The Fox chamber music season opens with a concert on October 18 on the theme “Water and Earth”

The First Congregational Church of Dundee hosts Chamber Music on the Fox as they kick off their 2021-22 season on Monday, October 18, with nature-inspired “Water & Earth”.

The community is invited to this concert which honors Mother Earth at 7:30 pm at the church, 900 S. Eighth St. in West Dundee.

Throughout the ages, composers have drawn inspiration from Mother Earth, imitating nature with their music. Chamber music will delve into works that honor nature, whether it’s a bee, a trout or an entire island. It will feature Franz Schubert’s masterful “Trout Quintet”, as well as works by American composer Shawn Jaeger, who combines Appalachian folk song, field recording and sound ephemera, and Native American composer Kamala Sankaram, which has an eclectic work, combining theater music and emerging technologies.

Tickets cost $ 20 or $ 10 for students. Tickets are available by contacting the chamber office at (224) 276-8881 or [email protected], or by visiting www.chambermusiconthefox.org.

The Chamber Music on the Fox season will feature concerts at Discovery Church, 200 Prairie St. in downtown Elgin; The Highland Loft, 168 E. Highland Ave. in downtown Elgin; and First Congregational Church in West Dundee.

This season, Chamber Music on the Fox features some of the country’s most sought-after ensembles, including Third Coast Percussion, Axiom Brass, and Grammy Award-winning Quintet Attacca. There will be programs honoring Chicago’s legacy of black history, paying homage to Mother Earth and featuring music from Latin America. The December holiday concert will also be back this year. You can purchase a season pass and enjoy all five concerts for $ 90 (a savings of $ 20).

The Holiday Concert, “Winter Winds: Holiday Classics with a Twist! , Will feature Quintet Attacca, will be at 7:30 pm Monday, December 6 at Discovery Church in Elgin. From “The Nutcracker” and classic Christmas melodies to lesser-known works by American composer Bill Holcombe, Mexican composer Arturo Marquez and Hungarian composer Endre Szervansky, Quintet Attacca is sure to delight this festive program celebrating holidays, family, thoughtful and, above all fun! Tickets for the holiday concert are $ 20 or $ 10 for students.

In the New Year, the first concert will be “First Blacks Chicago,” featuring Crossing Borders Music Collective, at 7:30 pm Monday, February 7 at the First Congregational Church of Dundee. Using music as a lens to celebrate black history, Crossing Borders Music Collective presents works honoring the legacy of four Chicago black pioneers: the Haitian founder of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable; Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington; the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama; and Chicago’s first black female mayor, Lori Lightfoot. Performing music specially commissioned for this program, musicians will use both live music and visual arts to tell the stories of these important figures. Tickets cost $ 20 or $ 10 for students.

This spring, Chamber Music on the Fox will explore “Lust, Mystery and Despair” with Axiom Brass at 7:30 pm Monday March 21 at Discovery Church in Elgin. Showcasing Astor Piazzolla’s mastery of tangos, the luscious harmonies of Villa Lobos, and the alluring dances of Paquito D’Rivera for brass quintet, the Chicago-based brass quintet will explore the vast wealth of musical idioms surrounding the Americas. Tickets cost $ 20 or $ 10 for students.

The final concert of the season will be “Perspectives,” featuring Third Coast Percussion, at 7:30 pm, Monday, May 16, at the Highland Loft, 168 E. Highland Ave. in Elgin. “Perspectives” invites listeners to embark on a 70-minute musical adventure, featuring a repertoire of virtuoso percussion written for the ensemble by some of today’s greatest composers and music makers. Founded in 2005, Third Coast Percussion has given hundreds of concerts across the country, presents an annual home concert season in Chicago, teaches musicians of all ages and levels of experience, and has commissioned dozens of new works. to composers including Glenn Kotche, Chris Cerrone, Donnacha Dennehy, Timo Andres, David T. Little, Ted Hearne and Augusta Read Thomas. Tickets for the final concert of the season will be $ 30 or $ 15 for students.

Third Coast Percussion, the 2017 Grammy-winning group starring, left to right, David Skidmore, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon and Peter Martin, will close the chamber music season on Fox on May 16.
– Courtesy of Saverio Truglia

Founded by musicians of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Mark Fry and Sara Sitzer, Chamber Music on the Fox is a world-class classical chamber music series serving Elgin and the greater Fox Valley region, including the mission is to present captivating, enriching and immersive performances and cultural experiences. which enhance and enrich the region’s cultural offer.

Learn more at www.chambermusiconthefox.org/upcoming-concerts/.