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Holtschneider Performance Center

Bach in the City’s season opens with “Fantasticus: Bach and Before,” a chamber concert devoted to works composed in the free-wheeling, improvisational “Stylus Fantasticus” Baroque style that predated J. S. Bach. The program includes music by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Rosenmüller, Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Pachelbel, and J. S. Bach himself, the “youngest” composer in the group.
Bach in the City’s co-music director Jason Moy has mapped out a “Fantasticus” voyage.
In a program note, Moy cites 17th-century music theorist Athanasius Kircher’s description of Stylus Fantasticus as “the most free and unrestrained method of composing … instituted to display genius and to teach the hidden design of harmony and the ingenious composition of harmonic phrases and fugues.”
Moy invites listeners to savor this middle-Baroque period style “through the imaginative and virtuosic works” of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Rosenmüller, Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Pachelbel, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
A highlight will be a rare performance of Pachelbel’s ubiquitous, widely beloved Canon in D Major in its original version for just three violins and continuo (Baroque rhythm section), along with Pachelbel’s oft-neglected Gigue in D Major, a playful, energetic dance piece with which the Canon was originally paired by the composer.
“Some have referred to the Gigue as the ‘B-side’ of the pairing,” Moy says. “But the B-side of a recording sometimes turns out to be the hit song.”
Biber wrote some of the most notoriously difficult, complex violin music of the Baroque era. The concert includes Biber’s Sonata violino solo representativa and Sonata à 6 in C Major, in which the trumpet also gets opportunities to shine.
Violin and viola da gamba are prominent in Buxtehude’s austere, elegant Sonata in A Minor, BuxWV 272, which illustrates the composer’s masterful use of “basso ostinato,” a repeating bass line.
Rosenmüller’s Sonata Decima à 5 in F Major blends strict German Baroque counterpoint with the lyrical, theatrical virtuosity of the Italian Renaissance operas the composer heard during his sojourn in Venice.
Johann Christoph Bach’s masterwork, his deeply moving Lament “Ach, dass ich Wassers gnug hätte” (Oh, if only I had enough tears) for alto soloist, is a profound expression of repentance. He was the older cousin of J. S. Bach, who referred to him as “the profound composer.”
The program, directed by Moy, closes with J. S. Bach’s
uplifting sacred cantata “Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen” (Exult in God in all lands), BWV 51, featuring soprano and trumpet solos.
Soloists are soprano Hannah De Priest, countertenor Ryan Belongie, violinist Amelia Sie, and trumpeter Ryan Berndt.This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
Tickets and information
Single tickets are $45 for VIP admission, which includes reserved seating; $30 adult general admission; $25 seniors 65 and older; $10 students.
Tickets and information are available at <a href="https://www.bachinthecity.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">bachinthecity.org</a> and by phone, 312-273-9834.

Local Event: Bach in the City's 'Fantasticus: Bach and Before'

Bach in the City's 'Fantasticus: Bach and Before'

Bach in the City’s season opens with “Fantasticus: Bach and Before,” a chamber concert devoted to works composed in the...

Fourth Presbyterian Church

Camerata Chicago, led by the chamber orchestra's founder and music director Drostan Hall, opens its 23rd concert season with a program featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s music for William Shakespeare’s <a href="https://www.cameratachicago.org/category/concert-series/2026-10-midsummer/?utm_source=patch&amp;utm_medium=event_calendar&amp;utm_campaign=2627_midsummer&amp;utm_content=season_listing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”</a> Op. 61; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds in E-flat Major, K. 297b; and the world premiere of Chicago-area composer Tony Payne’s “Fantasy on English Melodies,” commissioned by Camerata Chicago. All three are new to Camerata Chicago’s repertoire.
Mendelssohn’s music for Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Opus 61, comprises the overture Mendelssohn wrote as teenager and the incidental music he composed nearly two decades later.
The work includes the resplendent “Wedding March,” one of the most famous pieces of classical music, traditionally heard at the conclusion of the ceremony as the newlywed couple walks out in joyous celebration.
Hall, who was born in Norwich, England, and retains his “plummy” British accent, will narrate excerpts from the play, set in an enchanted forest, as well as conduct Mendelssohn’s witty and colorful, atmospheric score conjuring bird songs, buzzing insects, rustling leaves, and rippling creeks.
Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds in E-flat major, K. 297b, is a charming and melodious three-movement orchestral work. The soloists are four of Camerata Chicago’s principal players: Grace Hong, oboe; Elizandro Garcia Montoya, clarinet; Vincent Karamanov, bassoon; and Lee Shirer, horn.
“We are thrilled to feature our superb principal wind players for the first time with the programming of this marvelous concerto,” Hall says.
“Audiences who are used to hearing the Mendelssohn and Mozart played by a symphony orchestra can savor these more intimately scaled performances for the musical detail they reveal,” Hall says.
“Both are examples of works that were originally written for orchestras the size of Camerata Chicago,” he says, “as were many other important works in the classical repertoire we feature.”
Camerata Chicago, Hall says, “is about chamber-music intimacy on a larger stage.”
Hall describes Payne’s ““Fantasy on English Melodies” as “beautifully cast in the mold of Ralph Vaughan Williams, who turned English folk tunes into wonderful, spiritually uplifting compositions.” 
The “Fantasy,” which Payne dedicated to Hall, includes the folk ballad “Lovely Joan,” a tribute to Hall’s late mother, Joan.
Tickets and information
Single tickets are $50 adults, $40 seniors 65 and over, $10 students, $2 children 14 and under. VIP tickets are $75.
Using online code CCPR provides a 15% discount.
Tickets and information are available at CamerataChicago.org and by phone 312-799-0916. Email: andiamo@cameratachicago.org.

Local Event: Camerata Chicago — Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Camerata Chicago — Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer...

Camerata Chicago, led by the chamber orchestra's founder and music director Drostan Hall, opens its 23rd concert season with a...

Camerata Chicago — Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

1521 S. Linn White Dr., Northerly Island, Chicago, IL 60605

FEATURING ELDERBROOK LIVE AT SUNSET
The Wellness Retreat is taking over Chicago’s Northerly Island for one unforgettable day of movement, music, mindfulness and connection.
Move alongside leading instructors. Discover fresh ways to feel your best. Recharge by the lake, connect with your people and close out the day with a live sunset performance by Elderbrook.
This isn’t wellness as usual. It’s immersive, energizing and meant to be experienced out loud—together.
AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING.

For more information, <a href="https://speakeasygo.com/the-wellness-retreat/the-wellness-retreat-chicago?eid=EVE-I2830I" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">click here.&nbsp;</a>

(Photo Credit: © 2026 The Wellness Retreat. All rights reserved.)

Local Event: The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet

The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind,...

FEATURING ELDERBROOK LIVE AT SUNSET
The Wellness Retreat is taking over Chicago’s Northerly Island for one unforgettable day of...

The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet

CHICAGO, IL &mdash; For renters watching thousands of dollars disappear every year into housing they will never own, Harbor Point at Wolf Lake is offering a very different alternative.
Located on Chicago&rsquo;s Southeast Side, Harbor Point offers the feel of single-family living without the $300,000-plus price point that comes with many traditional homes. Brand-new three-bedroom, two-bath homes are currently offered from approximately $89,000 to $103,000, giving professionals, families and retirees an opportunity to own something of their own without sacrificing privacy, comfort or style.
No shared walls. No upstairs neighbors. No crowded condo hallways. Instead, buyers have their own home, private driveway, storage shed, outdoor space and room to create a home that feels personal.
For many renters, the numbers are becoming harder to ignore. Even $1,000 per month in rent adds up to more than $60,000 over five years&mdash;money that never creates ownership or equity in the home they live in.
&ldquo;More buyers are starting to ask themselves what they actually have to show for years of rent payments,&rdquo; says Brandy Crask, Director of Sales. &ldquo;For many of them, Harbor Point opens the door to a type of homeownership they didn&rsquo;t realize was within reach.&rdquo;
Crask is closely involved in the design and selection of homes within the community, focusing on cabinetry, flooring, lighting, kitchens, appliances and upgraded finishes that give each home a polished and elevated feel while maintaining an attainable price point.
&ldquo;There is something very different about Harbor Point when you drive in,&rdquo; Crask says. &ldquo;It is quiet, beautifully maintained and tucked back among the trees along Wolf Lake. These are not simply homes we are selling. When I design each one, I think about the person who may eventually live there&mdash;the first-time buyer, the Chicago professional looking for peace at the end of the day, the single woman creating a home and life of her own, or the family ready for more space. I want every home to feel as though it was created for someone, not simply placed on a lot.&rdquo;
A key part of the Harbor Point experience is Erik Salas, a bilingual member of the sales team who works closely with English- and Spanish-speaking families to understand what they are looking for and help locate the home that best fits their lifestyle, household and budget.
Crask added that Harbor Point can also work with no financing needed, self employed and&nbsp;ITIN buyers, creating additional pathways to homeownership for families who may not fit the traditional financing model. Financing options with terms of up to 23 years may be available, with a wide range of credit profiles considered. A down payment may be required, with the amount varying by lender and individual applicant. For buyers who need help identifying where that down payment may come from, Crask also works with them to explore resources they may already have available, including eligible retirement funds such as a 401(k), depending on the terms of their plan.
The setting is another major part of Harbor Point&rsquo;s appeal. Although the community remains within Cook County&mdash;important for buyers who need or prefer to stay within county limits&mdash;it feels far removed from typical city living. Quiet streets, mature trees, friendly neighbors and a peaceful setting near Wolf Lake give the community the feel of a tucked-away suburban or rural neighborhood while still maintaining a Chicago address.
&ldquo;I always tell buyers to drive the streets, look at the yards, walk through the clubhouse and take in how peaceful it is here,&rdquo; Crask says. &ldquo;You can compare square footage and pricing online, but you really have to come here to understand what makes Harbor Point something very special.&rdquo;
Community events bring residents together, neighbors get to know one another, and the overall atmosphere feels more personal and connected than traditional apartment or condominium living.
For professionals, Harbor Point offers privacy and space after a long workday. For families, it offers bedrooms, outdoor space and room to grow. For retirees, it provides a quieter, more manageable home in a community that still feels welcoming and connected.
View available homes for sale here, preowned homes also available, starting around $50,000.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.zillow.com/community/harbor-point-estates/30361399_plid/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.zillow.com/community/harbor-point-estates/30361399_plid/</a>
At Harbor Point, homeownership is not just about the house itself. It is about pulling into your own driveway at the end of the day, knowing your neighbors, having room to breathe, and finally putting your monthly housing payment toward a place that feels like yours.
For some buyers, it may be their first home. For others, it may be a fresh start, a quieter chapter or simply a chance to live differently.
That is what makes Harbor Point special.
It is not just an affordable place to live.
It is a place to come home to.
Contact The Ravinia Team, Brandy Crask and Erik Salas: 815-426-9834

Chicago’s Southeast Side Is Rewriting the Path...

CHICAGO, IL — For renters watching thousands of dollars disappear every year into housing they will never own, Harbor Point at Wolf Lake is...

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Bach in the City's 'Fantasticus: Bach and Before'

Camerata Chicago — Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet

Chicago’s Southeast Side Is Rewriting the Path to Homeownership