ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List
ChiIL Live Shows will be there... will you?! Chicago families can celebrate the long MLK day weekend with The Jazz-Gospel Messiah at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University this Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm. This excellent annual tradition is in it's NINTH year. Tickets are still available, so get yours. ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks list for the weekend.
We've been raving about this production since December but the time has come. If you haven't reserved tickets yet, what are you waiting for?!
There are few things we'll brave a blizzard and arctic temp plunges for, but this is one of them. Heat up your winter weekend with the pure joy of stellar live music in the gorgeous, ornate Auditorium Theatre.
THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE AND EXELON REJOICE WITH THE RETURN OF THE 9TH ANNUAL
“TOO HOT TO HANDEL: THE JAZZ-GOSPEL MESSIAH” JANUARY 18 – 19
More Than 200 Musicians and Vocalists, With Soloists Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke and
Karen Marie Richardson, Pay Tribute to
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, presents the 9th annual “Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah,” January 18 and 19. Chicago favorites Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke and Karen Marie Richardson join more than 200 of Chicago’s finest musicians and vocalists, under the direction of Bill Fraher and Suzanne Mallare Acton, for two public performances only—filling the historic landmark theater with the joyous sounds and exuberance of this All-American reinvention of Handel’s “Messiah.” Tickets ($25 – $68) are on sale now and available online at ticketmaster.com/auditorium, by calling (800) 982-2787 or at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy). A one-hour Student Matinee performance is offered on Friday, January 17, open to any student elementary through high school for $10 each. Tickets are available by calling (312) 341-2357.
“This show provides our community with a truly unique way to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, not only because of Dr. King’s deep love of gospel and jazz music but the way in which it represents Chicago’s diversity in both performers and audience members,” said Executive Director Brett Batterson. “It’s incredible to see an entire audience brought to their feet with such vigor and excitement. It is a true celebration of music, and of a man so important to United States history.”
“Handel’s indelible, indestructible tunes remain, but rhythmically the ‘Messiah’ takes flight in ways that the great composer never could have anticipated.” (Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich). Mixing gospel and jazz stylings, “Too Hot” brings music lovers of all genres to their feet while embracing the music brought to life onstage by more than 200 musicians from both Chicago as well as Detroit—including 150 voices from the “Too Hot” Choir under the direction of Old St. Patrick’s Church music director Bill Fraher, and a 50-piece symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble under the baton of conductor Suzanne Mallare Acton. This collaboration between cities fuses both Chicago and Detroit sounds together, enhancing the camaraderie on stage and in the theatre. Powerhouse vocalists Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke and Karen Marie Richardson lead the group through the incredible music that fills the Auditorium Theatre bringing an entire audience together in order to remember a man whose indelible mark on the world will forever live on. The show is enhanced through a large LED screen that will capture both the performers and audience members during the concert.
Exelon is the Presenting Sponsor of “Too Hot to Handel.” JPMorgan Chase Foundation is the “Too Hot to Handel” Educational Outreach Partner. “Too Hot” video enhancements are made possible through the generosity of William and Shelley Farley. Additional support is provided by Friends of “Too Hot to Handel.” The Auditorium Theatre’s student matinee series is sponsored by The Private Bank and The Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation. Additional media support provided by “Chicago Jazz Magazine” and “N’Digo.”
Performance Schedule and Ticket Information
“Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah” performs at the Auditorium Theatre:
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 19, 214 at 3 p.m.**
Tickets to the Jan. 19 and 20 performances are $25 - $68, available online at ticketmaster.com/auditorium, by calling (800) 982-2787 or in-person at the Auditorium’s Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy). Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available at (312.341-2357.
**A free Q&A with “Too Hot to Handel” artists immediately follows the Sunday afternoon performance.
About the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E Congress Pkwy, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the NIB Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call (312) 341 – 2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.
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