Civitas Ensemble to Perform Concert with Czech Group The Gipsy Way Ensemble on May 21

Civitas Ensemble is pleased to announce that they will be collaborating with Pavel Šporcl, a world-renowned violinist from the Czech Republic, and his group, the Gipsy Way Ensem­ble, in a musical performance that will combat stereotypes about the Romani (also known as gypsy) culture. The concert will be held on May 21 at 3 p.m. at the Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St. Early bird tickets are $20 through May 1 and $30 from May 2 through May 21. Student tickets are free with a valid ID.

The project’s goal is to highlight the richness of the Romani culture, and has major support from the MacArthur Foundation.

“The term of ‘gypsy’ has so much stigma in our society, but the Romani culture has so much to offer, especially with regard to music,” said Yuan-Qing Yu, Civitas’ violinist. “My hope with this project is to demystify the word ‘gypsy’ and make audiences more aware of the positive aspects of Romani culture.”

The project began in January when Civitas performed with the Gipsy Way Ensemble at the Czech Touches of Music Inter­na­tional Music Fes­ti­val in Prague, where they played two world premieres by Czech composer Lukáš Som­mer, as well as several classical pieces that were originally inspired by Romani culture and were adapted to include instruments from both groups.

Now, the Gipsy Way Ensemble will be traveling to Chicago, where both groups will perform the same music for an American audience. The classical pieces they will perform include:

• Johannes Brahms, “Rondo alla Zingarese” and “Hungarian Dance”
• Jeno Hubay, “Hullámzo Balaton”
• Pablo de Sarasate, “Zigeunerweisen”
• David Popper, “Hungarian Rhapsody for Violincello and Piano”
• Fritz Kreisler, “Ziguenen Capricio”
• George Enescu, “Romanian Rhapsody”
• Pavel Šporcl, “Gypsy Fire"
• Lukáš Sommer, "Cikanska Odyssea" (premiered in Prague on Jan. 4th by Civitas and Gipsy Way), and another World Premier

Yu said she came up with the idea for the partnership when Šporcl — whom she had first met at Southern Methodist University more than 20 years ago — came to visit Chicago two years ago.

“This collaboration gives us a chance to connect with a culture that we as classical musicians don’t usually encounter,” Yu said.

In addition to the live performances, Civitas and the Gipsy Way Ensemble are collaborating on recording an album of Romani-inspired music, and they are filming a documentary about the entire project, which is planned for release some time in 2018.

It is estimated that there are more than 1 million Romani people in the United States, and Yu said she hopes this project will help break down stereotypes about this ethnic group. “I hope this project makes classical music fans in Chicago realize that gypsy music can be just as beautiful and highly regarded as traditional classical pieces,” she said.

Civitas is comprised of four artists, three of whom are members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — Yu; Kenneth Olsen, assistant principal cello; and J. Lawrie Bloom, clarinet and bass clarinet. The fourth member is Winston Choi, head of the Piano Department at Roosevelt University’s College of the Performing Arts.

CIVITAS ENSEMBLE SPRING CONCERT

When: May 21, 3 p.m.

Where: Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St., Chicago, IL 60607

Tickets: Early bird tickets are $20 through May 1, regular tickets $30. Students are free with valid ID.

Info: 773-231-7740
Purchase tickets here

CIVITAS ENSEMBLE MISSION

Civ­i­tas is a cham­ber music ensem­ble with a three­fold mis­sion: to present engag­ing live per­for­mances of new and tra­di­tional works; to inspire a young gen­er­a­tion of clas­si­cal musi­cians; and to bring the heal­ing power of music to those with lim­ited access to live performances.

ABOUT CIVITAS ENSEMBLE

Civitas Ensemble was founded by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2011. The ensemble presents repertoire spanning four centuries of music history and also nurtures relationships with living composers to introduce audiences to exciting new works.

Civitas has performed at various venues, including the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and with Yo-Yo Ma at the 2012 Chicago Humanities Festival. The group’s performance on WFMT was selected by the station as the one of the “Best of Live Broadcasts in 2012,” and the ensemble has received rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Classical Review, and Chicago on the Aisle.

Civitas Ensemble is the recipient of grants from the Driehaus Foundation MacArthur Arts Fund, the Albert Pick Jr. Fund, the Leslie Fund, the Dolores Kohl Educational Fund, The Sage Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Illinois Arts Council, and is supported by Judith and Scott McCue and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.