Tickets to Circus Soirée Benefit Still Available #CircEsteem

10 Days Until the Soirée! Dear Bonnie, Take a peek below to learn about our fundraising goals, how to buy tickets for Circus Soirée or to volunteer and/or participate at the event! It's CircEsteem like you've never seen us before at this fall's Circus Soirée! Join CircEsteem on Thursday, October 18th from 7pm-10pm at Architectural Artifacts for an evening of inspiring performances, delectable food and libation, a spectacular silent auction- Whimsy, surprise and amazement around every corner! VIP ticket holders can enjoy a private pre-party reception from 6pm-7pm in the Architectural Artifacts garden with special food, an open bar and exciting live performance as well as reserved VIP seating at the main event! Learn more about the needs behind our fundraising- $50,000 a year-   CircEsteem offers free tutoring and circus instruction 3 days a week, 32 weeks of the year, through our 'HomeWork & CircusWork' program.This program is 100% free to participants and serves over 30 youth each week. 20,000 miles a year to transport-  CircEsteem transports 30 youth a week, picking them up at school and taking them home afterwards.  Money raised at Circus Soirée will help us buy a new van allowing more youth to participate. Will YOU support CircEsteem and help us reach our goals?   40,000 participants CircEsteem reaches over 40,000 people each year offering over 150 workshops and performances.  We crisscross the city and suburbs providing circus programs at 15 offsite locations 5 days a week.  100% High School graduation rates- CircEsteem has a 100% graduation rate from high school, with all of the students going on to pursue higher learning.  To date CE graduates have amassed over $600,000 in outside scholarships thanks to our partnership withChicago Scholars. $10,000 in matching funds- CE has employed over 60 youth since the creation of theCircusTeens Job Program. To date CircusTeens have been paid over $40,000 with almost $15,000 of it being saved for college. In addition CE has provided matching funds to encourage college savings totaling nearly $10,000. There's still time to buy your tickets to Circus Soirée! Nothing would please us more than having you join our fundraising efforts on Thursday, October 18th at Architectural Artifacts for our Circus Soirée! Your contributions help make our free programming, youth employment efforts and community outreach a continued reality! For more info, to purchase tickets or make a financial contribution  please visit Brown Paper Tickets.   Kindly, Maribeth Joy Executive Director It's a family circus....Du-Jay and Sagezilla are performing with a slew of talented CircEsteem kids.   We'll be there shooting stills and video.   If you can't make it or don't live locally, you can still donate.   CircEsteem's doing amazing work.   Check it out!

I Went to A Sinfonietta And A Circus Broke Out! #ChicagoSinfonietta #CircEsteem

ChiIL Mama's daughter rocks the Chicago Sinfonietta with CircEsteem Monday night.    All photos by Mary Rafferty Photography   

Monday night there was a rustle of programs and quizzical looks across the audience as The Chicago Sinfonietta began their 2nd number.   There was nothing in the billing about circus arts, but the surprise guests of the evening stole the show and provided a lovely example of collaboration in the arts and the theme of the evening, Performance.  Art.  

Unicyclists careened down the aisles of Symphony Center and jugglers materialized in the balcony and wings.   ChiIL Mama's own 9 year old daughter flipped upside down into a bridge and crab walked across the stage in front of the orchestra, while adults foot juggled a table and large pot, and stilt walked.   A teen rolled out in a giant, metal gym wheel, and the audience was treated to Performance.  Art.  indeed!   

The surprise guests of the evening were the uber talented kids and staff of Chicago's own CircEsteem, including ChiIL Mama's own kids, Du-Jay (11) and Sagezilla (9).   The performers were under the radar, and the applause was off the charts.   

The Chicago Sinfonietta opened its 25^th Anniversary Season with a concert called Performance. Art, featuring lively guest musicians, the New York-based jazz-hybrid ensemble PROJECT Trio.  The concert took place Saturday, September 29 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and Monday, October 1 at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago.   The performers from CircEsteem were special, surprise guests for both the Naperville and the Symphony Center concerts.

PROJECT Trio was also a joy to see live.   They brought an unbridled enthusiasm and rock star esthetic to their pieces.   The talented trio even sited Jethro Tull as one of their influences and did their own version of merging classical and classic rock.    

The official press release for the evening along with links to further information on The Chicago Sinfonietta and CircEsteem are below.

 

Chicago Sinfonietta Opens 25^th Anniversary Season with

PERFORMANCE. ART.

Featuring genre-crossing virtuosos PROJECT Trio

Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, September 29

Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, October 1

The Chicago Sinfonietta’s milestone 25^th Anniversary Season opening concert, titled Performance. Art., features a unique collaboration with the Brooklyn-based, high-energy chamber ensemble PROJECT Trio (Greg Pattillo, Peter Seymour and Eric Stephenson).  Blending their classical training with a wide array of musical styles, including jazz, hip-hop and rock, PROJECT Trio’s virtuoso performers use their passion and versatility to make an impression on audiences of all musical tastes.  Performance. Art. will be performed at Wentz Concert Hall,171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville, Saturday, September 29 at 8 pm and at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Monday, October 1 at 7:30 pm.

“PROJECT Trio combines flute, cello and bass to achieve musical colors that you would never have thought possible,” said Sinfonietta Music Director Mei-Ann Chen.  “Not only do they bring a distinct sound, they also bring a lot of movement to the stage – so much energy!  It will be very fun to have them join the Sinfonietta for our Silver Anniversary season opener, and I’m so glad we can share the talents of this incredible group with our Chicago and Naperville audiences.” 

Chen opens the concert with a distinctive variation on Johannes Brahms’ one-movement work Hungarian Dance No. 5.  The program continues with three exceptional performances by PROJECT Trio both with the orchestra and on their own, including Fast and Random Roads – two works composed by its own members – and an unusual take on J. S. Bach’s Bourrée from Suite in E Minor for Lute. 

The first movement of Israeli composer Avner Dorman’s rhythmically vigorous Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! continues the second half of the program, featuring Eric Goldberg and Shuya Gong, winners of the CSO Young Artist Competition in 2010, 2011 and 2012, on marimba and other percussion instruments. 

The concert culminates with Igor Stravinsky’s regal and soaring Firebird Suite.

Tickets

Single tickets range from $40-$50 for concerts at Wentz Concert Hall and $26-$50 for concerts at Symphony Center, with special $10 pricing available for students. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chicago Sinfonietta at 312-236-3681 ext. 2 or online at www.chicagosinfonietta.org.

About the Guest Artists

PROJECT Trio, with Greg Pattillo (flute), Eric Stephenson (cello) and Peter Seymour (bass), is pushing the boundaries of classical music with a high-octane mix of jazz, hip-hop and rock.  Hailed for their “wide appeal, subversive humor and first-rate playing” by the Wall Street Journal, the Trio performs over 70 concerts a year, playing to fans of all ages in venues around the world.  Highlights of the Trio’s current season include concerts with the Charlotte Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Walla Walla Symphony and the Britt Festival.  Internationally, they will make their second tour of Germanyand their first tour of the former Soviet Union as part of American Music Abroad sponsored by the US Department of State.  The Trio is dedicated to arts education, inspiring a whole new generation of concert-going music lovers.  They are in their second year of residency with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra as Family Concert Artists in Residence.  For more information on PROJECT Trio visit www.projecttrio.com.

Eric Goldberg and Shuya Gong are members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Percussion Scholarship Group directed by CSO percussionist Patricia Dash and Lyric Opera of Chicago percussionist Douglas Waddell.  As members of the Scholarship Group ensemble, Goldberg and Gong have performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and the League of American Orchestras National Conference and have also been featured on the National Public Radio show From the Top and the Introductions radio show on WFMT.  The Group performs twice annually at Chicago’s Symphony Center and has given additional Symphony Centerconcerts in conjunction with the CSO Youth in Music Festival. Goldberg and Gong are both juniors at Chicago’s Whitney M. Young Magnet High School where they are members of the Advanced Band and Philharmonic Orchestra. 

About the Chicago Sinfonietta

For 25 years, the Chicago Sinfonietta has pushed artistic and social boundaries to provide an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking about a symphony orchestra.  Each concert experience fuses inventive new works from a diverse array of voices with classical masterworks to entertain, transform and inspire.

The Chicago Sinfonietta has a proud history of having enriched the cultural, educational, and social quality of life in Chicago.  Under the guidance of Founding Music Director Paul Freeman, the orchestra has performed at the highest artistic level since 1987.  Mei-Ann Chen succeeded Paul Freeman as the Chicago Sinfonietta’s Music Director beginning with the 2011-12 season.  The Chicago Sinfonietta musicians truly represent the city’s rich cultural landscape and continue to fulfill the orchestra’s mission of Musical Excellence through Diversity^™. 

The Sinfonietta was recently honored with two national awards for excellence from the League of American Orchestras, one for adventurous programming and one recognizing Maestro Chen with the Helen M. Thompson Award for an Emerging Music Director. 

Mei-Ann Chen, also Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, has appeared with symphonies all over the country and the world, include the symphonies of Alabama, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Edmonton (Canada), Florida, Fort Worth, Honolulu, National (Washington, D.C.), Oregon, Pacific, Phoenix, Princeton, Seattle, Toronto, and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra.  The first woman to win the Malko Competition (2005), Chen has served as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony.  Born in Taiwan, Chen has lived in the United States since 1989.  She was the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to receive master’s degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting. 

The Chicago Sinfonietta thanks Supporting Season Sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Lead West Suburban Sponsor BP, and Lead Media Sponsor Chicago Sun-Times Media.  Additional thanks to Opening Night Sponsor JP Morgan Chase and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.  Support for Wentz Concert Hall performances provided by the Hinsdale Center for the Arts and Naperville’s Special Events and Cultural Amenities Fund.  Additional media support provided byChicago Magazine, ABC-7 Chicago, WFMT, WBEZ, WDCB, Arte y Vida Chicago, Today’s Chicago Woman, Naperville Sun and Naperville Magazine.  Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the Chicago Sinfonietta.  Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park and Hotel Arista in Naperville are the Official Hotels of the Chicago Sinfonietta.

For more information on the Chicago Sinfonietta please visit their main site here. 

For more information on CircEsteem, click here.

**See these talented kids live at Circus Soiree Benefit Fundraiser Thursday, October 18th at the gorgeous Architectural Artifacts space.  Eat, drink, and bid for a great cause.  It's shaping up to be THE party of the year.   Click here for details. **

Thursday, Oct 18, 2012
Circus Soiree

6:00 PM
Architectural Artifacts
4325 North Ravenswood Avenue
Chicago, IL

CircEsteem’s Circus Soiree is coming up fast.   Tickets are flying like aerial artists!!   Get yours before they sell out!    If you can't make it the 18th, you can still help out with a donation right here.

Help Locally: Circus Soiree--Eat, Drink & Enjoy for a Great Cause

You are invited to the event of the season--Circus Soirée! It's CircEsteem like you've never seen us before at this fall's charming Circus Soirée!   ChiIL Live Shows will be there....will YOU?! Join CircEsteem on Thursday, October 18th from 7pm-10pm at Architectural Artifacts for an evening of inspiring performances, delectable food and libation, a spectacular silent auction- whimsy, surprise and amazement around every corner! VIP ticket holders can enjoy a private pre-party reception from 6pm-7pm in the Architectural Artifacts garden with special food, an open bar and exciting live performance as well as reserved VIP seating at the main event! We hope you will join us to support and celebrate the youth of CircEsteem! Sincerely, Maribeth Joy CircEsteem Inc. We need your help to meet our scholarship fundraising goals! Help support CircEsteem's free programming at the Circus Soirée! Your ticket to Circus Soirée not only gets you into the most delightful event of the fall- funds raised will also directly support our mission of uniting youth from diverse racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and supporting the free programming that enables us to bring circus to ALL youth in the Chicagoland area.  Come out and 'Soirée' with us for the youth of CircEsteem! October 18th, 2012  6-7pm VIP reception, 7-10pm Main Event  Architectural Artifacts  To purchase tickets please click here! Our Mission Since 2001, CircEsteem's mission has been to unite youth from diverse racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and help them build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice of circus arts.

Buy  Your  Tickets Today!  Tickets for CircEsteem's Circus Soirée are $150 for VIP seating and $100 for general admission.  Not able to attend but still want to help us reach our fall fundraising goals? Your donation to CircEsteem is greatly appreciated!  Tickets can be purchased online here, or by check made out to CircEsteem and sent to 4730 N. Sheridan, Chicago, IL 60640.

Dralion Video Interview-ChiIL Live Shows Chats With Cirque du Soleil

We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Vanessa Napoli, Senior PR Spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil's Touring Shows.    She gave us the scoop on Dralion, opening at Allstate Arena this Wednesday, June 20th, then playing at United Center the following week.   Check out our original interview above, interspersed with Dralion live show clips, courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.   We'll be there for opening night and will have a full show review up shortly thereafter.    

  

If you missed it earlier, we also had the opportunity to interview Dralion's talented and charming young acro-juggler, Vladik.   Click here to check out our original interview with him.

One of the questions I asked Vanessa was about Cirque du Soleil's history of philanthropic partnerships in the cities they visit.  She told us they do usually try to partner up with local circus arts organizations, especially deserving non profits, but she didn't have specific details at the time.  We just got word that Dralion has indeed donated tickets to Chicago's CircEsteeem, so their young team and pre-team performers can catch the show.  They will also be running some special workshops with the CircEsteem kids!   Unfortunately, we'll be out of town shooting a travel piece, but if we can find another shooter, and if Dralion green lights it, we'll share stills and video from the workshop here as well.

Make 2012--The Chinese Year of the Dragon one to remember for your family! 

Catch Dralion performances in Rosemont at Allstate Arena (June 20-24) and Chicago at United Center (June 27-July 1).   Click here for tickets and more information.

CircEsteem's Final 3 Spring Circus Shows This Weekend (original show photos)

 

ChiIL Live Shows' shots of CircEsteem's opening night, Friday 5/11/12



This is the BIG one.   CircEsteem might be missing a big top, but this circus show is BIG on Fun.   



Check out 150+ local Chi-Town kids strutting their skills in this Chicago themed extravaganza.    Highly recommended for "children of all ages".  These talented
kids from 6-18 years old are learning juggling, 







Chinese Pole, Spanish Web, tight wire, 







aerial arts
like trapeze-silks-lyra (the suspended hoop), 



 



unicycle, globe, hoops



 

 

 



gym wheel,
skipping rope, diablo,



 





















clowning and so much more.   





 



























See ChiIL Mama's own Du-Jay and Sagezilla.  They've been rockin' the circus arts for two years now, and have been accepted onto the pre-team.

ChiIL Mama will have loads of Spring Circus HD video clips from the show for you in the near future.   For now, here are our show stills from last weekend's Friday night performance, including sneak peek rehearsal pixs and a variety of colorful acts.  Saturday night's show stills are coming soon and we'll be back this weekend to roll on the whole show Saturday morning and Sunday as well.








CircEsteem kids have traveled internationally to do exchanges with other circus kids in Africa and Germany.   And here in Chicago they forge life long, multicultural friendships with kids from all over the city, with different economic backgrounds.    CircEsteem offers basic circus classes on a sliding scale fee, so they are accessible to everyone, and they run fun after school classes at a number of  schools. 

  





We love that the older kids mentor the younger ones and are paid to teach as camp counselors and teachers.    CircEsteem also offers a matching fund scholarship to encourage teens to save for college and continue their education.







The final 3 shows are Saturday, 5-19 at 1pm and 5pm and Sunday 5/20 at 2pm only.   Highly recommended.   Catch 'em while you can.   CircEsteem's spring circus is a giant, once a year compilation of thrilling skills.



Congrats again to our 4 ticket winner, Nicole F.   She'll be checking out the final show on Sunday at 2:00pm!



For tickets and more info about Circesteem, check out their main site here.

Got Littles?: Winners for CircEsteem Spring Circus and Little G Band

ChiIL Mama has two family 4 pack ticket winners to announce today.   Big congrats!

CircEsteem Spring Circus-your choice of 6 dates--congrats to 4 ticket winner, Nicole F!  

Check out our past coverage including full show details, video/photo links and more, here.   Highly recommended!   

ChiIL Mama's own Sagezilla and Du-Jay are performing along with 150+ Chi-Town kids ranging from the after school program beginners to the advanced, traveling performance team!   My two have been learning circus arts for two years and have advanced to the pre-team.   Come check out all these astounding kids in their biggest show of the year.   The theme is CHICAGO.   

This is THE must see of the next two weekends.   Shows are tonight (Friday 5/11-also Sage's 9th birthday!) and Saturday 5/12 at 1pm and 5pm.   Next weekend shows are on Saturday at 1pm and 5pm and closing show Sunday at 2pm.   Type CircEsteem in the side search bar at ChiIL Mama for loads of photo filled features, interviews and performance videos from the past two years.

 ChiIL Mama is a proud sponsor of Beat Kitchen's Concerts for Kids

Little G Band (for kids birth through 10 with parents) at Beat Kitchen SATURDAY AT 3PM--congrats to 4 ticket winner, Teresa O.

About Little G Band (from their Facebook Page)

We are a family power rock trio. My daughter is 9 and plays 4 instruments,
my son is 7 and plays 5 instruments... At professional level, no less.
Yes, really.   We can't wait to check em out.  

Here at ChiIL Mama we love families that rock together!    *NOTE:   This Beat Kitchen Kids show is SATURDAY AT 3PM


You can enter this week to win more great 4 packs of concert tixs to Beat Kitchen Concerts for Kids including Mr. Singer and The Sharp Cookies CD Release Party at Beat Kitchen next Sunday!

 
**CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!**


As always, we have frequent, fabulous give aways, live concert footage, original video interviews, photo filled recaps, and the heads up about upcoming events, so check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We'll tell you the best places to ChiIL Out this spring and summer!    There IS life after birth.

CircEsteem Team Circus Show 2012-Toys Take Over-Opening Group Scenes & Lyra

Check out our HD show video from the beginning of Toys Take Over, CircEsteem's Team Circus Show 2012.   This show was entirely created, produced, directed, choreographed and publicized by the kids themselves.