Zoppé Family Circus is in Addison Through Mother's Day #Circus #ChiILPicksList

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List For Unique Fam Friendly Activities This Weekend

ChiIL Mama will be there... will YOU?! 

We've shot stills at Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers, Cirque Shanghai, Cirque Eloize, El Circo Cheapo, CircEsteem and more.  We've even caught a number of Cirque du Soleil performers for video interviews. 

Still, there's something to be said for the little guy. Zoppe Family Circus has a a small town, parking lot tent charm that's too much fun. And it's hard to beat a show where the performers include people you know! Today we'll excited to be rolling video and shooting stills at Zoppe: An Italian Family Circus.

We can't wait to see our old friends and my kids former circus team creative directors Carlo & Orlene and their talented family!  They're back on the road, foot juggling & performing and we miss them here in Chicag! My kids learned so much from them over 2 years.  

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Remaining Shows: Sat 1, 4 & 7 and Sun 1 & 4 

DISCOUNT TICKETS: Zoppé Family Circus is back in the Chicago burbs in#Addison, IL through Mother's Day. Check 'em out! 

Come on out to Addison and see The Zoppé Family Circus!!!

Check out ChiIL Mama's past photo filled Zoppe coverage here!

Dates: May 7 - 11, 2014

Location: Addison next to Caputo’s Fresh Market, 510 West Lake St.

Times: Saturday 1, 4 & 7 pm, Sunday 1 & 4 pm

INCOMING: YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN at Bottom Lounge THIS Friday 5/9

Chi, IL Live Shows on Our Radar

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN are playing at Bottom Lounge this Friday, May 9th.

The band is playing a run of North American dates in support of their critically acclaimed album UZU, released on Suicide Squeeze last fall. A record that Pitchfork describes as "an extension of their previously coined "Noh-wave" sound, a loose combination of metal and theatrics... operatic piano ballads along with sludgy tracks... while they invoke deities and write epic stories of destruction and heartbreak, they're also creating allegories inspired by the band's real lives."

Their live performance is always epic, incorporating elaborate sets and costumes to create a full blown sensory experience.

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN
Photo Credit: Derrick Belcham

Current Tour Dates / 05.06.14 - Melt - St. Louis, MO * 05.07.14 - Sweatshop Gallery - Omaha, NE * 05.08.14 - Gabe's Oasis - Iowa City, IA * 05.09.14 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL 05.10.14 - Trumbullplex - Detroit, MI * * w/ Perfect Pussy, Green Dreams Bio / The rock opera generally references the ambitious and occasionally bloated concept albums of seasoned big name artists. Rarely is it used to conjure a Pynchon-worthy fusion of high and low culture or a blurring of the lines between theater and music. But in the case of Toronto/Montreal art partnership YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN, rock opera carries all the latter connotations of the nexus between tradition and irreverence, performance art and unbridled noise. The duality of fusing Old World classicism with New World innovation goes to the very core of the group—their name is a melding of the Buddhist “terminator of death” deity with a song title by seminal stoner doom band Sleep. They describe themselves as “Noh-wave”, a nod to both classical Japanese drama and the nihilistic art-punk scene of a pre-Giuliani New York City. The yin-and-yang philosophy permeates every facet of YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN. The project centers around Alaska B and Ruby Kato Attwood, two art students with a mutual love of opposing forces—heavy metal’s brutish assault with Japanese manga’s cartoonish appeal, Boredom’s experimentalism with Chinese opera, lofty schemes and low budget endeavors. The duo started out by building instruments out of found objects—once again highlighting their paradoxical nature by turning trash into art and rendering structured beauty out of detritus. Their performances veered more towards theater, with Alaska and Ruby constructing elaborate stage settings out of cardboard pasted with industrial-sized Xeroxed designs and donning elaborate Kabuki-style costumes and make-up. Such unorthodox ventures could repel the rock crowd, but YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN’s debut album YT//ST dispelled any concerns that Alaska and Ruby didn’t know how to lay siege with their instruments. Anchored by Alaska’s unrepentant drumming—a blend of Melvins drummer Dale Crover’s signature stomp and Einsturzende Neubauten’s proto-industrial thud—and Ruby’s soaring soprano, YT//ST took the narrative arc and keyboard foundation of Genesis’ rock opera The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and injected the psychedelic doom of Boris’ Pink. With their sophomore effort UZU, Alaska and Ruby continue their exploration of cultural dualities. While YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN has always provided an outlet for the core duo’s celebration of their Asian heritage, the inclusion of auxiliary musicians and artists into the fold has reinforced one of the most crucial defining dualities of the group: the merging of diasporic and indigenous perspectives. This meeting of East and West is perhaps most visible in UZU’s lead single “One”. As the first YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN song to extend the songwriting credits beyond the core duo, “One” incorporates the indigenous upbringings of the extended group by leading off with a traditional Iroquois song. The introductory chant is a social song calling all people together, and is performed by people of the Mohawk tribe. From there, the band kicks into a driving guitar line and a vocal hook as sweet as any J-pop hit. Metal riffing, free-jazz cacophony, and meditative Eastern percussion patterns accentuate the song. In the hands of lesser visionaries, this kind of cross-pollination would sound like a schizophrenic genre mash-up.  But YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN’s appropriations never sound forced. Rather, it sounds like a celebration of the cultural collision of Alaska and Ruby’s upbringing. The hybridization is evident throughout UZU--you can hear it in the operatic piano-and-vocal opener “Atalanta” segueing into the dynamic prog of “Whalesong”, the Eastern melodies seamlessly melding into the synth arpeggio and guitar dirge of “Windflower”, the musical storytelling tradition of “Seasickness Pt. 1” juxtaposing with the Heart-like classic rock gallop of “Seasickness Pt. 2”, and the closing choir passage of “Saturn’s Return” descending into Merzbow-esque white noise. It is safe to say there is no other band like YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN on the planet. In a world that is increasingly homogenized, a record like UZU is all the more important for demonstrating how disparate cultural perspectives can merge into something entirely new while retaining their individual sovereign character. UZU is now available on CD/LP and digital formats in the United States via Suicide Squeeze Records. The LP version contains a free download of the album and the first 500 copies are pressed on grey vinyl.

UZU | Tracklisting / 01. Atalanta 02. Whalesong 03. Lamia 04. Windflower 05. Hall of Mirrors 06. Seasickness Pt. 1 07. Seasickness Pt. 2 08. Bring Me The Hand Of Bloody Benzaiten 09. One 10. Saturn's Return  Press Quotes / "The record feels wholly substantial and satisfying in its own right, and even those with no prior knowledge of YT//ST's history and elaborate intentions can just enjoy it for what it is: volcanic prog-rock colored with equal parts post-punk urgency, stoner-metal heft, and psychedelic pop whimsy." Pitchfork "YT//ST creates full-scale events, complete with eerie face-paint, monochromatic paper sets and Boredoms-style drum blasts that blend black metal and kabuki into a jaw-dropping new form. The group's debut album is equally epic, yet it's all just a glimpse into their master plan to freak out the squares with a stage production so large no theatrein the world could contain it." Noisey "We'll sheepishly admit we're relatively new to Yamantaka's unique breed of gloomy, Kabuki-tinged metal-cum-experimental rock opera (or "noh-wave." as they call it), but from what we've heard (and seen) from the collective, we definitely dig." SPIN "The music they create is a compelling blend of psych-rock, metal and thundering atmosphere." Stereogum "We're particularly psyched on sludgy, proggy Montreal music and performance-art collective Yamantaka // Sonic Titan." Time Out New York "We realized Canada’s Yamantaka//Sonic Titan was basically the most amazing band on the planet when we heard their debut album YT//ST. That gorgeous mountain of rock led us to interview the entire band for about an hour, in which time they basically took turns blowing our minds. Their awesomeness is top of mind." MTV  "A reputation for elaborate designed DIY live shows, which, like the group’s music, incorporates influences from across time and space. But most importantly, its music, as strange and dense as it can be, is an oddly accessible and strangely enjoyable listen." AV Club "At times, YT//ST feels like some sort of ritual guide into another world. There, priestess attempt to drone a second sight into followers, standing in a forest of shuddering percussive trees, just at the edge of a sea of jagged guitar waves." Consequence of Sound "The beauty of YT//ST is that they fully support own their vision, which is simultaneously fantastical and factual. And they've got the songs and chops to back it up. UZU is stunning and melodic, and consistently absorbing. The only thing better than listening through headphones in a dark room is to experience the band in the flesh. Seeing is believing. One thing is certain—it's been a while since anything like this has come around." Paste Magazine Links / YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Website YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Facebook YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Twitter Suicide Squeeze Records

REVIEW: House Theatre's Dorian & Post Show Dance Party May 10th #Theatre

This Saturday 5/10: DJ Bouncy Castle (aka Zeke Sulkes) will be spinning the best of the best in techno, disco, hip-hop, and house music! Come ready to play, and be prepared to leave your clothes on the dance floor. The party starts at 8pm with a performance of DORIAN, with its onstage cash bar and lush, dance-fueled, promenade staging. At 10pm, DJ Bouncy Castle takes the stage for a dance party with the cast and crew of the show. The cash bar remains and the dancing continues!

Admission is FREE with your ticket to DORIAN, and you're welcome to come when the party starts at 10:00 PM! Industry folks get half price anytime with code "IMAKEART" and a proof of industry at will call.

Dorian Review: ChiIL Live Shows had a chance to check out Dorian on opening night and this unique production is well worth a look. Do note, there is brief nudity, and stage violence, so this show is recommended for mature audiences and not appropriate for those under 16.   Now for the rest of you...  The set of DORIAN is like an art gallery opening, and to reflect this, DORIAN is staged in promenade. Audience members experience the show by walking and standing with the actors throughout the stage space. There will be places to perch during scenes, but not regular theatre seats. With promenade staging you are encouraged to move about the stage however you like, which gives you some exciting choice in exactly how you experience this show.  For this show there's also a large bar on stage, which means during intermissions you won't have to go far for a drink! If you know you won't be able to stand for a duration, just let the theatre know and they'll arrange seating for you. Other limited seating is available... first come first served. Current run time for DORIAN is 2 hours including one intermission. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime, and The House Theatre encourages you to come early and enjoy the on-stage cash bar, and mingle with the performers.  (Do note, unfortunately only 2 specialty show drinks are available at the on stage bar. For good Polish beer & other options, purchase in the lobby and bring it in with you!) Promenade It's become all the rage and sometimes rightfully so. Promenade staging (or shows where the audience stands and mingles in the performance space and follows the action, moving as needed) was used to great effect for The Hypocrites runaway hit, The Mikado (coming back again this winter--yay).  We've honestly never seen the 3rd wall so effectively broken down. The Mikado was playful, fun, interactive and highly effective as a promenade style piece.  There's currently a promenade style Midsummer Night's Dream at Strange Loop Theatre and Red Moon Theatre's latest, Bellboys, Bears and Baggage, is billed as a promenade style spectacle, too. Now for Dorian... We have mixed feelings about the success of this style here. On the up side, most of the action is in the New York art party scene so it makes sense to have the audience included as party goers & every night the audience is different & can truly alter the show.  Yet, promenade style can be intimidating for those more reticent audience members, and a cast of art snobs is not the most welcoming by nature. The cast in character was rude and snobbish, pushing through the audience to get to their hot, new favorite, leaving the party guests/audience members feeling brushed off at best and excluded and in the way, at worst.  The sight lines were also bad for shorter people in much of the space. Maybe they've tweaked it since the opening and this isn't such an issue, but a big percentage of the audience literally fled for the minimal seating after the first couple scenes. The sight lines looked better there (although I can't be sure as we stuck it out on the floor), but the behind the bar seating seemed problematic and a bit blocked off and detached from the action as well.   An even bigger obstacle to the Dorian promenade success is the big obstacles... ie: large set pieces. There are huge chunks of stage being shifted in and out of the space routinely, so that we were completely distracted from the dialogue and action on stage.  It felt like we were constantly in the way and every few minutes someone was saying excuse me and barreling down on us with a big, rolling hunk of set.   Plot & Characters Dorian starts slow and for all the sordid plot points, it is a stylized piece without a lot of action. We dug the giant, evolving portrait and thought that was highly effective. Otherwise the set and costumes were fairly unremarkable. There seemed to be a lot of extraneous rushing about from the art snobs, that didn't appear organic or seem to have much point.  Last December we saw We Three Lizas by About Face Theatre at Stage 773. It's been over 4 months and I'm STILL laughing about Andy Warhol's entourage club scene, and replaying it in my head. It was incredibly spot on hilarious!  Dorian left me wishing for this level of pretentiousness and parody. That said, it's an interesting enough piece. Though not one of our favorites from The House, Dorian is macabre, dark, refreshingly new, and worth a look. A DANCE-FUELED THRILLER OF VICE AND VIRTUE By Ben Lobpries and Tommy Rapley Directed and Choreographed by Tommy Rapley Adapted from the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde PRICE: $20-$39 for Regular Run. TIMES: Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 7:00pm RUN TIME: 2 hours, including one intermission New to the big city, a young, beautiful, and fragile Dorian Gray is greedily embraced by a group of artists and art critics. Frustrated and sensitive painter Basil Howard creates a stunning portrait of the young Dorian.  But wild gallery parties, heart-broken lovers, and desperate violence wreak havoc on the portrait, reflecting the scars on Dorian’s soul. Yet the man himself remains flawless for decades. What crime can ultimately break the spell? This boldly modern adaptation reveals depth, pain, and longing beneath the surface of Wilde’s morality tale. Just like Dorian’s picture, this classic story about the creation of a masterpiece is transformed into a lush, dance-fueled stage production. DORIAN is staged in promenade, with actors and audience sharing the stage space. If you want to join us, but won't be able to stand and move easliy, just let us know and we'll work it out. DORIAN contains brief nudity, adult topics, and a bar on stage. Leave the kids at home on this one! Thinking about bringing your teen? Check out our Parent's Guide for more content info.  “A stunning achievement” -Windy City Times “No question, Rapley’s appropriately stylized revision is THRILLING stuff, aesthetically consistent with Wilde… while PERFECTLY TUNED into the overkill of American affluence.” -Chicago Free Press Show Dates: Apr 4 2014 to May 18 2014  Location:  The Chopin Theatre 1543 W. Division St., Chicago, IL Click or call 773-769-3832, use Industry code IMAKEART Can't make it this Saturday? Advance Industry tickets for ANY performance are HALF-PRICE!  Use code IMAKEART.

Performed in promenade, driven by dance, and with a bar right on stage.

DORIAN performs Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm at The House Theatre's home, The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago.

ChiIL Live Shows' Featured Artists of The Day: Royal Thunder #Metal #OriginalPhotos

ChiIL Live Shows'

Featured Artists 

of The Day

We've caught Royal Thunder a number of times over the years, as they toured through Chi, IL most recently at Bottom Lounge opening for Monster Magnet. 

Here's our full set of LIVE show shots from 11/6/13:
Our favorites are embedded at the bottom of this feature.

All photos ©2014 all rights reserved

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiIL Live Shows /ChiIL Mama

Royal Thunder returns to Macon, Georgia's Bragg Jam Music & Arts festival this year!  The event is being held on July 26th. Go grab your tickets starting May 1st at www.braggjam.org!

Click here to check out our Monster Magnet LIVE show shots from the same evening.

Word is Royal Thunder headed back into the studio this year!
Vocalist / bassist MLny Parsonz had this to say about the process:

"We meet again with our long time friend and producer Joey Jones at Aria Recording Studio in Marietta. We have no idea what this next album is going to sound like! We are anxious to see what the outcome will be. With that being said, we have NO agenda, NO formula, NO limits. This one is for the gods of rock! As always, thank you ALL for your support. See you on the road with these new songs! Until then, be well!"

Expect a Fall 2014 release via Relapse Records! Who's excited???

Biography

Rising out of Atlanta, Georgia, Royal Thunder have been conjuring stoner rock grooves out of the Southern heat since they were formed in 2006 by guitarist Josh Weaver. Featuring singer and bassist Mlny Parsonz, drummer Lee Smith, and guitarist Josh Coleman, the band's hazy, psychedelic sound evokes the early days of stoner and space rock, with Parsonz's soulful vocals bringing an element of dark drama to the band's swaggering sound. Royal Thunder made their recorded debut in 2009 with a self-titled EP, which the band self-released before signing to Relapse shortly afterwards, where the label re-released the album the following year. Their first full-length, CVI, arrived two years later in 2012.

Our Favorite Shots:

SAVE THE DATES: Breaking News FREE TICKETS FOR 8th ANNUAL CHICAGO DANCING FESTIVAL TO BE RELEASED JULY 8 & 9

Chicago Dancing Festival: August 20-23, 2014

FREE Programming features Top Ballet, Modern & Hip-Hop Dancers, including a

WORLD PREMIERE Festival Commission by Kyle Abraham

This incredible annual festival is FREE and tickets are highly sought after.  Mark the show dates and ticket release dates on your calendar now and get ready to reserve you spots!

Tickets for the 8^th annual Chicago Dancing Festival, the free Festival at venues across downtown Chicago, will become available to the general public July 8 and 9.  Co-produced by internationally renowned choreographer and native Chicagoan Lar Lubovitch and highly esteemed Chicago dancer Jay Franke, the 2014 Chicago Dancing Festival features top ballet, modern and hip-hop companies from Chicago and across the country, set to take place August 20 – 23.

All events are free but tickets for indoor events must be reserved in advance through each venue’s box office. 

Tickets for the August 20 program at the Harris Theater will be released July 8 at noon, available in person at the Harris Theater Box Office, 205 E. Randolph Drive, or by calling (312) 334-7777.  Limit two (2) tickets per order; tickets ordered by phone will be held at Will-Call.

Tickets for the August 22 programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art will be release July 9 at noon, available in person at the MCA Stage Box Office, 220 E. Chicago Avenue, or by calling (312) 397-4010.  Limit two (2) tickets per order; tickets ordered by phone will be held at Will-Call.

No tickets are needed for the outdoor Pritzker Pavilion events, including the Opening Night Simulcast on August 20 and the Grand Finale performance on August 23. 

Any empty seats or tickets unclaimed at 15 minutes prior to curtain time will be released to those in a Stand-by line.  Stand-by lines begin one hour before each performance, in person only.  All seating is general admission. 

Chicago Dancing Festival 2014 Schedule

Wednesday, August 20 – 7 pm

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street

The Chicago Dancing Festival opening night program will be simulcast on the outdoor screen of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. 

A Gala Benefit on the Harris Terrace follows the free indoor program.

• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, CDF original commission by Kyle Abraham    
• The Juilliard School, The Jig Is Up by Eliot Feld
• Martha Graham Dance Company, Errand into the Maze by Martha Graham
• Stars of American Ballet*, Fancy Free by Jerome Robbins

Friday, August 22 – 6 pm and 8 pm

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Avenue

An evening of duets

• Adam Barruch, Belladonna by Adam Barruch
• The Joffrey Ballet, Bells (excerpt) by Yuri Possokhov
• Martha Graham Dance Company, Errand into the Maze by Martha Graham
• Pam Tanowitz Dance*, Passagen by Pam Tanowitz (live music)

Saturday, August 23 – 7:30 pm

Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph Street

“Celebration of Dance” Grand Finale

• The Joffrey Ballet, Nine Sinatra Songs by Twyla Tharp
• The Juilliard School, The Jig Is Up by Eliot Feld
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Falling Angels by Jiří Kylián
• Rennie Harris Puremovement*, Students of the Asphalt Jungle by Dr. Rennie Harris
• Stars of Washington Ballet Brooklyn Mack and Maki Onuki, pas de deux from Le Corsaire by Marius Petipa

Additional events and artists for the 2014 Festival to be announced!

All programs are subject to change.

*CDF Debut

About the Chicago Dancing Festival

Established in 2007, the Chicago Dancing Festival was founded to elevate awareness of dance in Chicago, to increase accessibility to the art form and to provide inspiration for local artists.  Its mission is to present a wide variety of excellent dance, enrich the lives of the people of Chicago and provide increased accessibility to the art form, thereby helping create a new audience.  Its vision is to raise the national and international profile of dance in the city, furthering Chicago as the “dance capital of the world” (as Mayor Rahm Emanuel put it at the 2012 Chicago Dancing Festival). 

Lar Lubovitch (Founder, Artistic Director) is one of America's most versatile and highly acclaimed choreographers and founded the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company 45 years ago.  In the years since, he has choreographed more than 100 dances for his New York-based company, which has performed in nearly all 50 American states as well as in more than 30 foreign countries.  Born in Chicago, Mr. Lubovitch was educated at the University of Iowa and the Juilliard School in New York.

Jay Franke (Founder, Artistic Director) began his formal training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas.  In 1993, he was selected as a Finalist for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts and accepted into the Juilliard School.  Upon receiving his BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School, Mr. Franke went to work with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, “THARP!”  Mr. Franke has since danced with The 58 Group, Lyric Opera Ballet Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and was a leading dancer in the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company from 2005 to 2010.

The Chicago Dancing Festival is grateful for its 2014 supporters including: InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Official Hotel Partner; Museum of Contemporary Art; Harris Theater for Music and Dance; City of Chicago, Millennium Park; The Robert and Jamie Taylor Foundation; David Herro and Jay Franke; Illinois Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; and the Irving Harris Foundation. The Harris Theater is proud to have the support of The Northern Trust Company as its 2014-2015 season sponsor.

For more information on the Chicago Dancing Festival, its history and programs, visit www.chicagodancingfestival.com.

FREE Chinese Fine Arts Society Concert: Five Elements Project: Earth and Wood

CHINESE FINE ARTS SOCIETY CONTINUES 30^TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SECOND CONCERT IN THE THE FIVE ELEMENTS PROJECT:

“EARTH AND WOOD”

A free concert featuring three Chicago Premieres and musicians of the CSO

Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, May 18

Here at ChiIL Mama, we believe one of the best perks of living in a city the size of Chicago, is the amazing array of multicultural events! This one is family friendly and FREE. April was for water, and now May is Earth and Wood. Come experience The Chinese Fine Arts Society's Five Elements Project!

The Chinese Fine Arts Society (CFAS), Chicago’s resource for experiencing and appreciating the art, music and culture of China, continues its 30^th anniversary celebration with the second installment in its year-long series Forces of Nature: The Five Elements Project, a musical survey of China's varied natural environment themed around “Earth and Wood” featuring three Chicago Premieres.  The “Earth and Wood” concert is presented in the Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street, Sunday, May 18 at 3 pm.  The concert is free and no tickets are required.

From the Gobi desert to bamboo forests, from sweeping grasslands to mountain vistas, the majestic landscapes of China and its inhabitants are the inspiration for the “Earth and Wood” concert.  The concert primarily features both Chinese and western string instruments – violin, viola, erhu, gaohu, zhonghu – all made of wood. 

In a rare performance, Chicago erhu virtuoso Betti Xiang performs on three different pieces of the huqin family of traditional Chinese bowed string instruments.  The concert also features traditional folk music, contemporary arrangements and original compositions by world-renowned composers, including Pulitzer Prize-winner Zhou Long, renowned New York-based composer Huang Ruo, lauded San Diego-based composer Lei Liang and esteemed Beijing-based composer Ye Xiaogang.  The works are brought to life by virtuosic musicians including acclaimed Chicago pianist Winston Choi, renowned Central Conservatory-trained guzheng player YuQi Deng, along with a string quartet comprised entirely of members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  The full program includes:

·        Traditional Chinese Tune: Birds on  a Desolated Mountain

Featuring Betti Xiang, erhu

·        Traditional Chinese Tune: Birds Dash Back to Forest

Featuring Betti Xiang, gaohu

·        Traditional Chinese Tune: On the Grassland

Featuring Betti Xiang, zhonghu

·        Spring in the Forest by Ye Xiaogang

Featuring YuQi Deng, guzheng

·        Tree Without Wind by Huang Ruo (Chicago/Midwest Premiere)

Featuring Winston Choi, piano

·        Gobi Canticle by Lei Liang (Chicago/Midwest Premiere)

Featuring Qing Hou, violin; Weijin Wang, viola

·        Chinese Folk Songs by Zhou Long (Chicago Premiere)

String quartet led by Qing Hou

Inspired by late CFAS founder Barbara Tiao, who many considered a “force of nature,” The Five Elements Project is themed around the five elements found throughout Chinese art, science and philosophy: earth, fire, metal, water and wood.  The Five Elements Project is curated by Qing Hou, Chicago Symphony Orchestra violinist and CFAS artist-in-residence. 

More Five Elements Project Events

The Forces of Nature: The Five Elements Project continues with the third concert in the series, “Fire and Metal,” presented free at the Pritzker Pavilion of Millennium Park, Sunday, August 10 at 6:30 pm as part of the annual “Rhythms of China” festival.

The series finale concert takes place in Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, Friday, November 14 at 7:30 pm.  Tickets for this concert start at $20, $5 for students.

About the Chinese Fine Arts Society

Founded in 1984, the Chinese Fine Arts Society (CFAS) is dedicated to promoting Chinese culture, music, dance and visual arts in Chicago through performance and education, thus enhancing cultural exchange.  Its core programming consists of three areas: Professional Concerts, Young Artist Development and Community Engagement.  Julie Tiao Ma, daughter of founder Barbara Tiao, serves as President of the Board of Directors.

The history of CFAS has been a true “American Dream” success story, beginning when Barbara Tiao, a Shanghai native who fled the country in 1949, eventually settling in Chicago in 1984.  She established herself as a piano teacher and a “cultural ambassador,” sharing her beloved culture with other students and the surrounding community.  This passion was Tiao’s inspiration to start the Chinese Fine Arts Society.  Tiao passed away in 2008, having realized her dream: an organization that has bloomed into a professional entity in Chicago’s artistic scene.  Since its founding, CFAS has been the leading champion of Chinese arts in Chicago, from traditional to contemporary.  CFAS has established itself with widely attended and critically acclaimed cultural events in various venues throughout Chicagoland.

To learn more about the Chinese Fine Arts Society and its programs, visit chinesefinearts.org.

PHOTO & VIDEO RECAP: Black Bear Combo CIMMfest After Party at Moe's #CIMMfest

Friday night was a highlight of CIMMfest 2014, among many. Chicago's Black Bear Combo (Balkan, gypsy, street jazz hybrid) was the perfect way to cap off a phenomenal day of film, music and networking.  It was our pleasure to capture the fun for ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows. 

Balkan Night

@Moe's Tavern (BTW-we just love that Moe is a woman-Maureen--and she's a hoot!)

2937 N. Milwaukee Ave. 

10pm - 2am

Check out our full set of stills in the slide show here, and favorites embedded below. We even caught some of the multicultural fancy footwork from the crowd in the video below.

Friday, the screening of Brasslands sold out, but the fun continued with a Balkan night at Moe's Tavern. Black Bear Combo, Balkan food, and raffle of Parni Valjak tickets!  BRASSLANDS won Best Documentary Feature at CIMMfest 2014 and a second Sunday screening was added!  If you missed it, keep an eye out for this one! © 2014 all rights reserved Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiILMama.com & ChiILLiveShows.com The Blackhawks playoffs game coincided with the after party, so my husband bailed. I went on to shoot the show without him, but I was jazzed to find the game on multiple screens at Moe's, so I could do both. It was great to see the CIMMfest film fanatics and the hockey fans peacefully coexisting and rockin' out to Balkan gypsy jams together, while cheering the Hawks to a 5-2 victory!  Mo' about Moe's Chicago -Avondale Neighborhood Tavern Voted Top 5 Dive Bars in Chicago Rapidly becoming the "go to" spot for all local musicians. Our Music & Craft Beer make us unique for a neighborhood tavern. Live Music -- Shows on Friday and Saturday Open Mic Sunday and Wednesday Full Sound System for all electric hook-ups House Drum Set (full) House Guitar House Organ (B3) Friendly neighborhood Tavern - Free Foosball, Free Darts, pool table $8 pitchers of Blatz-$3 mixed drinks -$12 buckets of 5 domestic bottles for all Chicago Pro Team Games.