FIREworks! Chicago

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Each issue of FIREworks! features a profile of members of our generous Chicago Friends community. We are grateful for the support of our friends in Chicago – thank you!

Jim and Rita Sheinin were among the first supporters of Apollo’s Fire in Chicago and have been instrumental in making the first three years a resounding success, providing both generous financial support and “spreading the fire” in Evanston and in Chicago.

Jim and Rita are beloved members of our Apollo’s Fire Chicago community, and Jim is a Founding Member of the Board of Apollo’s Fire Chicago. Jim is a retired endocrinologist and lifelong music lover. Jim and Rita have been subscribers to the Chicago Symphony for more than 50 years and have attended concerts by Europe’s finest orchestras. Jim was a Member of the Junior Governing Board of the Chicago Symphony and the Board of Directors of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, and he has been a Governing Member of the Chicago Symphony for the last 11 years. He was once told by a prominent pianist and patient: “Rubinstein’s doctor turned pages for him. You can turn pages for me.” Jim’s page-turning repertoire extended from Mozart to Dvorak. He also has co-coordinated nine music study groups at the Northwestern Osher Lifelong Learning Institute including such subjects as Chamber Music Masterpieces for Larger Ensembles, Jewish Composers of the Last 100 Years, What Makes Mozart Great?, Stephen Sondheim, Gustav Mahler, and Cole Porter.

Rita, like Jim, is a lifelong music lover, having heard her first opera at age 12. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She served on the Women’s Board of the CSO and as a docent for the CSO. She also has brought programs to their senior living facility that use music – especially song – to provide cognitive stimulation, particularly for those with memory loss.

We asked Jim and Rita to tell us what they love about Apollo’s Fire, and why.

How did you come across Apollo’s Fire and what caught your attention?

Jim: “I volunteered to make presentations on Sephardic music in a study group on Renaissance Spain and on music of Salomone Rossi in a study group on Renaissance and Baroque Italy. It was there that I first encountered Apollo’s Fire, and I used their YouTubes and CDs in my presentations. When I heard that Apollo’s Fire was going to be giving a program at Northwestern in March 2020 (this was O Jerusalem!), I attended, and I was smitten.” In addition to O Jerusalem! Jim and Rita were especially impressed by the performance of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610. They are looking forward to the performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor next spring.

What is distinctive and special about Apollo’s Fire?

Rita: “It all starts with Jeannette… She is the heartbeat and creative center of AF. AF plays with enthusiasm and, yes, passion. They create narratives reflecting the Baroque and other periods in their cultural/historical context. They focus on various countries and choose fresh and unfamiliar music in addition to known classics.”

Jim: “AF has garnered national and international acclaim, not only as performers of major works from the Baroque and Classical repertoire, but also as creators and performers of unique multicultural programs. Their musicianship is remarkable and their exuberance is infectious. They are a joy watch as well as to hear.”

What do you think Apollo’s Fire can add to the already thriving Chicago area music scene?

Rita: “They offer a new and fresh take on old but wonderful music, especially in crossover programs.”

Jim: “There is nothing like AF in the Chicago area.”

Any final thoughts?

Jim: “Our hope is for Apollo’s Fire to further expand its Chicago area presence, both by increasing the number of its programs and by performing in new areas such as Hyde Park and the western suburbs.”

Rita: “GO! See and hear for yourself!”

 

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We have two new downtown Chicago venues this season, on the same block. St. James Cathedral and the Murphy Auditorium of the Driehaus Museum are in the Cathedral District of the Magnificent Mile neighborhood. In addition to architectural beauty and acoustical excellence, they both boast several paid parking garages nearby and a wide range of restaurants within easy walking distance.

St. James Episcopal Cathedral is a serene oasis with its front doors on North Wabash, just around the corner from its official address of 65 East Huron. St. James is well known in Chicago’s classical music world for hosting the long-running summer Rush Hour Concert Series heard on WFMT. With ringing acoustics and seating for 400, the sanctuary’s vaulted ceiling provides an inspiring concert venue for our period-instrument music. This historic church, in which Abraham Lincoln once worshiped, was mostly destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. However, the famed bell tower, whose bells rang out warnings on that night, did survive and you can still observe the soot-covered stones near its top. The current striking stone structure was quickly rebuilt by 1875 and has undergone interior restoration of its Arts and Crafts Gothic Revival design. St. James will be the site of our Brandenburg Concertos program in October, as well as our storytelling version of Handel’s Messiah in December, and Bach’s magnificent B Minor Mass in April.

Taking up the southern half of that same block of Wabash is the Driehaus Museum, the well-known sumptuous restored Gilded Age mansion, museum, and art gallery. Built at great cost in 1879, shortly after the Great Fire, this grand house billed itself as fireproof, inside and out. But less well known is the tall, columned temple is that sits right next to the Driehaus Museum on East Erie Street. This imposing building, the Murphy Auditorium, was for years home to the American College of Surgeons. Recently acquired by the Driehaus Museum, it has been renovated into the stunning venue that it is today. Features include a pair of unusual cast bronze front doors produced by Tiffany Studios. There is rich wood paneling throughout, as well as large stained glass windows. The acoustics are perfect for our ensemble and there are excellent sight lines, especially from the balcony. Our program of double concerti and feisty love songs will be presented on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14 at 7:30. Here’s a “sweet” idea for a romantic date night: Tour the museum in the afternoon, take a dinner break nearby, and then join us for pink prosecco or sparkling water during the concert (yes, during!) and heart-shaped sugar cookies to take home after. Or enjoy them in the lobby and stay to meet the musicians and your fellow AF fans.

Apollo’s Fire is committed to exploring exciting venues as it settles into its second home in the Chicago area. We have recently performed in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston and the stunning Alice Millar Chapel at Northwestern. Rounded out by this year’s offerings at Ravinia and in Winnetka to the north, and with plans to start our local family concert series to the south and west, we are creating ways to bring period-instrument Baroque and multicultural music to a wide audience and a beautiful venue near you.

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Now in its fourth year, our “Side by Side” string instrument instruction program has expanded to include not only elementary and high school, but middle school students as well. In partnership with Dr. Blondean Davis, superintendent of the Matteson, Illinois, School District 162 (and an AF Chicago board member), this expansion provides continuity and building of musical mastery in a predominantly Black suburb southwest of Chicago. The students performed at the district-wide end-of-year concert on May 8, the culmination of their year of study. Many went on to participate in our new intensive summer camp. Apollo’s Fire provides eight teaching artists, four to five days a week during the school year, instructing 60 students in a special curriculum that artistic director Jeannette Sorrell has designed just for them.

The Side-by-Side program is modeled on the famous orchestra of orphan girls led by composer Antonio Vivaldi in 18th century Venice. Teaching artists play side-by-side with the students, providing a superior and collegial form of training. Teachers and students become a musical family, learning important skills including collaboration, empathic listening, focus, and discipline.

Our program is further inspired by El Sistema, the teaching method of the acclaimed National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela. Famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel was himself trained using this method. El Sistema’s core principles include ensemble-based learning from the beginning; early, frequent, and intensive instruction; peer teaching; and a commitment to keeping the fun in musical learning.

The young music students’ joy of mastery is apparent when they play, as they do before some of our regular season concerts. Advanced students were featured in pre-concert performances of Messiah (in 2022 in Evanston) and the 2023 Nights in Venice concert at the Art Institute downtown. One young scholar, now a college student at Yale, performed a stunning duet with her Apollo’s Fire teacher and addressed the audience about the importance of a music education.

In a separate outreach this past spring, musicians from our ¡Hispania! program provided a free all-school educational program at the dual-language St. Procopius elementary school in Chicago. Students learned about violins, guitars, and storytelling in song while connecting with their own musical culture. Performers in this engaging and enriching program were Puerto Rican vocalist and Chicago native Sophia Burgos, flamenco guitarist Jeremìas Garcia, and Apollo’s Fire’s lead violinist Emi Tanabe. The students were entranced.

With your support, we can continue to expand both kinds of educational outreach—long-term string instruction programs and shorter-term interactive assemblies in local schools, some of which may lack the resources to provide these opportunities on their own. We look forward to continuing our partnership with, and support of, existing community resources in our efforts to bring the joy of music to children and families throughout the Chicago area.

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Every performing arts group needs its stalwart supporters, and we have the Chicago Friends of Apollo’s Fire. Formed in 2021 under the direction of former music school dean Dr Judy Bundra, the group continues to grow. And because of the Friends’ generosity, Apollo’s Fire’s presence in Chicago continues to grow.

Soirees. Each year we invite our special donors ($100 and above) to experience a more personalized evening with our musicians in a more intimate setting—what we call our “house concerts.” This summer saw spirited performances in Evanston and downtown Chicago at the homes of some of our board members. Besides being extraordinarily close to the musicians, attendees enjoyed tasty refreshments and the opportunity to engage with others who support AF. We’d love to see you at our next event.

Private receptions. Despite the threat of rain (which held off!), August 15th was a lovely evening to gather on the fabled lawn at Ravinia with musicians and other donors before AF’s concert “The Four Seasons Revisited.” We were able to socialize before the concert with some bubbly—alcoholic or non. We toasted the start of the fourth season in the greater Chicago area and the new Friends we’ve made.

A small gift. Have you picked up your Apollo’s Fire sunburst pin yet? It’s available at the ticketing table at upcoming concerts for members of the Chicago Friends. By making a donation of at least $100 this year, you will join the Chicago Friends of AF. Benefits include not only helping ensure the continued presence of these extraordinary musicians in the Chicago area, but also personal invitations to special events and this attractive pin. Pick yours up and wear it at the next concert so we’ll be able to thank you in person.