Pritzker Pavilion
My view of 2019 included plenty of great music from all over Chicago, especially my photographer debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I braved the polar vortex along Lake Michigan and gazed at the night sky in far west Texas. And right in the middle of all of it, I stepped in front of the camera to ask Bridget a very important question. Wishing you joy and beauty in 2020!
January: My visit with a snowy owl on Northerly Island.
January: the polar vortex gripped the city, so I went outside.
February: the Lunar New Year parade winds through Millennium Park.
March: Punditry in all its glory at the Spertus Institute.
April: Gauthier Dance Company at the Harris Theater, mixing it up with the audience.
May: The Chicago Children’s Choir painting the town red in Millennium Park.
May: David Finckel and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Harris Theater.
May: Marc-André Hamelin in recital against a spring sunset at Northwestern.
May: Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque opening its Musical Feast Gala.
June: My exhibit of jazz photography extends through the summer at PurePoint Financial.
July: the Bitter Jester Music Festival rocking out under Fourth of July fireworks.
July: after a 4-hour photo shoot, I ask Bridget to marry me and she says yes!
August: Kurt Elling belts it out at the Green Mill.
September: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg addresses an adoring audience at the 30th Anniversary Gala for Cedille Records.
September: Music of the Baroque opens its 49th season.
September: Third Coast Baroque opens its season at Nichols Concert Hall.
October: The Chicago Children’s Choir concludes another record-breaking Red Jacket Optional gala.
October: Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic open their 30th season - my 6th as their photographer.
October: Fourth Coast Ensemble sings to a packed room at the Logan Center.
October: Vladimir Kulenovic leads the Lake Forest Symphony.
October: Victor Yampolsky leads the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Beethoven’s Ninth.
October: Wu Man gives a wide-ranging recital on the pipa at the University of Chicago.
November: I make my debut covering the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Maestro Riccardo Muti honors Acting Principal Horn Daniel Gingrich.
November: Wynton Marsalis drops some wisdom in the schools during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s weekend residency in Chicago,
November: the Marcus Roberts Trio joins the Chicago Philharmonic for one killer rendition of Gerswhin’s Piano Concerto in F.
November: bonus shot of Marcus Roberts.
November: the Pleiades Cluster (right) and a billion other stars, appear above Big Bend National Park.
November: a magical sky on the border above the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park.
December: Ashley Bryan (96) celebrates the release of his memoir, Infinite Hope, at the Univ of Pennsylvania.
A year of big performances, big venues, big voices, and big ovations. Here’s a look at my favorite music photos from 2018. Applause to all!
All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianist Shannon McGinnis open the 2018 Collaborative Works Festival (Sept 5, 2018).
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han celebrate the Harris Theater’s 15th Anniversary (Oct 3, 2018)
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard accepts the ovation at University of Chicago (March 6, 2018).
Jane Glover leads Music of the Baroque in its Millennium Park debut (Sept 12, 2018).
Kurt Elling in full voice at a packed Green Mill (June 22, 2018).
Chicago Children’s Choir belting it out in Millennium Park (May 24, 2018).
Fourth Coast Ensemble opens its 5th season in Frank Lloyd Wright’s stunning Unity Temple (Nov 2, 2018).
Soprano Nicole Cabell and pianist Craig Terry melt all the hearts Beyond the Aria (May 17, 2018).
Bella Voce stand and sing as one during their annual gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art (May 19, 2018).
Axe-slingin’ at the annual Bitter Jester Music Festival (July 4, 2018).
Victor Yampolsky and the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra after a blistering Mahler 5 (Feb 3, 2018).
I found a neat little corner at the Copernicus Center for this angle on Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic’s season opening concert (Nov 10, 2018).
Eric Snoza is the bassist in blue for Daren Hagen’s “Orson Rehearsed” (Sept 14, 2018).
Stephen Burns and the Fulcrum Point New Music Project’s annual Concert for Peace at Harris Theater (Dec 19, 2018).
The Zukerman Trio headlines the Music Institute of Chicago’s gala weekend (May 20, 2018).
Maestro Stanley Sperber leads the masses in the International Music Foundation’s DIY Messiah (Dec 17, 2018), though one face stood out from the crowd…
…Applause for Mr. Claus. (Dec 17, 2018).
Spring has come and gone, and I spent most of it among wonderful artists and beautiful moments. Here's a sample of everything I saw:
The Chicago Children's Choir singing their hearts out in grand spaces. Galas for Bella Voce and Music of the Baroque. A beautiful spring evening on stage at Millennium Park. A surprise proposal and engagement tomfoolery. The Chicago Philharmonic's Scott Speck puts on the conducting gloves. Lots of portraits of lovely and talented artists. And the best rooftop view a photographer could ask for.
All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Chicago Children’s Choir at Navy Pier.
Patrice Michaels and Kuang-Hao Huang for Cedille Records.
Bella Voce Gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Pianist Shannon McGinnis.
Scott Speck’s entrance before leading the Chicago Philharmonic’s season finale.
Chicago Children’s Choir in Millennium Park.
Composer/conductor/bassoonist Steve Ingle.
Audio/video engineer Aaron Gottl.
Nicole Cabell and Craig Terry for Harris Theater’s “Beyond the Aria.”
“Beyond the Aria” overlooking Millennium Park.
Jamie surprises Erica after a run with a ring.
She said yes.
Engagement session with Kristi and Greg in Lincoln Park.
Engagement silliness.
The Zukerman Trio at the Music Institute of Chicago.
Jane Glover toasts the crowd at Music of the Baroque’s gala.
Back for chamber music at St. James Cathedral for the International Music Foundation.
The view from the roof after a storm.
If there's a way to sum up the start of 2018, it's that I photographed some pretty awesome and beautiful things. The year started off with a Supermoon in sub-zero temps. After the feeling returned to my fingers, I drove out to the Mississippi River to watch the bald eagles before concert season picked up again. I spent a dress rehearsal with the Lake Forest Symphony; covered the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra's final concert before its China tour; and shot the Chicago Philharmonic (with two pianos!). The Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra - with Victor Goines and Don Vappie - blew out the best Mardi Gras tunes north of New Orleans. I shot my first concert for the Harris Theater on the stage of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and watched in amazement while pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard performed Ligeti and Beethoven before a rapt audience at the University of Chicago. Fulcrum Point New Music Project closed March with a rollicking performance of music by Wynton Marsalis. Now, on to spring!
All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
A Supermoon rises over Lake Michigan on January 1, 2018.
A bald eagle hunts over the Mississippi River in Davenport, IA, January 13, 2018.
Vladimir Kulenovic leads the Lake Forest Symphony, January 24, 2018.
Victor Yampolsky leads the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra before a packed house at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, February 3, 2018.
Victor Yampolsky and the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, February 3, 2018.
Scott Speck leads the Chicago Philharmonic in Saint-Saens' "The Carnival of the Animals," March 4, 2018.
Victor Goines leads the Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra on Mardi Gras, February 13, 2018.
New Orleanian Don Vappie performs with the Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra on Mardi Gras, February 13, 2018.
NUJO leads the second line parade on Mardi Gras, February 13, 2018.
Harris Theater presents "Beyond the Aria" with Heidi Stober, Lindsay Metzger, Andrew Stenson, and Craig Terry at Millennium Park, March 1, 2018.
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard takes a final bow after his solo recital for University of Chicago Presents, March 6, 2018.
Stephen Burns and Fulcrum Point New Music Project perform music by Wynton Marsalis at The Promontory in Hyde Park, March 28, 2018.
The Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park is a surprisingly large space when you're trying to cover every angle for a very large choir. But it's a pretty big thrill to get the all-access wristband that allows you to shoot from the stage. Here are scenes from a nonstop 2-hour concert with the incredible Chicago Children's Choir, directed by Josephine Lee, with soprano Jonita Lattimore, saxophonist Oran Etkin, and drummer Makaya McCraven.
Photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
