Located at 4816 N. Broadway St., the Uptown was built in 1925 by architects Rapp and Rapp, who also designed the Chicago Theater and Cadillac Palace Theater.  The Uptown was designated a Chicago landmark in 1991.

Jerry Mickelson, of Jam Productions Ltd., bought the theater in 2008 for $3.2 million. Mickelson owns several well-known Chicago music venues, including the Rivera, The Vic, and the Park West.

Before Mickelson, the theater had been in and out of foreclosure since 1994. Prior to that, through the late ’80s and mid-’90s, the Uptown was owned by Lou Wolf, a slumlord and convicted arsonist who was dubbed “Chicago’s worst landlord” in 1989 by Chicago Magazine.

Mickelson was contacted multiple times with questions regarding the Uptown’s funding issues, but would only comment via e-mail.

“I have been trying to fit all the pieces of the funding puzzle together to renovate the Uptown Theater and am making some progress, but it is a very long road that requires an incredible amount of due diligence,” Mickelson said.

Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48^th Ward) has been alderman of the 48^th Ward since 1989, just eight years after the Uptown closed its doors.

Doug Fraser, Smith’s chief of staff, said the theater’s renovation has long been a ward priority, but that the theater’s size is not ideal for most investor’s business models.

“It’s a tough nut to crack. It’s a big theater, it’s historical,” Fraser said.  “The perception is that this should be an entertainment district and the Uptown should be the anchor.”

Fraser said he foresees the theater being a huge benefit to the neighborhood, but the right combination of private funds and city money just hasn’t happened.

“No one will ever build anything like that again, so you can’t let it go. You just have to keep banging away at it until it eventually happens and that’s our approach,” he said.

John Holden, the former president of the Uptown Historical Society, said the alderman has dragged her feet when it comes to restoring the Uptown.

“Mary Ann, shame on her, it’s been in her ward, she’s been alderman 20 years. I know she’s always talked about wanting to get something going with the theater and nothing’s ever happened on her watch,” Holden said.

Holden said vast sections of the complex need repainting and extensive plasterwork needs to be redone both in the lobby and the auditorium. He also said the Uptown’s lobby used to be used for events and suggested that a restoration of the lobby would be a temporary way to get some use out of the theater.

“I’ve long contended to anyone that would listen that, you know, you could probably do something with the lobby and turn it into a fantastic banquet facility or something like that and maybe moth-ball the auditorium for some time,” Holden said.

Larry Wilker, president of TheatreDreams, has helped restore multiple large theaters, including the Playhouse Square Theater, the “world’s largest theater restoration project,” in Cleveland, Ohio.

Restoration on the Uptown is estimated at $40 million. Wilker said that is a gross underestimation.

“Oh, they’re way off,” he said. “You might do a partial renovation for 40 [million] but if you’re talking about restoring it to the way it looked the day it opened, with all the modern technology, I think you’re closer to $100 million,” he said.

In his experience with theater renovation, Wilker said typically a organization with connections to the theater takes responsibility for raising a combination of state, city and private funds to get the theater restored.

Wilker said the process usually happens this way because theater restoration is a tough investment sell.

“These things are not done as a for-profit venture because they’re not economic. You can’t make back $100 million, no matter what you’re doing there,” Wilker said.

Andy Pierce, a founding member of Friends of the Uptown, a volunteer advocacy organization, said he thinks corporate sponsorship, combined with privately raised funding, is the key to restoring the Uptown.

“You’ve got an owner who may have one or more corporate sponsors and or backers, and if it wants to, it can be the Nokia Uptown Theater or the Schwinn Bicycle Uptown Theater,” Pierce said.

But Wilker said corporations don’t typically sponsor theaters.

“The kind of dollars that are given to stadiums for sponsorship never happen to theaters because the stadiums have television coverage and the theaters don’t,” he said. While ample funding for the theater has yet to be secured, public interest is still high.

Andy Pierce noted that the Uptown Theater’s Facebook page currently has 7,612 members.

“Try and find another non-operating public theater that has over 7,000 friends on Facebook,” Piece said.

By comparison, The Chicago Theater, an operational theater, has 7,970 members on Facebook.

And John Holden said he still anticipates the day when he’ll be back enjoying a show at the Uptown.

“The environment for doing something at the Uptown is as good as it’s ever going to get,” he said. “Those of us who love the neighborhood and love old theaters are really holding out all hope that someday something comes together, but it’s been a long waiting game.”

After he alluded semi-coyly to a “big announcement” in a Tweet this morning, everyone’s all abuzz about what Rhymefest is up to. Sources (and the video he posted on YouTube) seem to suggest the rapper, born Che Smith, is about to announce a run for Alderman of Chicago’s 20th Ward.

Smith’s announcement is set to take place at the Exclusively Yours Auto Spa (5820 S. State St.) in Washington Park, one of the neighborhoods encompassed in the 20th Ward.

To continue reading and to view video clips, click here.

Old Town School of Folk Music

The Old Town School of Folk Music is planning an August 5 groundbreaking on a new arts education facility at 4543 North Lincoln Avenue.

Read more at Center Square Journal

Photographer: Mclaren Soriano

Chicago morning show personality Julian Nieh of WBBM-96.3 has won a number of awards for his radio work and is known for putting on a lively show that includes crank calls and a steady stream of laughs.

Nieh, 29, is recognized around Chicago for the “J & Julian Mornings.” His show airs from 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

One of his most popular segments was “Sticky Situations,” in which guests suspect their significant others of cheating and Nieh gets the person caught up in the act.

His co-host is Jamar McNeil, known as Jay Niice on the show.

“Surprisingly, Julian is very much the same on the job and off the job,” said McNeil. “He works so hard that I think that he’s hardly ever off the job. Even when we’re not at work, he’s working. His personality is pretty consistent throughout the day.”

Nieh and McNeil have been working together for almost two years.

McNeil said listeners and fans don’t know Nieh has an exceptionally sharp memory. “[It’s] probably because he hasn’t killed many brain cells. He doesn’t drink alcohol at all. I’m sure that has something to do with it,” said McNeil.

Listeners have only positive comment about Nieh.

“I’ve been listening to B-96 since I was a kid,” said listener Crimea Baker. “I never thought anyone would be able to take over Eddie and Jobo (former co-hosts at WBBM), but Jay and Julian have done even better than them. I love Sticky Situations. Julian is so straightforward; he knows how to get people with words.”

Nieh has a number of titles under his belt from the Citizen President Award from Jacobs Media in 2008, first place for the 2009 Silverdome Radio Awards (consecutively for three years) and many more.

Nieh is perceived as funny, outgoing and blunt but deep down, he is also sensitive.

“I’ll be honest,” he said. “When people have negative things to say about what I said or did – I’m sensitive, but I am learning to grow from it. But real talk, who wants to hear something negative about them, right? For me, reason is because you cannot believe everything people say. I have my own filter and am strong in my beliefs, which are not easily swayed by an opinion or two.”

Nieh started as an intern on a radio station in Washington, D.C.

Since he was in middle school, Nieh has had an interest in words.

“In middle school I won the spelling bee award! I can spell my booty off — try me!” said Nieh. “In high school, I also won the ‘Most Likely To Play Professional Sports’ [award]. You choose which one is reality.”

Nieh attended a private schooL, Episcopal High School, in Alexandria, Va., and got kicked out his freshman year.

“I hated wearing Bass shoes and Dockers, and I skateboarded. They didn’t like that. Anyone see ‘Dead Poets Society’? Yeah, it was like that.”

Nieh didn’t have his heart set on a radio career when he was a kid. He dreamed of being on MTV as a video jockey or being on the television show “The Real World.”

“I remember I watched the show and I would be like ‘I could do that. I got stories and something to say. I am weird,’” said Nieh. “I actually got very close in one of ‘The Real World’ auditions but didn’t get the call back.”

Along with the desire to be on the television show, Nieh also wanted to own an import performance shop.

“I actually ran my own business out of my house while doing 10 million other things! Here’s a link from a car built used as a rolling showpiece for the business,” he said.

“Sadly, I sold it all when I got more serious into the devil called radio,” he said.

Nieh is an only child. If there is one person he would thank in his life, it would be his mother, he said.

He was close to his dad until he went “downhill” he said. His dad now lives in Virginia. “He raised me and was my mom and dad,” said Nieh. “These days my mom and I have become closer as well, because time has made us realize we love and need each other.”

His goal is to make enough money to take care of both of his parents. His parents are divorced and his mother lives in New York.

Nieh said his goal is “to motivate people in worse or even good situations to do whatever it takes to obtain your dreams. After all, it’s your life. You have to at least try.”

The youth craze for Bollywood dancing is the biggest competition for classical Indian dance schools, said Pranita Jain, artistic director of Kalapriya.

“Bollywood dancing is instant gratification,” Jain said. “What I teach is a long tradition of classical art form.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHws5pdRkC4[/youtube]

Despite the competition, classical Indian dance schools remain strong in membership and maintaining their cultural significance.

Dancing plays an integral role in Indian heritage and culture; the practice started as a folk tradition and is still used to tell mythological stories. Each classical form originated from a region of the Indian subcontinent.

Kalapriya, 1438 E. 57th St., has specialized in the classical Bharata Natyam dance form since its founding in 1994. Bharata Natyam originated from the southern state Tamil Nadu and is globally the most popular. It was created as a higher form of entertainment for the gods, according to myth.

“[Bharata Natyam] is kind of creative expression using your body,” said 15-year-old Angira Shirahatti, a nine-year Bharata Natyam dancer at Kalapriya.

Bharata Natyam uses specific sets of hand gestures, facial expressions, foot patterns and rhythms to tell stories; dancers cannot use their hips or chest because it’s considered seductive. Bollywood dancing, on the other hand, is a combination of Indian hip hop, jazz and Bhangra, danced to simple beats without a set pattern.

“Because it’s a pop style, it’s more conducive toward people who want to pick up on a fad, jump into a class and take something that doesn’t require a lot of dedication,” said Anjal Chande, director of Soham Dance Space.

Chande teaches Bharata Natyam at the Soham Dance Space, 922 N. Damen Ave. Chande started learning at the age of 7 when she accompanied her mother to dance classes. Most Bharata Natyam dancers start at 5 or 6 years old and carry on through high school.

“She’s very impressed with dance,” said Niranjani Prabhakar of her 6-year-old daughter who started Bharata Natyam dancing at Kalapriya in October.  “We wanted to give her something from our Indian heritage.”

The cultural teachings provided by classical dance is the most common reason for learning, said Jain. There were very few classical Indian dance teachers when Jain came to Chicago in 1991.  Since then the Indian immigrant population has increased, creating more demand for teachers.

Chande, 25, is a second generation Indian who admires Chicago’s cultural diversity. That is the reason she started her school here.

“The classical arts in general, you think there’s a very limited audience to begin with, but I think there’s a lot of potential to connect with a lot more people,” Chande said.

The growing appreciation of classical Indian dance led Kalapriya to experiment with multicultural dance forms, which began in 2001.  The experimentations are a mix of dance forms from Asia, Africa and Indonesia that tell stories with universal themes.

The shows have been performed at different Chicago Public Schools.  A cross cultural festival will be held at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., from April 30-May 1.

Image via Wikipedia

The Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) was created in 1987 through funding provided by the Illinois Arts Council Access Program. The goals of CAAP are to discover, nurture and expand Chicago’s multi-ethnic artists and nonprofit arts organizations, and to foster new and emerging individual artists and arts groups by providing grants for professional, artistic and organizational development to those who have had limited access to funding in both public and private grants programs. CAAP grants provide financial assistance to individual artists and to nonprofit arts organizations with incomes under $150,000. The maximum grant request is $1,000. Funding priority is intended for applicants who have not been previously funded through the CAAP Program or have not had access to traditional funding programs such as grants, fellowships and art commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, corporations or foundations.

From the City of Chicago website:

WHAT WE FUND

Individual Artists

Professional development in the areas of Artistic, Management and Technical/Artistic Services including:

• Creation of high quality artistic projects (e.g. development or completion of a work of art)
• High quality training programs (non-credit master classes, workshops, etc.) which develop professional artistic skills
• Technical assistance in the form of a consultant to help with publicity, proposal writing, marketing, financial management, etc.
• Portfolio development: slides, resumes and audio and video presentations for funders and galleries, etc.
• Exhibition expenses which may include mounting, framing and installation (may not include gallery rental or reception costs)
• Nonprofit Arts Organizations

Organizational Development including:

• High quality training programs aimed at developing administrative and organizational skills
• Technical assistance in the form of a consultant to help in publicity, fundraising, board development, planning, marketing, audience development and bookkeeping
• Documentation of cultural activity through photography, slides, brochures, annual reports, audio and video which will assist the organization in presentations to funders or promotion to attract new and broader audiences
• Assistance for seeking 501(c)(3) status (must contact Cultural Grants staff for separate application instructions)

REQUIREMENTS

Individual applicants

• Must be 21 years of age
• Must be practicing artists with demonstrated ability in their artistic discipline
• Must be a City of Chicago resident with a Chicago street address (no P.O. boxes accepted)
• Must be Chicago resident for at least six (6) months prior to the application deadline
• Must have a social security number

Nonprofit arts organizations

• Must be incorporated and located in the city of Chicago
• Must have acquired, or be in the process of applying for, or seeking funds to apply for Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
• Must have a valid Federal Employer Identification Number

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS

All applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the Application Assistance Workshops. Pertinent information regarding the application process and helpful grant writing information will be discussed.

DEADLINE: The 2010 Community Arts Assistance Program grants are currently being accepted. Applications are due on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information, check out the City of Chicago/CAAP website:

Andrew Bird at Fourth Presbyterian Church, by Joshua Mellin

Along a frozen Michigan Avenue, amongst towering skyscrapers, a Bird’s somber whistle fills a golden trimmed wood cathedral. This Bird, however, is not of the feathered flock.

Just a few years ago you may have heard him whistling down a Logan Square street, yet this year alone he’s played grandiose venues around the city, from the Civic Opera House to the Art Institute’s new Modern Wing and the 94th floor of the Hancock Observatory.

This time around, Chicago native Andrew Bird chose the Fourth Presbyterian Church to showcase his series of sold out “Gezelligheid”-themed shows. Dutch for “social cozy,” the four night home stand helped bring a calming end to a whirlwind 2009 tour to support his fourth studio album Noble Beast.

“What I hope to do with these shows is adapt my music completely to the atmosphere of the space and the season,” Bird said, describing how he envisioned the shows.

“I want the audience to be both lifted and comforted as we head into another cold and dark winter. I feel the space should be sacred so the audience can experience my music in a different atmosphere.”

After injuring his ankle opening night, a grizzled Bird hobbled to the stage and took a seat underneath a giant fuzzy hat. “Man-on-hat, is there a term for that?” he asked the audience. “I’m sure there is.”

Deciding against setting up a PA system to highlight the acoustics of the cathedral walls, the shows were marked with interference from radio station WNUA, broadcast directly across the street from John Hancock’s radio antenna. Intermittently the audience could swear they heard Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Amplified by only his trademark spinning double speaker horns swirling behind him and four custom made Specimen speaker sculptures, Bird invited the audience into his cozy musical inner sanctum.

Lit by only ambient light, he presented rare gems such as a live rendition of “The Barnyard Tapes,” a track he originally recorded at his second home, a farm three hours west of the city. “It’s missing the crickets and cicadas,” he said, “but they’re out of season.”

Also featured was the rarely played “Carrion Suite,” a playful take on Sesame Street classic “I in the Sky,” and a solo version of his latest single “Fitz and the Dizzyspells.”

Known for his generally awkward stage presence, Bird managed to crack a smile. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” a visibly comfortable Bird confessed before closing the night with a somber version of Bob Dylan’s “Oh, Sister.”

As the crowd scurried back out into the frozen tundra of a mid-December Michigan Avenue, their hearts were warmed by the looping melodies that “accidently fit the season.”

With their latest release, What We All Come To Need, the Chicago-based band aims to refute that notion entirely. For starters, the album neither looms nor drones, with the exception of the Jesu-esque final track, “Final Breath.” Instead, the band has built upon on their doomy, downtempo origins and delivered a product that clearly shows the evolution of the band as a whole.

But that’s not to say Pelican has become unrecognizable. The chugging guitar riffs, aggressive repetition and more than competent drum work are still there in full force, however the band applies the formula more adventurously than previous efforts.

It’s still fast, much as their last LP, 2007′s City of Echoes was fast, but it seems more intentional this time around. The album doesn’t strive to stay in one place, with the opening track “Glimmer,” the bands builds up to a majestic sparkle, seeming more pop than metal, while “Ephemeral” builds itself upon two dangerous, mildly progressive riffs.

Possibly the most significant change in Pelican’s formula is seen in the closing track, “Final Breath,” which introduces vocals to the band’s work, provided by Allen Epley of The Life and Times. This is the first use of vocals in the band’s almost decade-long history, not including their split with These Arms Are Snakes. While some diehard fans might not appreciate the change, it serves as a pivotal moment for the birth of a new era with the band.

All that being said, while What We All Come To Need does break the mold of previous Pelican releases, the album doesn’t introduce any new concepts to a genre that thrives on simply meeting the audience’s expectations.

The brooding guitars and quiet-loud dynamics a listener would expect from any post-metal release are still in full force, and little ground is made to differentiate the act from their contemporaries. Fans of the genre will be pleased with the release, while those outside it won’t find too many new elements to encourage them to explore.

Band: Pelican

Album: What We All Come To Need

Released: Oct. 27, 2009 on Southern Lord label

Based in the Netherlands, Fra Fra Sound, the Suriname-Caribbean septet, plays music of the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States, Africa and Europe. Hear them on the northside at Old Town School of Folk Music, downtown at the Cultural Center or on the campus of Columbia College Chicago.

According to Columbia’s Center for Black Music Research, “The term Fra Fra has different meanings: it can imply volatility, difference and mystery, or unboundedness. Fra Fra is also the name of a people in the Northwest of Ghana. Fra Fra Sound uses the term to reflect the relationship between music, dance, religion and philosophy from the African diaspora and West Africa as well as its unpredictable and experimental approach to music.”

Chicago performances this week:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 9:30 p.m., Old Town School of Folk Music

Gary and Laura Mauer Concert Hall

4544 N. Lincoln Avenue

Free ticketed event / Advance tickets recommended

$5 suggested donation / Call 773.728.6000 for tickets

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 7:00 p.m., Chicago Cultural Center

Cassidy Theater

78 E. Washington Street

Free and open to the public.

Friday, October 23, 2009, 7:00 p.m., Columbia College Chicago

Concert Theater, Music Building

1014 South Michigan Ave.

Free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit Columbia College’s Center for Black Music Research.

This project was made possible by support from the Consulate General of the Netherlands.

NO EXIT is a contemporary chamber opera version of Jean Paul Sartre‘s politically charged play, written during the Nazi Occupation of Paris, and first performed in 1944.  Andy Vores composed the music, which would have been interesting by itself. It is directed by George Cederquist [Yale, Northwestern, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre], and features soprano Susan Nelson as “Estelle,” mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney as “Inez,” tenor Herb Lenz as “Garcin” and baritone Peter Weathers as “Valet.”

"Hell is other people"

The orchestra is conducted by Emanuele Andrizzi who remains out of view of the audience, but in control of the musicians and singers. The singers were able actors, which isn’t always true in opera. The orchestra has four instrumental voices that alternately clash, emphasize and amplify the singers’ voices. The musicians played with precision and suspense. The music stays on the interesting side of distressing, but what do you expect from an opera set in Hell? At 80 minutes, the piece was perfect. The claustrophic setting (a room in Hell,) the limited range of tones played by the orchestra, the fitful and pitiful words of the characters who sing in English, build up a tension to the point of no return. The dramatist stays true to Sartre’s original writing which always has some humor amidst the angst.

The themes of the play aren’t as shocking as they were when it made its debut, but the work holds together well in this operatic version. The price is a terrific value with the  opportunity to enjoy this much talent in one short stretch. Whether you like music, enjoy theater, appreciate operatic singing, or have never dreamed of going to an opera, this is theater with music for the rest of us. Treat yourself to this extraordinary show, it’s a good entertainment lead up to Halloween.

• General Admission is $25; $10 student/senior discount tickets available for the Friday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available online at www.chicagovanguard.org.
• Performances are:
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, October 18
• The opera will be performed at the Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted St. a totally wonderful venue.
• Running time is approximately 80 minutes with one intermission.

See all the details about the performance at Noexitchicago.com or here.

The  design team includes video projections by Cat Forster, sets and costumes by Izumi Inaba [University of Buffalo, Northwestern] and lighting by Samantha Szigeti [Northwestern].

The  Guerilla Opera ensemble in residence at The Boston Conservatory commissioned NO EXIT. It is the season kickoff for the Chicago Opera Vanguard, in partnership with Center on Halsted and Praxis Productions.

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• New Opera Goes to Hell to Entertain with Sartre Play (chicagotalks.org)

For this modern morality play, director George Cederquist has gathered an impressive ensemble of singing actors, musicians and visual artists from across Chicago’s creative community. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, “Hell is … other people!” His classic black comedy NO EXIT premiered in German-occupied Paris in 1944. There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide as three self-absorbed people, who neither know nor like each other, are trapped together in one room… forever! Full of intense drama and sly comedy, NO EXIT is a haunting and humorous vision of damnation that you will never forget, especially in operatic form.

There are only three performances, so make your reservations right away. The price is right; note the student discount.

• General Admission is $25; $10 student/senior discount tickets available for the Friday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available online at www.chicagovanguard.org.
• Performances are:
  • 8 p.m. Friday, October 16
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, October 18
• The opera will be performed at the Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted St.
• Running time is approximately 80 minutes with one intermission.

Composer Andy Vores was born in Wales in 1956 and raised in England. He studied composition at Lancaster University with Edward Cowie. In 1986 he was a Tanglewood Composition Fellow, studying with Oliver Knussen. In 1989 Vores moved to Boston and in 2001 was appointed Chair of Composition, Theory and Music History at The Boston Conservatory.

Mr. Vores’ music has been performed by the London Sinfonietta, the Boston Modern Orchestral Project, the New England Philharmonic, The Cantata Singers, the Scottish National Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, The Nash Ensemble, the BBC Singers, Irvine Arditti, Sarah Walker Lynn Torgove, Dominique Labelle, Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish, Sanford Sylvan, Kendra Colton, Kathleen Supové, David Kravitz, Karol Bennett and many others.

NO EXIT is directed by George Cederquist [Yale, Northwestern, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre], and features soprano Susan Nelson as “Estelle,” mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney as “Inez,” tenor Herb Lenz as “Garcin” and baritone Peter Weathers as “Valet.”

The extensive design team includes video projections by Cat Forster, sets and costumes by Izumi Inaba [University of Buffalo, Northwestern] and lighting by Samantha Szigeti [Northwestern].

NO EXIT was commissioned by the Guerilla Opera ensemble in residence at The Boston Conservatory.

NO EXIT is the season kickoff for the Chicago Opera Vanguard, in partnership with Center on Halsted and Praxis Productions, and the Chicago premiere of this opera treatment of the existentialist play. There are only three (3) performances.

This event is part of Center on Halsted’s celebration of Chicago Artists Month 2009, “Chicago Artists Month 2.0.” More information on Chicago Artists Month can be found at chicagoartistsmonth.org.

See it for FREE on Saturday, August 29 at 2:00 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center at Washington and Michigan. The Chicago Community Cinema Screening includes a discussion with Hip Hop activists and artists about social change through the different elements of hip hop.

Presented by the Southwest Community Coalition, ITVS, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and WTTW Channel 11.

Join the celebration on Aug. 16th for Pakistani Independence Day

Pakistan is frequently in the news because of violence and regional tensions. Pakistani nationals and supporters in Chicago will put these problems aside on Sunday, August 16 to celebrate the Independence of Pakistan. There will be a parade that takes place between 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. It begins on W. Devon Avenue, at Damen and Western followed by a fair or mela, in Warren Park.

There are about 120,000 Pakistanis living in the Chicago area. This year’s parade includes more than 30 colorful floats at the parade. The colorful clothes worn by the participants and the upbeat atmosphere make this a fun event for children of all ages- in the same spirit as the 4th of July parades. The Pakistani consul general will participate along with Ald. Bernard Stone (50th,) Ald. Joe Moore (49th,) and several other elected and appointed government officials.

The parade celebrates Pakistan’s independence day (also known as Yom-e-Istiqlal (Urdu: یوم استقلال .)) This is the day when Pakistan gained independence from the British Raj, as it was called then, and became an independent state August 14, 1947. In Pakistan, it’s a national holiday, celebrated all over the country with flag-raising ceremonies, tributes to the national heroes and fireworks. Here are some quick facts about Pakistan.

In Chicago, there is a “mela” after the parade, where you can savor the flavors and products of Pakistan. According to Wikipedia, “Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘gathering’ or ‘to meet’ or a Fair.” In rural areas of the Asian sub-continent, melas or village fairs, are important local events.
Around the world, south Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries, put on melas. This year’s mela in Warren Park, 6601 N Western Ave., will feature the food of seven Pakistani restaurants for a global eating experience. There also will be about 15 clothing and merchandise booths along with information booths. The organizers have a musical program planned, too, which will begin about 5 p.m. in Warren Park.

If you bring your camera, send us your pictures of the parade and mela. And, دن اچھا گزرے (have a good day!)

Schedule for August 16th Pakistani Independence Parade and Mela:
(1) Assembly for Parade 11:00 a.m.
At: Damen & Western on Devon Avenue
Step off 12:30 p.m.

(2) Mela (Festival) immediately after parade
at 6600 N. Western Ave.
Location: Warren Park
2:30 p.m. til 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Independence Day Parade Committee of Greater Chicago
P.O. Box #60101, Chicago, IL
Phone: 773-556-9993
Fax: 773-338-4569
Email: [email protected]
Hameed Ullah Khan : 773-556-9993
Chairman

Pakistan Azadi Mela 2009 | Home Page.

See photos of Pakistani independence day ceremonies in Pakistan.

It isn’t rain alone that will keep me at home instead of in Grant Park for Lollapalooza. Consequenceofsound.com has provided me, and anyone else with a few online streams and Twitter, for a taste of what I’m missing. Check out the tweets in realtime from Twitterfall.

Consequenceofsound.com promises updates on its site with a CoS Twitter page.

If you’re staying home this weekend, you can still watch many of this weekend’s acts via online streams at iClips.com, rumbum.com, and LP33.tv.

via Lollapalooza 2009: Stream… and read.

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• Lollapalooza: Catch These Acts On The North End (chicagoist.com)
• Lollapalooza: Catch These Acts On The South End (chicagoist.com)
• Lollapalooza 2009 After Show Schedule (idiomag.com)

On August 1 and 2, Roscoe Village expects the typical 60 or so shoppers and walkers to balloon to over 20,000 for the 14th annual Retro on Roscoe.

Last August the festival attracted a record crowd of an estimated 23,000, to the neighborhood, and this year the Roscoe Village Neighbors Association hopes to set a new record. Retro on Roscoe is a two-day long fest featuring 32 bands that play covers, or originals inspired by the music of the 1970s and 80s. Retro is the Neighbors Association’s main fundraiser, and it is also the quiet village’s main attraction.

Along with drawing people to the neighborhood the group has over 400 volunteers for the festival and features about 20 booths from Roscoe Village stores and restaurants. Last year the event helped raise $100,000 for the all-volunteer Roscoe Village Neighbors, and, according to the Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce, brought in about a quarter of a million dollars to local businesses.

Mary Vaught, a bartender at Millers Tap at Leavitt and Roscoe says that Retro always brings a packed house to the combo bar and liquor store.

“It’s always been a great…fest, we get a lot of people. They usually have some decent bands playing,” Vaught says of Retro. Vaught says she works the festival on Sundays, but comes to Roscoe on her day off to enjoy the fest. She says that the festival is great for business.

Frankie Andrae, the co-owner of Roscoe Village’s Original Expressions, at Roscoe and Hamilton, says that she and her business partner opened their doors during Retro because they “wanted it to be [Original Expressions’] anniversary.”Original Expressions keeps a booth on the street during Retro, and Andrae says the benefit from the added exposure is incalculable. “They bring in almost 20- or 30,000 people and that isn’t all people from the neighborhood,” she says.

Miller’s Tap and Original  Expressions aren’t the only businesses that benefit from the festival.

“It’s very positive for businesses,” says Mary Marcarian the executive director of the Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce. Almost all of the 250 businesses in the Chamber of Commerce are supportive of the event, according to Marcarian.

“Some [of the businesses] love it, some hate it,” Andrae says of the festival.

While most Roscoe Village residents seem excited for the festival, at least one village dweller plans to sit the event out. 

“I don’t know, I think maybe I’m too young for it,” says Andrew Dowd, 26, who has lived in the neighborhood for three years. “I don’t really care about hearing people play music from the 80s…it’s just not my scene.” Dowd did say, however; that the festival was not a major annoyance, saying that it was not a “big deal.”

But Dowd’s roommate Jason Fabeck, also 26, says he planned to visit.

“They’ve got beer, and even if they’re not the greatest, the bands are pretty fun,” he says.

Retro runs Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m., with the music stopping at 8 p.m. Along with a kids’ stage there are two other stages featuring live music, a beer tent and vendors selling clothes, artwork and food. Tickets for the event are $5 at the door, with no advanced ticketing. Entrances are at Damen and Roscoe, or Oakley and Roscoe.

Andrae says she is excited for the event, and that so are there rest of her neighbors.

“People love the music… it is fun…it’s kind of crazy out there.”

July 28, 2009 - WCRX, 88.1 FM, Columbia College Chicago’s radio station has received the Gold World Medal in the student station awards category from New York Festivals. The 52-year-old international competition recognizes excellence in Radio and Television in the areas of programming and promotion. Entries are judged by industry professionals from 25 countries.

“This award is a testament to the quality of work developed and produced by our talented students,” said Cheryl Morton-Langston, long-time director of WCRX. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition.”

For its winning 2009 entry, WCRX submitted a 30-minute audio montage of public service announcements and programming that included live presidential election night coverage, the station’s multi-platform public service broadcast promoting Green initiatives, and broadcast of the “Holly Jolly Trolley” annual fundraiser for Greater Chicago Food Depository. Earlier this year the station also won 2009 Communicator Awards in two categories for the Holly Jolly Trolley broadcast. Over the years, WCRX has won nearly 80 national and international awards.

“While we are in a period of rapid change for all media, the climate for radio broadcasting and audio media is excellent,” said Barbara Calabrese, chair of Columbia’s Radio Department. “Radio now encompasses terrestrial stations as well as satellite and limitless internet opportunities. Audio and radio podcasting are being used as marketing and communications tools by numerous industries. Highly trained employees with a vision for the future are in demand, and higher education is a must in order to gain access to the most creative and lucrative job opportunities. As this prestigious recognition demonstrates, Columbia students can meet the challenge – meeting the needs of both the public and private sectors in creative programming and public service.”

Columbia has long ties to Chicago’s dynamic radio scene and the program has always emphasized hiring working professionals to teach the next generation of radio talent. Just some of the household names currently teaching in the department are: Terri Hemmert, Dave Berner and Cheryl Raye-Stout. In keeping with the Columbia hands-on, minds-on approach to professional undergraduate education, all Radio majors get a spot on WCRX. “The station,” emphasizes Calabrese, “is fully integrated with the department’s curriculum.”

Cheryl Morton-Langston, director of WCRX, notes that the station needs news anchors and UIC play-by-play sports announcer for the fall. They will debut a news magazine program in the NPR-style feature reporting that will be looking for reporters and contributors, as well. Generally, you must be a student at Columbia College Chicago to work for WCRX. You can get more information from the Radio Department at Columbia College Chicago.

Chicago Cultural Center
FREE! (Reservations required)

Tuesday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 1  at 3 p.m. FREE ENCORE PERFORMANCE in Millennium Park on Monday, August 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Handel‘s most popular dramatic work, Acis & Galatea offers a feast of melodic music and an escape into a mythological world. Directed by Joanie Schultz, the fully costumed and staged opera will be performed in English in the jewel-like setting of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall, with an encore performance in Millennium Park. Francesco Milioto directs the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago.

Admission is FREE but tickets are required for Chicago Cultural Center performances. Starting Wednesday, July 8 at noon, tickets can be obtained in person at the Storefront Theater Box Office, 66 E Randolph Street, 312.742.TIXS (8497). Limit four per person.

Click here for more information.

11th Annual Summer Opera: Acis & Galatea | DCA Theater – Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs.

Ms. Koko Taylor in 2009

Fernando Jones, a self-taught blues musician, grew up to be a blues scholar and professor at Columbia College Chicago.  He was half  Taylor’s age, but Jones was captivated by the blues in a time when many African-Americans his age considered the blues old-fashioned.  For Fernando Jones, the Blues is ” a perpetual courtship of freedom.”

Fernando Jones, Dir. Columbia College Blues Ensemble

When Jones started what he calls “Blues College” at Columbia four years ago, he says “Koko Taylor, and her daughter Cookie were the first people from the Blues community to endorse and fully support The Columbia College Blues Ensemble.” Koko Taylor and Cookie were instrumental in creating and supporting a free annual music business symposium at Columbia, too.  Music students, whom Jones calls his “kids” often performed for “Ms. KoKo,” as Fernando Jones refers to the late Queen of Blues, and had opportunities to pay tribute to her accomplishments as a woman and musician. As director of the Blues Ensemble, Jones calls this “giving us our flowers while we are still alive.” The Blues Ensemble has a set at this year’s Blues Festival, and they will continue their tribute to Koko Taylor with their music.

Blues Ensemble, Blues Fest 2009

“Ms. KoKo” made unscheduled visits to Jones’ classroom several times each academic school year. In addition to classes for music students, Jones teaches a “History of the Blues” class.

“Even the few of my Blues history students that didn’t know her, knew she was someone of importance upon first glance; most of them couldn’t believe their eyes when the big voiced Queen of the Blues entered our room and sat with them,” he said.

According to Jones, winner of the “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” for education in 2008, “We truly lost an American ambassador to the world. Not just a Blueswoman, but a humanitarian, spiritual philanthropist, a champion of education. A champion of education even though she, like so many southerners born in the ’20s, didn’t have the opportunity to partake formally.”

Fernando Jones hopes to honor Koko Taylor by setting up a scholarship for students in the music department that demonstrate interest and excellence in Blues pedagogics. You can Jones or contact him at Columbia College Chicago, Music Department, 1014 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.  60605.  Call 773-841-5262 for more information about the scholarship effort.

Koko Taylor’s Wake/Visitation will be Thursday, June 11, 2009 from 4 – 9 p.m. at Rainbow Push Coalition National Headquarters, 930 East 50th Street (at Drexel).  Funeral services are June 12th.

Listen to Fernando Jones and more.

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 The 80-year-old singer was admitted to the hospital about two weeks ago to correct gastrointestinal bleeding.

She is survived by her husband, daughter and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Funeral arrangements are pending.

May 7, 2009 – Brendan Telzrow is a publicist at Biz 3, one of the two major music publicity companies in the Chicago area. He’s a quiet guy-sort of the quintessential man behind the scenes.

But through his job at Biz 3, Telzrow has met and traveled with some of the biggest acts in the independent music scene. Biz 3 now handles Daft Punk, The Cool Kids, Asher Roth, Flosstradamus and Atmosphere as well as other artists.

Telzrow, 25, joined the company soon after it was started out of the apartment of Kathryn Frazer, CEO and owner of Biz 3, in Wicker Park.

Wearing an old button-up shirt with a dark undershirt, Telzrow walked into Rodan, a bar in Wicker Park, one recent day. He flopped down into a chair and let out deep sigh. “Man, what a day,” he said.

Telzrow sports very short hair; in fact, any shorter and he would be bald. He’s of medium height and his beard is just to the stage where it’s grown in, but he doesn’t need to start taking care of it. He nervously glanced at a reporters notebook during a recent interview. It isn’t until after drinking a beer that he started to loosen up.

Telzrow is originally from St. Paul, Minn., and said he always had music in his life while growing up. Neither of his parents were musicians, but he grew up listening to all different types of music. “There was always music being played in the house, so I did grow up with some good influences,” he said.

Telzrow moved to Chicago six years ago to attend Columbia College. He wanted to earn a degree in music composition. But like his parents, Telzrow wasn’t at all musical; he only played guitar at the time and hasn’t played in years, he said.

“Now the only thing I really do musically is DJ part time,” Telzrow said. But while trying to earn his degree, Telzrow got sidetracked by the other aspects of college life. “Things got complicated and I got distracted, so to speak,” he said, finishing the last sentence with a childish grin like he just caught spoiling his dinner.

Telzrow then decided to move in with a friend of his named “Johnny Love,” who was promoting parties at the time. The duo moved into a loft right off the Damen Blue Line stop on the Northwest Side of Chicago in Wicker Park.

“That didn’t last for long though; after a few parties our landlord had to evict us,” he said laughing. “And the next landlord kind of had it out for us, so the second we had anything close to a party he evicted us as well. Ah, fun times.”

His eyes lit up by the nostalgia. He stopped for a second to reflect and quietly chuckled to himself.

By throwing parties, Telzrow met Frazer, who asked him to host a party sponsored by Biz 3 and Puma. He then began an internship at Biz 3 and worked his way up through the ranks to be a publicist.

Telzrow explained the job of a publicist. “I sit at my computer and communicate with people like you all day long. Being a publicist just requires you to be flexible to work long hours and be really organized.”

Telzrow said he sits down at his computer around 9 a.m. and starts pounding out e-mails and making phone calls with bloggers, reporters, managers and artists themselves, with the sheer intention of getting an artist’s name out there for someone to see or hear.

And the traveling?

“Depends, but I usually get to travel three to five times per year. Regularly go to CMJ, SXSW, Coachella” Telzrow said, all of which are major music festivals for the independent music scene. “And random press trips to NYC or LA if the situation arise,” he added.

He is happy with his salary.

“I mean I didn’t roll up here in a Mercedes Benz or something, but I am at a place where I am making more money than I ever have before, and I am pretty comfortable,” he said.

Giselle Wasfie, a former editor at the popular independent music magazine URB, has worked closely with Telzrow and Biz 3. “I know the founder, Kathryn (Frazer) doesn’t take on any artists she isn’t personally passionate about and I respect that to the fullest,” said Wasfie.

Wasfie recalled hitting it off with Telzrow the first time they met. “I first met Brendan at a show here in Chicago last winter. I kind of felt like I already knew him because we’d worked together so much via e-mail and over the phone. Then he started buying me drinks and I liked him even more,” said Wasfie.

And when it comes to the bigger issues, like the recession and the struggling music industry, it doesn’t seem like anything is really bugging Telzrow. In fact the struggling economy has only helped his business, he said.

“Before, all the major labels had an in-house publicist work with their artist. Now they’re getting rid of those departments and hiring us for specific artists or bands, which is nice because now we are able to work with more well-known artists,” according to Telzrow.

Telzrow has considered moving to either New York or Los Angeles, the music industry’s two major locations. “My whole life I have lived in the places that have rough winters,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind living somewhere where it is warmer all the time.”

On a more serious note he said Chicago has the right mix of “big city in the Midwest.” “There are so many great artists and venues here in Chicago, you really get a good variety here,” Telzrow said.

Telzrow said he is unsure about his plans for the future. He has thought about going back to school to get a degree, but not anytime soon.

“I don’t think I will be a publicist forever, but for right now I am really happy with what I am doing and that’s all that matters to me.”

Seven laptopists will be performing — each with a laptop and custom designed hemispherical speaker that emulates the way traditional orchestral instruments cast their sound in space. Wireless networking and video augment the role of the conductor. Here is a link to information about the event. There will also be a demonstration at which the public can interact wit the instruments — this will be at the Palmer House Hilton in the Loop from 1:30-4p.m on Friday.

Founded in 2005, this new ensemble is the first and size of its kind. It is part of a project at Princeton University that is exploring ways in which the computer can be integrated into conventional music-making. It received funding from MacArthur through its digital media and learning competition, which supports innovative uses of digital media for learning.

Did you like V for Vendetta?

Maybe its time for you to try opera. Chicago Opera Vanguardthinks that a punk opera during an economic recession can be financed in part by graffiti. Virtual graffiti, that is. Visiting www.chicagovanguard.org (COV) their “wall” let’s anyone become an opera patron – and defile an opera set at the same time.

For one dollar, you can purchase a 4×4 pixel on the virtual wall. Each pixel can be filled with any uploadable image. And every image on the wall will be incorporated into the final backdrop and video display of the opera’s production. Plus, every dollar contributed to Chicago Opera Vanguard’s production of GREEK buys a chance to win an exclusive VIP opening night package, including hotel, dinner and admission to the production.

What is this punk opera? Called Greek, it was composed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mead Composer in Residence Mark-Anthony Turnage. Employing the daring aesthetic of an off-Loop theater, Chicago Opera Vanguard is the Mid-West’s foremost home for engaging theater with music by completely re-imagining operatic favorites.

GREEK sets the ancient Oedipus myth in the economically depressed Britain of the 1980’s, where becoming a violent punk is a working class kid’s means of survival. Thatcher’s London is afflicted by a plague of racism, violence and mass unemployment. The city is overrun with violent policemen, old drunks and football hooligans. Based on Steven Berkoff’s play by the same title, GREEK was an immediate success at its 1988 Munich Biennale premiere.

Mark-Anthony Turnage is among the most relevant and innovative creators of concert music today. His orchestral and operatic music is often forthright and confrontational, unafraid to mirror the realities of modern life, yet its energy is exhilarating. Turnage is currently Mead Composer in Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Much of Turnage’s music is recorded on Decca, Chandos and Black Box. Recently, Turnage was tapped to compose the music for an opera detailing the life of Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith.
See GREEK at:

• 8PM Tuesday May 26 [preview]
• Thursday May 28
• Saturday May 30,
• Wednesday June 3
• Friday June 5
• Saturday June 6

AV-Aerie, 2000 W. Fulton St. Admission is by reservation only.
Suggested General Admission is a donation of $35 Wednesday & Thursday; $40 Friday & Saturday; $20 preview. Suggested Student Admission is a donation of $10 Thursday & Sunday; $15 Friday & Saturday; $5 preview. Tickets are available online at www.chicagovanguard.org.

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• Anna Nicole Smith, the opera (guardian.co.uk)

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Lucia A. Crespo

11/8/08

Lyrics

            Hip-hop listener Adrien Acevedo likes the new trend in lyrics toward less tough talk and more positive images of real life. “It’s not all about sex or money, but about dreams that people want to accomplish,” Acevedo said. 

            Hip-hop music is a key to the artist’s soul because he speaks the truth through his music, said Acevedo, 21.  “Hip-hop music is more of a lifestyle because it’s real-life situations and explains how one lives their life,” he said.

            Like Acevedo, many fans are reacting positively to changes in hip-hop lyrics, which are becoming less controversial and more tame. Gone are the derogatory references to women and sexuality, as well as the violence-laced themes of the past.  Hip-hop songs also are less focused on materialism and hip-hop artists are not so prone to attack each other in their music.

          Instead, hip-hop focuses on dreams and hardships people face. Songs now recall what the artist is going through and how people can relate to their problems.

           While rap and hip-hop may be changing, the transition has not helped overall sales. 

            The New York Times reported last year that music sales are down all over, but hip-hop has been hit particularly hard. Rap sales fell 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and that trend seems to be continuing, the newspaper said.

          Meanwhile, two well-known hip-hop artists, Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West, have tamed their lyrics. 

           Many < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” ?>Chicago listeners applaud the transition.

            Naydeen Rodriguez, 18, is a senior at Prosser Academy High School on the Northwest side. “Hip-hop is freedom of expression through music and now they’re throwing more of an R & B tone to add softness to it,” Rodriguez said.

         She said the changes in the lyrics are positive because the songs focus on real-life situations.  “Fiasco raps about the city that he lives in and how fame gets to people. Kanye West has always been a rapper to speak his mind in a good way, and raps about his mother who passed away,” she said. “It’s not about which rapper is better; it’s about how they want to spread to others how they feel.”

     Rodriguez said artists are amazing the changes because they’re tired of the same old lyrics and thuggish beat.

      Naythen Camacho, 15, a sophomore at Lake View High School, said he likes hip-hop music that he can relate to or that he can simply enjoy with no controversy. He believes people are always looking for something new to hear in hip-hop music.

      “The lyrics are better than what they used to be. This is good for selling the music because people will appreciate it more and will want to buy it,” Camacho said.  He also likes rappers West, Fiasco and Common. 

            Acevedo said the new hip-hop is easier for people to listen to, especially among younger listeners.  Many kids listen to the radio and feel more inspired by the upbeat lyrics, he said.

            Producers work with artists to help them generate beats for their music.  A producer, Eric Murphy, 19, is a student at Columbia College and said he agrees with fans that lyrics are changing. Murphy hopes to become a producer but is studying music at Columbia.  Murphy said that he wants to learn more about the business side to music.

            Murphy is also an intern at Pressure Point Recording Studio at Michigan and 2^nd streets.

            “I agree that there are changes in the lyrics but it also depends on the artist. Some are switching it up and some don’t care and do it just for the money,” Murphy said. “I think hip-hop changes a lot but, me personally, I don’t work with artists who degrade women.”

            Murphy said the changes are good for artists because now it’s about making a name for yourself. 

            “I don’t think people will necessarily buy hip-hop music because it doesn’t have anything to do with sales at all.  Internet downloads are messing up the music industry and it hurts the artist because they are not making money or everyone else involved in the project,” he said. 

Categories:
New Story Music

Music & More

The Festival theme, Nuah Woo, is from the Kpelle language of Liberia and translates as, Voice of the Community. This year marks the 19th year of this festival, which includes music, spoken word, poetry, a market with goods from all over what is the called the African Diaspora community. The festival aims to see people of the Diaspora become part of the culture and the larger scheme of society, while maintaining and celebrating all their unique contributions.

Produced by Africa International House , Inc. the African Festival of the Arts is the only one of its kind in the city. Whether you want to expand your collection of African fine art or purchase your first original art piece, there are artists and artistry for you. If you are just looking to be out and about, this is a fine way to learn about and celebrate African culture and traditions cultivated throughout the African Diaspora.

Explore the Festival grounds at renowned Washington Park , wander through the virtual African village, with pavilions featuring interactive experiences with artists and artisans sharing their gifts and talents.There will be community forums and village meetings to discuss social and cultural issues. Check out the three stages,

The Festival also highlights a virtual marketplace of over 300 vendors selling their wares. Shoppers will discover amazing treasures including fine sculpture; beaded furniture; jewelry and gem stones; fashions; health and skin care products; hand woven fabrics and textiles; museum-quality African art; original fine art and more. The cultural specific pavilions present educational, engaging and entertaining programs. Much like a bona fide African marketplace, the savvy shopper always negotiates until the price is right!

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/40898

The Family of Maxwell Street

The Music of Maxwell Street

The History of Maxwell Street Market

The big blue van at the edge of the market on Canal and Roosevelt Road constantly has blues and jazz sounds coming from it and the long-time vendor sells vintage CDs and records he has acquired over his lifetime. These sounds are some of the market’s distinct qualities since its beginning in 1912. Learn more about Maxwell Street‘s history and distinctive music in Rebecca Michuda’s multi-part series about Maxwell Street’s Little Violinist

The school was unique in the sense that classes were held in groups as opposed to individual classes so that students of all levels could learn from one another and develop a sense of community. That sense of community has always held the Old Town School of Folk Music together, even through its darkest days in the late ‘70s when the school was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, the school is stronger than ever with 6,000 students attending classes each week in music, dance and art.

The Old Town School attracts students from all walks of life, everyone from investment bankers to stay-at-home moms. For the past 50 years, the school has drawn on this diversity to infuse its philosophy that both students and teachers can learn from each other. The students in each class are at various skill levels which allows them to give advice and encourage each other.

“Unlike many other schools, it doesn’t have an elitist attitude,” said Executive Director Bau Graves. “Regardless of your level you can participate. It’s not competitive; people come here because they enjoy being here.”

The Old Town School of Folk Music also holds events such as the annual Chicago Folk and Roots Festival and the weekly series Afrofolk and La Pena which showcases African and Latin folk music. Such events allow those outside of the school to experience and cultivate an interest in folk music.

“We’ve definitely cornered the market on being the hip family thing to do,” said Concerts and Special Events Director Colleen Miller. “The [Chicago Folk and Roots Festival] has something for everyone – really, for all walks of life.”

The school has always had a tradition of holding events for the community. The school’s opening night on Dec.1, 1957 was a sensation and Stracker declared the school to be “America’s first permanent school for the study of folk music and folk instruments,” according to the school’s Web site.

The school’s enrollment grew through the 1960′s and peaked in 1975 with 650 students, but after that, the popularity of folk music diminished – coupled with a recession and oil crisis the school was in financial jeopardy.

When Executive Director Ray Tate resigned in 1982, the board of directors decided to take a risk with a young guitar teacher at the school’s Evanston branch. Jim Hirsh readily admitted that he was an unorthodox choice; he did not have a degree in arts administration or experience in non – profit management. But what he may have lacked in credentials, he made up in ambition.

Under Hirsh’s guidance the school began offering specialized classes in song writing and dance, reconnecting with former instructors, and broadening its scope of the genre to include global traditions.

In 1987 the school was awarded the Beatrice Foundation Award for Excellence.

The school has a children’s outreach program that was created about 25 years ago. It sponsors school assemblies that increase awareness of different types of folk music, said Graves.

The Old Town School of Folk Music has two Chicago locations at 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. and 909 Armitage Ave.