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2008: A Sensational Season
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 A roster of 48 world-class artists performed 13 widely diverse programs for audiences of over 400 listeners each week...
 ...over 5,200 cookies, brownies and pastries, 4,000 glasses of wine, 270 pounds of fruit, and 65 pounds of cheese were served over the course of the summer at the pre-concert receptions...
...and over 6,500 people visited the Rush Hour website during the season, which includes the  new podcast series, Rush Hour Conversations, a Flickr photo album of the season's concerts, recaps of all events, and much more!
 Thank you again to all who have contributed financially at any level to help us guarantee that our weekly concerts and audience enrichment activities continue to remain free and available to all.
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The Magic of Rush Hour
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 It is difficult to believe that it's already October, when Rush Hour seems so fresh in my mind. I hope that you enjoyed the summer as much as I did- and that the music and RH community lifted your spirits, complemented the beautiful weather, and gave you a place to pause and reflect.
I love being on the RH production team, except for one thing: I don't always get to be an audience member. This summer, although I attended every concert, I remember one specifically in which I had the  opportunity to sit and listen in a different way- and no, I won't say which one! Suffice to say that it had been a long day for me. It was one of those days- and we all have them- that I felt that I was starring in my own version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
The magic of the series set me straight, though. After 30 minutes of beautiful music, I somehow knew that all of the many seemingly insurmountable problems I walked in with were diffused, placed in perspective, and not nearly as bad as I had thought. "Wow!" I thought. "We do exactly what we say we do!"
The summer was also successful beyond my wildest dreams. I was uplifted and delighted by meeting all of you, and by seeing firsthand the support and love you all have for Rush Hour.  How fortunate we are to have this kind of audience community with whom to share these outstanding concerts! NBC Nightly News thinks so too: they featured Rush Hour in their series "What Works" in August. (If you did not yet have a chance to see this clip, please click here to watch.)
With successes like this behind me, I feel confident about reaching the major goal left to accomplish before the end of the year: meeting our "Under 40" challenge grant from the Harris Foundation. For each gift from those under the age of 40, the foundation will match contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.  Since I am 39 until the end of November, I jumped on this challenge. Please join me in showing support for RH's free concert events by helping us raise our final $1,500 of this challenge.
- Megan Balderston
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Fanfare Committee Corner
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The Fanfare Committee is comprised of Chicago-area young professionals who help expand Rush Hour's outreach to
new audiences and generate revenue through products and events, which
help keep the weekly summer festival free and accessible to all.
 Formed in January 2007, the committee hosts events year-round, including the annual spring "Rush Hour Tasting" house concert and summer post-concert happy hours, in addition to operating ENSEMBLE, Rush Hour's gift shop.
Stay tuned for details regarding the Fanfare Committee's upcoming off-season events.
To learn more about how you can get involved with the Fanfare Committee, please contact Managing Director Julie Hutchison at julie@rushhour.org or 773.338.9480.
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Thoughts & Recommendations from the Artistic Director
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 The last notes of RH's '08 season were sounded just over 5 weeks ago. When I sit back and reflect on the entire summer season, I feel the physical satiation of having taken part in a magnificent feast full of a variety of artists, composers, genres, instruments - tastes, textures and people - and by all audience reports, imminently satisfying. While "digesting" this recent feast, I am hard at work planning another: 2009 will mark RH's 10th birthday, a cause for much anticipation and excitement in all corners of the organization.
We hope to design a season which reflects RH's commitment to "Great Music for Busy Lives," as it relates to our broad and diverse (and busy!) audience throughout the summer. We will continue to offer a weekly respite of culture. We will continue to strive to inspire, amuse and broaden experiences.
 Throughout the last month of our '08 season, we ran a survey of audience favorites from the last 9 years, in which the program with the most audience votes would be repeated during our 10th anniversary season. The winner was the multiple cello program "A Cello Celebration: CSO Cellists and Friends" from our 2007 season. We are already underway planning its "return visit."
RH's 10th birthday season opens in June 2009, a long way away by most folks' yardsticks. We will have several "off-season" events between now and then and I suggest you keep tuned to our website and these e-newsletters for information in the coming months.
And, of course, I'll be passing on my recommendations for other great concerts in the city each month as part of this column.
October is rich in that regard. Here are three which are sure to inspire and please:
 St. James Cathedral's 2008-2009 Concert Series opens Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m. with the performance of Beethoven's Mass in C Major, op. 86, as well as his Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19, featuring guest pianist David Korevaar. Bruce J. Barber II conducts the Cathedral Choir and Chamber Orchestra of St. James.
CCM's second pair of subscription concerts of the season on Sunday, October 26 and Monday, October 27 mix old and new: Brahms' String Quintet No. 1 is complemented by brass music of Verne Reynolds; Dvorak's Slavonic Dances will be joined by the North American premiere of Avner Dorman's Jerusalem Mix, a wind and piano collage of Christian, Jewish and Muslim musical traditions co-commissioned by CCM and the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival.
 And finally, Fifth House Ensemble opens their 2008-2009 season on Saturday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Gottlieb Hall with Act I of their subscription series based on the ancient Italian comedy tradition, Commedia dell'Arte.
 Enjoy a musical October, along with your apple cider and other goodies of the season!
Best,
Deborah Sobol
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Rush Hour Internships
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Rush Hour welcomed 4 bright and gifted students to its staff over the summer for the ultimate "Behind the Scenes" experience: an internship.
 Our four interns had hands-on participation in operations, decision-making, and the continued evolution of Rush Hour in its mission. At the end of their 15 weeks together, they were inspired to make a short movie about their experiences. I'm proud to share it with all of you - please click here to watch.
We are already looking for talented students for next summer's season: if you know of anyone who might be interested in an internship in 2009, please forward them this e-newsletter. Interested candidates should contact me at julie@rushhour.org or 773.338.9480.
- Julie Hutchison
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