Shannon McGinnis

2018 in Portraits

Look at all these wonderful people making the world better with beautiful art! Thanks to all for their trust and enthusiasm. Plus, I joined in and got a new headshot myself. Hair and makeup by Angela Brasington, Christine Sciortino, Kimberly Cox, and Andrea Samuels. Photos Β© copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.

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2018 in Music Photos

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 Β© copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.

Well, that was fast.

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 Β© copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.

2017 in Music Photos

Here is a selection of my year in music photography, leading off with an image from the Chicago Children's Choir that sums up 2017 in general. It's a pretty awesome privilege to be able to do this for a living.  

All photos Β© copyright 2017 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.

Scenes from the 2015 Collaborative Works Festival

My third season shooting for the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) kicked off last week with the 2015 Collaborative Works Festival and four days of fantastic singing. It's an incredible privilege to have such close access to these singers; here are some of my favorite images.  

Photos Β© Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.   

A gallery of singers.

I love photographing singers - it's the perfect combination of drama and music.  

Saturday night with a soprano

The Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago is quickly changing the way Chicago audiences listen to vocal music.  No fancy halls or microphones; just intimate venues and soloists singing the long neglected form of art song.  On Saturday, CAIC held its Spring Lieder Lounge in the Dixon-Stein studio on the 8th floor of the Fine Arts Building.  Perched above Michigan Avenue, the Dixon-Stein space was a perfect salon-style setting to listen to songs by Schubert, FaurΓ©, Sibelius, and American composers Libby Larsen and Tom Cipullo, performed by renowned soprano Deborah Selig and pianist Shannon McGinnis.  This was the fifth event I've shot for CAIC, and my appreciation for vocal music grows with every performance.  As an added bonus, CAIC announced its 2014-15 season with a brochure that features my photos.  

Soprano Deborah Selig and pianist Shannon McGinnis 

Soprano Deborah Selig and pianist Shannon McGinnis 

The Dixon-Stein instrument shop doubles as a performance salon on the eighth floor of the Fine Arts Building.

The Dixon-Stein instrument shop doubles as a performance salon on the eighth floor of the Fine Arts Building.

Violins hanging in the Dixon-Stein studio.

Violins hanging in the Dixon-Stein studio.

CAIC's attractive new brochure for its 2014-2015 season.

CAIC's attractive new brochure for its 2014-2015 season.