CSO African American Network releases details of its 23-24 programming

The African American Network of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has just announced its 2023-24 Season, consisting of six events from Oct. 27 to April 25 that celebrate Black composers, conductors and performers across musical genres including classical, jazz, new music and gospel.

All events occur at Symphony Center before and after concert performances and include artist meet-and-greet sessions and networking opportunities. Specially priced tickets include admission to a concert and its related event. A season subscription package allows patrons to choose three or more AAN concerts. Additional ticketing information is available at cso.org.

A CSO volunteer group established in 2016, the African American Network encourages everyone to discover and experience the timeless beauty of music at concerts, receptions and educational events. AAN membership is free and open to all. For details, go to cso.org/aan.

Below are the events in the 2023-24 African American Network series:

Oct. 27, Samara Joy: Winner of best new artist and best jazz vocalist honors at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Samara Joy makes her local debut in the opening concert of the 30th season of the Symphony Center Presents Jazz series. With a style that evokes Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Joy offers an intoxicating contemporary twist on classic jazz vocalism. Following the concert, the AAN kicks off its 2023-24 season of events with “Joy After Dark: The AAN Afterparty” featuring specialty drinks and desserts in Grainger Ballroom. Please note: This SCP Jazz concert is virtually sold out, with limited tickets on hold for AAN members.

Dec. 3, Jessie Montgomery and the Blacknificent 7: Ahead of the season’s first MusicNOW concert, the AAN and Chicago Humanities present a pre-concert discussion with members of the Blacknificent 7, a collective of cutting-edge contemporary composers, including CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery. The moderator is LaRob K. Rafael of WFMT-FM. After the concert, the AAN will host a meet-and-greet session with the composers and musicians. 

Feb. 2, Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited:  Eight-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, bandleader and host of NPR’s “Jazz Night in America,” Christian McBride presents his monumental musical tribute inspired by the words of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and President Barack Obama.

Feb. 15, Sheku Kanneh-Mason Plays Elgar: Making his CSO debut, the British virtuoso Sheku Kanneh-Mason has been hailed by the New Yorker as “a cellist of blazing sensitivity.” He will be the soloist in Elgar’s beloved Cello Concerto.

April 19, Gateways Festival Orchestra: Consisting of the finest U.S. classical musicians, the all-Black Gateways Festival Orchestra, led by Anthony Parnther, concludes a weeklong Chicago residency with a Symphony Center Presents Special Concert featuring Take 6, the Grammy Award-winning a cappella group. The program highlights works by Black composers including Chicago-native Margaret Bonds, whose Montgomery Variations was inspired by the civil-rights work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

April 25, CSO x Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis — Noche de Jazz: Members of the African American Network and the Latino Alliance and African American Network join together for a post-concert event that celebrates the artistic collaboration between the CSO under guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.  The concert features Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, alternating between the original orchestral version performed by the CSO and new arrangements by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.