December 4, 2019 By
44th Annual Do-It-Yourself Messiah – December 16 & 17
International Music Foundation Presents: The 44th Annual Do-It-Yourself Messiah
Event takes place on December 16 & 17, 2019 – Tickets on sale November 15, 2019
November 4, 2019 (CHICAGO, IL) – The International Music Foundation is pleased to announce the 44th Annual presentation of Do-It-Yourself Messiah. This beloved holiday event will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 16, and Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, located at 205 East Randolph on the north side of Chicago’s Millennium Park. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased as early as Friday, November 15 online at www.harristheaterchicago.org, in person, or by phone at (312) 334-7777. The Harris Theater Box Office hours are Monday – Friday, Noon – 5:00 p.m.
A Chicago holiday tradition since 1976, the Do-It-Yourself Messiah brings together a world-class conductor and soloists, an all-volunteer orchestra of local professionals and amateur musicians and actively encourages the thousands of audience members to step into the role of the chorus in a thrilling performance of George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah.
This year’s Messiah will once again be led by world-renowned Maestro Stanley Sperber, who is returning for his 19th year, and will feature several local Chicago-based musicians and soloists. Among those scheduled to perform are soprano Michelle Areyzaga, countertenor Ryan Belongie, tenor Josh Tessier, bass baritone Mark S. Doss, and concertmaster Richard Young.
“For 44 years, the Do-It-Yourself Messiah has been creating lifelong memories for the families, friends, and strangers who come together to celebrate the season. Maestro Sperber, leading both the amateur and professional musicians, brings Handel’s Messiah to life. It is truly a magical holiday tradition.” – Mark Riggleman, Executive Director
In celebration of the 44th Annual performance of Messiah, the International Music Foundation is giving their Instagram followers an opportunity to win five pairs of tickets to each performance from November 15, 2019 through December 13, 2019. To enter, follow the International Music Foundation on Instagram at @imfchicago and tag the friend you would like to join you on any post tagged #DIYMessiah #GIVEAWAY. Ten winners will be chosen at random and notified via direct message.
For more information on Do-It-Yourself Messiah visit http://imfchicago.org/programs/do-it-yourself-messiah/ or contact IMF Executive Director, Mark Riggleman at (312) 670-6888 | mriggleman@imfchicago.org.
About Messiah
Composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, Messiah is a large-scale piece for orchestra, chorus and soloists. Originally intended as an Easter oratorio, it has become more popularly associated with the Christmas holiday season.
About The International Music Foundation
The International Music Foundation (IMF), founded in 1976, is dedicated to presenting free high-caliber classical music performances and music education experiences in the Chicago metropolitan area for people of all ages and degrees of musical awareness. IMF offers the following programs and educational experiences: Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Rush Hour Concerts, Do-It-Yourself Messiah, Make Music Chicago and Live Music Now!. For more information about the International Music Foundation, visit www.imfchicago.org or contact IMF Executive Director, Mark Riggleman at (312) 670-6888 | mriggleman@imfchicago.org.
Follow IMF on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalMusicFoundationChicago
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfchicago
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMFchicago
About Harris Theater for Music and Dance
The Harris Theater is Chicago’s primary residence for music and dance, connecting diverse audiences with outstanding artists from across the city, the nation, and the world. The Theater’s activities fall under three central strategies: support for local music and dance companies, presentation of national and international artists, and community engagement and educational programs. Now in its fourteenth season, the Theater has earned national recognition as a distinctive model for collaboration, performance, and artistic advancement.
Today, the Harris Theater’s original group of 12 resident companies has grown to include 30 diverse music and dance companies, and its Harris Theater Presents series has featured world-renowned artists and ensembles including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Batsheva Dance, Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir, Hamburg Ballet, Angélique Kidjo, Paris Opéra Ballet, and Stephen Sondheim. The Harris Theater’s community engagement initiatives build bridges between artists and community members, providing master classes, artist talks, and free tickets for more than 35 partner organizations throughout Chicago.
To learn more about the Harris Theater, Chicago’s state-of-the-art 1,499-seat performance venue, visit HarrisTheaterChicago.org.
November 21, 2019 By
Friends of the Chicago River – Overflow Action Day 11-21-19 – You can make a difference
The National Weather Service is forecasting rain through the early morning hours and into the afternoon. As little as 0.3 inches of rainwater can trigger a combined sewage overflow (CSO) into the Chicago River when the system gets overwhelmed.
Here’s a tip:
Quicker Showers
A 10 minute shower can use as much as 40 gallons of water. Try a five minute shower instead.
Get more information on Friends of the Chicago River #OverflowAction Day effort
and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Sign up to receive OAD alerts.
November 20, 2019 By
GIving Tuesday December 3, 2019 – Please support our local non-profits!
Every year, RNRA provides financial and promotional support to a number of local non-profits doing incredible work in our community.
Our “adopted” charities include Friends of the Parks, Gilda’s Club, Friends of the Chicago River, The Anti-Cruelty Society, The Chicago Help Initiative, CPD Memorial Foundation’s “Get Behind the Vest” program and River North Clean Streets.
We hope you will consider supporting these fine organizations on Giving Tuesday.
November 20, 2019 By
The 2019 Magnificent Mile Lights Festival & Tree-Lighting Parade
The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival & Tree-Lighting Parade will be taking place on Friday, November 22nd and Saturday, November 23rd. Fun for the whole family culminates in Saturday’s grand Tree-Lighting Parade down Michigan Avenue with grand marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World Resorts in Florida. For the full parade route, please click here.
The full schedule of events starts on Friday, November 22nd between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Saturday’s events will take place between 11:00 am and 7:30 pm. Please be mindful of intermittent street closures taking place on Michigan Avenue and several connecting streets beginning at 5:00 am on Friday, November 22nd, and lasting until 5:00 am on Sunday, November 24th.
Saturday, November 23rd, starting at 5:30 pm:
Magnificent Mile Lights Festival & Tree-Lighting Parade: The parade steps onto Michigan Avenue at Oak Street. Grand Marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and their friends from the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida travel down North Michigan Avenue to Wacker Drive, lighting one million lights along the way! The procession features spectacular floats, helium-filled balloons, marching bands and top musical performers. Look out for lively appearances made by Hubert the Lion, Benny the Bull and other well-known Chicago mascots.
Saturday, November 23rd, starting at 6:55 pm:
The fireworks spectacular begins over the Chicago River at North Michigan Avenue.
November 20, 2019 By
Adopt-A-Senior Pet Month at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC)
During the month of November, adoption fees are waived for dogs and cats five years and older!
Older dogs and cats make great pets! They are generally more mellow than kittens / puppies and are the perfect snuggle buddies. If you need more zen in your life, come meet the CACC’s ‘retirees.’
The City Shelter is located at 2741 S. Western Avenue and a list of available pets can be viewed here. For more information about the month-long event and adoption requirements, please visit the event page.
November 20, 2019 By
River North Infrastructure Improvement Completed
Alderman Reilly is pleased to announce that the Department of Water Management (DWM) has completed the replacement of a 114 year old water main on Orleans, between Huron and Hubbard. The street was recently restored and pavement markings installed. (Grand & Orleans shown above)
Over 1,500 feet of new 12-inch water main was replaced along Orleans during the four month project.
Currently, through the “Building a New Chicago” infrastructure improvement program, DWM is in the midst of a ten year capital program that includes:
• Nearly 900 miles of water main replaced
• Nearly 750 miles of sewer main replaced or relined
• More than 200,000 water meter installations
• More than 140,000 sewer structures repaired or relined
In this year alone, DWM plans to replace more than 90 miles of water mains and 22 miles of sewer mains in neighborhoods across Chicago.
November 14, 2019 By
Art on theMART – Windy City Wonderland beginning Wednesday November 20th
Welcome the holidays with @artonthemart beginning on Wednesday, November 20! Enjoy an extended viewing of works by artists Charles Atlas and Petra Cortright along with a new festive projection, “Windy City Wonderland!” This visual journey travels through Chicago’s iconic skyline where, along the way, you will experience graceful ice skaters, a traveling L Train and snow that builds towards a familiar landscape #artonthemart
- Enjoy @artonthemart projections that run five nights a week (Wednesday-Sunday) through December 31! Projections begin approximately 30 minutes after sunset, run for 25 minutes, then loop for two hours. #artonthemart
- Get the latest @artonthemart news by signing up for their quarterly newsletter! You can sign up on their website or the “Newsletter Signup” tab on their Facebook page! #artonthemart
- In partnership with @artic, @artonthemart is projecting images by Andy Warhol in conjunction with the Museum’s major Fall exhibition Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again. The images, accompanied by sound, will run through December 31! The selected images include Shot Orange Marilyn, Liz #3 [Early Colored Liz], Flowers, and Cow Wallpaper [Pink on Yellow]. #artonthemart
Photo: Courtesy of Art on theMART
