The Chicago Philharmonic Society is thrilled to present and perform Marvel Studios' Black Panther in Concert at the historic Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St, Chicago, June 18, 2022 at 7:30 pm, the weekend of Juneteenth. Guest artists joining Chicago Philharmonic’s prestigious musicians during the concert include conductor Emil de Cou; world renowned tama Senegalese talking drum player Massamba Diop, who has received much acclaim for his collaboration on Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack; and Chicago native flutist Steve Kajula. Tickets start at $49.50 and are now available for purchase at chicagotheatre.com.
In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, starring Chicago sweetheart Chadwick Boseman, quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what Superhero films could be. Now, audiences can relive the excitement of T’Challa (Boseman) becoming king and battling Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) all while the Chicago Philharmonic performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar® and Grammy®-winning score live to picture.
“Ludwig Göransson’s score for this movie is truly a wonder of modern composition, and an ingenious blend of traditional African and Western music,” said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck. “The two main characters are both given leitmotifs, which is a classical music tradition, but with a twist. T’Challa’s leitmotif is a talking drum rhythm, which Massamba Diop created and recorded for the original recording of the score. Killmonger’s leitmotif is played by the Fula flute, which will be performed in Chicago by Steve Kujala, one of the world’s foremost experts in ethnic flutes.”
Maestro Speck also had a hand in choosing the best conductor for the concert, with his highest recommendations for Emil de Cou, one of the world’s greatest experts in film concerts like Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert. “Synchronizing a live orchestra soundtrack to a film is an exact science, but Emil has elevated it to an art form. He internalizes the score and breathes life into it, bringing the symphonic values of the music to full fruition. There is nobody around who embodies the flow of a film score more vividly than Emil.”
“Words can’t describe how meaningful it is to me to bring this live to film concert, about Marvel Studios’ first Black superhero, to Chicago on the eve of Juneteenth,” said Executive Director Terell Johnson, who joined the organization in July 2021 and counts this among his first major artistic decisions since arriving. “This record-breaking film highlights why representation matters and it is a terrific celebration of Black culture and artistry. We hope this will be an inclusive event that people from all over our city can enjoy together.”
Attendees are not required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or wear a mask.
ABOUT THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY
The Chicago Philharmonic Society is a collaboration of nearly 200 of the highest-level classical musicians performing in the Chicago metropolitan area. Governed under a groundbreaking structure of musician leadership, the Society presents concerts at venues throughout the Chicago area that cover the full spectrum of symphonic music. The Society’s orchestra, known simply as the Chicago Philharmonic, has been called one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras, and its unique chamber music ensembles, which perform as Chicago Phil Chamber, draw from its vast pool of versatile musicians. The Society’s community engagement programs connect Chicago-area youth to classical music by providing access to symphonic concerts, mentorship from Chicago Philharmonic musicians, and performance opportunities. Founded 32 years ago, the Chicago Philharmonic is known for providing symphonic support to international and national touring companies in all music genres and served as the official orchestra of the Joffrey Ballet for eight years. The Chicago Philharmonic also continues its nearly 30-year association with Ravinia Festival, is a resident company of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and performs at all the great concert halls of the Chicago and North Shore area, including Auditorium Theatre and Symphony Center. The Illinois Council of Orchestras has awarded the Chicago Philharmonic “Orchestra of the Year'' (2018), “Programming of the Year” (2019), “Community Relations of the Year” (2019), “Executive Director of the Year” (2020), and “Conductor of the Year” (2021). More information can be found at chicagophilharmonic.org.
ABOUT EMIL DE COU
American conductor Emil de Cou appears regularly as guest conductor with orchestras across the United States. After serving as Associate Conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra for eight years, he was recently appointed as Music Director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, a position he started in 2011.
Emil de Cou was an active participant in a wide range of National Symphony Orchestra performances and events since his debut at Wolf Trap in 2000. He formally joined the National Symphony conducting staff in 2002, and in addition to being Associate Conductor, in the summers he serves as the conductor of the NSO at the Wolf Trap Festival. In that capacity, his responsibilities include leading several of the NSO's concerts at Wolf Trap, and acting as a spokesperson for the overall summer season. He also led the Labor Day Weekend Capitol Concerts on the West Lawn of the US Capitol annually since 2002. Mr. de Cou has appeared as guest conductor with many leading orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Saint Louis, Montreal, Boston Pops, Portland, and San Francisco. He was acting music director for the San Francisco Ballet and conductor of the American Ballet Theatre for eight seasons conducting performances at Lincoln Center as well as national and international tours.
ABOUT MASSAMBA DIOP
Massamba Diop is perhaps the world’s most renowned master of the Tama, a talking drum from Senegal. Massamba came into the limelight as lead percussionist and a founding member of Daande Lenol (The Voice of the People), the band of Senegalese super-star Baaba Maal. Over the past 40 years the group has been playing all over the world, working with many notable musical figures and releasing dozens of albums, including “Firin’ in Fouta”, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best World Music in 1996. Massamba himself has also performed and/or recorded with the likes of James Brown, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Harry Belafonte and Angelique Kidjo. He appeared on Peter Gabriel’s landmark release “Passion”, which won a Grammy in 1990. He has also been part of many major international events like the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, the 2012 Olympics in London, and joined Stevie Wonder in 2009 to perform “Happy Birthday” for Nelson Mandela to close out Mandela Day at Radio City Music Hall. Most recently, Massamba has received much acclaim for his collaboration on Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack, providing the drumming for King T'challa's theme music, heard throughout the film whenever the title character makes an entrance.
ABOUT STEVE KUJALA
Chicago-native Steve Kujala is one of the most prolific and recognized flute stylists of the last 30 years. Destined to become a flutist, Kujala followed in the footsteps of his father, Walfrid Kujala, Professor of flute at Northwestern University and former principal piccoloist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The younger Kujala was influenced in equal measures by his father, The Beatles (and the British “Pop Invasion”), Jethro Tull (and the progressive art-rock bands), and by Chick Corea (and the jazz/rock fusion movement). While a student at New Trier West High School, Kujala became one of the earliest examples of the “multi-hyphenate/slash artists” by playing principal flute in the orchestra, lead tenor sax in the jazz ensemble, 1st bassoon in the wind ensemble and electric guitar in a rock band. At the age of 17, Kujala garnered his first taste of international recognition by winning the “best jazz flute soloist” award – high school division - at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival.
ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS
Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts' concert packages include a variety of formats, such as "live to picture" film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts, and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney's portfolio of studios, including Disney's feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel, are currently in development. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VIII), Toy Story, Aladdin, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Disney Princess - The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up and The Nightmare Before Christmas, which in 2019 accounted for over 900 performances in many of the world's top concert venues.