Press Release

For Immediate Release
April 22, 2010

Contact: Eliza Warren
773.338.9480

RUSH HOUR CONCERTS ANNOUNCES ITS 11^TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Free Series is Changing the Way Classical Music is Experienced

CHICAGO…Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral celebrates its 11^th anniversary season beginning June 1, 2010. Identified as “Great Music for Busy Lives,” the weekly half-hour concerts are tailored for longtime classical music fans as well as those new to the genre. Free and open to the public, concerts begin with complimentary refreshments and conversation at 5:15 p.m., followed by an exquisite 30-minute concert each Tuesday, June through August, in the historic cathedral at Huron Street and Wabash Avenue.

Since its inception in 2000, Rush Hour has introduced and provided world-class music to more than 30,000 people, growing individual concert attendance in the last two years from 350 to 450, nearly a 130% increase. Additionally, more than 25% of the audience is under the age of 40.

“In its first decade, Rush Hour gained prominence on the cultural landscape of Chicago, attracting audiences of all ages and setting the standard for audience development here and around the country,” stated Janice G. Lorch, President of Rush Hour’s Board of Directors. “What makes the series unique is the consistent quality and diversity of our concerts and the feeling among those attending that this is a must-do part of their week.”

Rush Hour’s 2010 season features critically acclaimed performers from around the globe and Grammy-nominated and other renowned artists from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Chamber Musicians and the Lyric Opera Orchestra.

“Our 2010 season holds the potential to top all previous seasons in variety, scope and number of artists, with repertoire ranging from Renaissance to contemporary, old (e.g. erhu, an ancient Chinese instrument) to new (2006’s Quintet for Piano and Strings by one of America’s most celebrated young composers, Kevin Puts),” said Deborah Sobol, Artistic and Executive Director.

July celebrates the 200^th birthdays of Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann, contemporaries and composers most recognized with the Romantic era of music. “Most people do not associate Chopin with chamber music, but rather solo piano music,” said Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist Brant Taylor, who will join pianist Kuang-Hao Huang in the July 27 performance of Chopin’s rarely heard Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 65. Also in July, poetry read by Children’s Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman will be paired with “Scenes from Childhood” for piano by Robert Schumann in a partnership with the Poetry Foundation.

“Rush Hour celebrates its mission to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to experience classical music by providing a unique, user-friendly format to meet the contemporary lifestyle needs of today’s society, ensuring its future in the cultural life of Chicago,” said Rush Hour board member Theodore Chung.

About Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral:

Known as “Great Music for Busy Lives”, Rush Hour was founded in 2000 by concert pianist Deborah Sobol to encourage the experience of classical music in a welcoming, widely accessible and culturally rich environment. Now entering its second decade, the free concert series is changing the way live classical music is experienced by presenting a program format with the listener in mind. Every Tuesday, June through August, internationally recognized artists perform chamber music classics and new music alike. Complimentary refreshments and conversation with the evening’s performers at 5:15 p.m. precedes the 30-minute concert, which begins at 5:45 p.m. Weekly blogs, podcasts and program notes about the music and the composers are available to the audience, and In-a-Flash flash drives featuring the evening’s live concert recording can be purchased. The concerts are presented to the general public within historic St. James Cathedral in downtown Chicago. For more information, please visit www.rushhour.org.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.