Although I wasn’t able to attend – I was recovering from knee replacement surgery – my niece Becka Salach Smith and her sons, Parker (9) and Winston (4), went in my place. Becka sais "We had a blast! Thanks so much! Parker didn't like the smell and Winston didnt want to wear his ear covers."
I had the marvelous opportunity recently to go to Symphony Center to see/hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) conducted by Benjamin Northey. Although I a receive a lot more invitations to plays than to concerts, I always try to accept the ones I do get. MSO commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, with “The Galaxy’s Greatest Hits”. In addition to glorious music, pictures from space were projected on a giant screen suspended above the orchestra. It was an ‘out-of-this-world’ experience! 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** “Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic” is the perfect opportunity to introduce your children/grandchildren to live theater. This fast-moving, brightly colored show is chock full of multiple Muppets and friends in high-energy dance numbers done to rhythmic music designed to get the kids dancing, too. All your favorite Sesame Street learning blocks – numbers, letters and colors – are here too! 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** When my friend Crista and I went to the second annual NEXUS Chamber Music Chicago Festival at a new Chicago venue, Guarneri Hall, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that the musicians in NEXUS Chamber Music were all young and uber-talented, and I’d read that Guarneri Hall was designed specifically for chamber music, so I thought “Call of the Birds” would be a good concert but really, I had NO idea!!!! It was outstanding! My recommendation - hurry and get tickets for the last two concerts in the festival this weekend. 4 BIG Spotlights
My Saturday night was absolutely fabulous! Thanks to my friend Al Bresloff, I got to see Bernadette Peters in concert at the Paramount Theatre, Aurora.
Highly Recommended **** Cirque du Soleil’s “Volta” is a little different from their previous shows. While the musical themes and colorful costumes are typical Cirque, “Volta” has a more urban flavor, with hip hop, double Dutch, street acts, bikes and motorcycles. For those coming from northwest Indiana, the new location in the Soldier Field parking lot is definitely more convenient. 4 Spotlights
In her quest for new audiences, Debra Silvert has a secret weapon, her crystal flute! She says she’s found that it’s a draw. “People will come out for one of our (Duo Sequenza) concerts when they hear about the crystal flute. Once we have them, we expose them to the rest of what we’re doing.”
Chamber music will be popping up in unusual locations across Northwest Indiana during the month of March. Project Listen Up, the brainchild of Valparaiso resident, Debra Silvert, is an interactive concert experience which will pull classical music out of the concert hall and take it to the places people hang out.
