Quartet at the Café
Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm
Dream Hall at 51
51 S. Grove Ave, Elgin, IL
This limited capacity event is sold out. Click here to put your name on the waitlist
This concert will be recorded and available to stream December 1-15. More information coming soon!
On November 8th, Elgin Symphony Orchestra will present a one-of-a kind collaboration between three disciplines: classical music, spoken word poetry and visual art. The program features visual art by muralist Melina Scotte, original spoken word and page poetry by Elgin’s esteemed Poet Laureate Chasity Gunn, and a string quartet made up of ESO string principals.
Sorry, tickets to this experience are no longer available.
At the center of the evening will be a unique reimagining of Antonin Dvorak’s famed “American” string quartet. The work was written while the composer was living in the United States and reflects his attempt to show fellow composers how to find a uniquely American sound. The resulting string quartet incorporates folk music, African American spiritual and Indigenous song, as well as the sounds of nature that surrounded him at the Spillville, Iowa retreat where the work was written. The movements, as they are performed on this program, will be punctuated by original poetry by Ms. Gunn, composed specifically for this evening, and offer a chance to reflect on an America of 1893 and the America we live in today.
CONCERT PROGRAM
Strum – Jessie Montgomery
String Quartet
Original Spoken Word Poetry with Cello Improvisation
Ms. Gunn
Mr. Agnew
American String Quartet – Antonín Dvořák
Featuring original poetry by Chasity Gunn
Ms. Gunn
String Quartet
TICKET INFORMATION
This limited capacity event is sold out.
Click here to put your name on the waitlist
This concert will be recorded and available to stream December 1-15. More information coming soon!
NOTEworthy Concert Facts
The Players
Chasity Gunn, poet
Principal String Players of the Elgin Symphony
Isabella Lippi, violin
Eleanor Bartsch, violin
Amanda Grimm, viola
Matt Agnew, cello
SAFETY PROTOCOLS
The safety of our patrons, musicians and staff has been and will be our top priority. ESO does not own its own performance space, so we will be coordinating with each rental facility regarding cleaning and sanitizing practices and the proper amount of fresh and recycled airflow in their ventilation systems. We continue to monitor best practices from reputable sources on a daily basis. Every patron attending an ESO event during the pandemic will be notified 10-14 days prior to each event date via email, phone and/or mail of safety protocols for their upcoming event. Safety protocols will be based on the current Restore Illinois Phase and CDC guidelines at that time and may or may not include temperature checks, health screening questions, mandatory wearing of face covering, socially distanced seating, timed arrival, restroom or concession breaks by seating area and self-parking (as examples). We will adhere to the policies mandated by local and state health officials as they develop. If at any time during the pandemic, you do not feel comfortable attending a concert due to safety protocols or for personal reasons, you may contact the ESO Box Office to donate your ticket value, ask for an ESO account credit or refund.
Thank You to Our Partners
Chasity Gunn, poet
Chasity Gunn is an English professor at Elgin Community College and author of How to Create a World. Gunn serves as the inaugural Poet Laureate for the city of Elgin. She has been featured in the Elgin Fringe Show and published in Bitterzoet Magazine. She is working on a forthcoming poetry collection to be released in 2021. Before becoming a full-time college instructor, Gunn worked as a newspaper reporter covering the educational system. She is a graduate of Belmont University and earned her Master of Fine Arts from Hamline University.
For more information, visit chasitywrites.com or her Facebook page.
