the natural stage charisma and the sure dramatic instincts, to win all hearts from the outset” (Chicago Tribune). Riding on the success of her recently released album Preludios, the Argentinian singer continuously demonstrates her innate love for sultry, melancholic and ardently sensual Spanish music.
Richard Danielpour is a Juilliard-trained, MacDowell, Rockefeller, and Guggenheim fellowships winner who has received commissions from many orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic. Here, he writes for the more intimate ensemble of singer and guitarist, and these two luminaries coming together to perform it is simply breathtaking. Full program is below.
Program:
Lorca Canciónes españolas antiguas
Granados Spanish Dance #5
Albeniz Asturias
Danielpour Songs of Love and Longing
Rodrigo Aranjuez ma pensée
Montsalvatge Selections from Cinco canciónes negras
Tarrega Recuerdos de la Alhambra
De Falla Siete canciónes populares españolas
Single tickets now available at www.HarrisTheaterChicago.org or by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312.334.7777.
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Sponsorship
“…Of Love and Longing” by Richard Danielpour was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and Harris Theater for Music and Dance, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Imagine campaign.
The Northern Trust Company is the Harris Theater’s 2015–2016 season sponsor. United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Harris Theater. Hyatt Regency Chicago is the Harris Theater’s season hotel partner. The Theater gratefully acknowledges the Irving Harris Foundation for its leadership support of the Presenting Fund. The Harris Theater is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency. All performances take place on the Elizabeth Morse Genius Stage at the Harris Theater.
About Harris Theater for Music and Dance
The Harris Theater’s mission is to partner with an array of Chicago’s emerging and midsize performing arts organizations to help them build infrastructure and achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. Opened on November 8, 2003, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929. Today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city’s world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and international artists and ensembles.
Imagine: The Campaign for Harris Theater, is a $38.8M comprehensive fundraising effort supporting the Theater’s multifaceted mission. The campaign ensures the continued growth and artistic development of the Harris Theater over the next 10 years.
The Imagine campaign is led by four transformational gifts: from The Irving Harris Foundation, Joan W. Harris; Alexandra and John Nichols; Chauncey and Marion D. McCormick Family Foundation, Abby McCormick O’Neil and D. Carroll Joynes; Caryn and King Harris, The Harris Family Foundation. Additional leadership gifts supporting programmatic and capital projects have been generously funded by The Crown Family, Jay Franke and David Herro, Jack and Sandra Guthman, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Neisser Family Foundation, The Northern Trust Company, Christine and Glenn Kelly, Laura and Ricardo Rosenkranz, and Marilyn and David J. Vitale.
The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust and Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust are the lead underwriters of fundraising for Imagine: The Campaign for Harris Theater.
The Harris Theater maintains a commitment to engaging Chicago residents of all ages and communities. Programs like the popular Eat to the Beat and Exelon Family Series advance access to, and understanding of, the performing arts. The Theater partners with health and human service agencies, K-12 schools, and community arts organizations, providing more than 8,800 underwritten performance tickets through the Access Tickets Program since 2009. The Theater also connects gifted young artists and students to presented artists through master classes, artist talks, and other enrichment activities.
To learn more about the Harris Theater, please visit HarrisTheaterChicago.org. Call the Box Office at 312.334.7777 to request a brochure or additional information.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago’s state-of-the art 1,525-seat performance venue, can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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