Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Rare pairing
The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra will offer a unique take on a timeless masterpiece by performing Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and Astor Piazzolla’s “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” in concert. Published in 1725, Vivaldi’s piece requires no introduction. Penned in the 1960s, “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” is Piazzolla’s homage to Vivaldi’s groundbreaking orchestral work. Piazzolla was an Argentine composer of Italian descent who transformed traditional tango into a new genre known as nuevo tango by incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. The concert will be performed at 3 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. For more, click here.
Taking stock
Kelsea Ballerini is looking inward and forward as she takes her new album, “Patterns,” on tour this year. “‘Patterns’ is an album about taking inventory of self and life as it is, moving through the things that need changing, and celebrating the wins along the way,” she explains, describing her show as “a night where we come together and have the greatest night dancing while unpacking all of it.” Ballerini is donating a dollar from every ticket sold to her Feel Your Way Through Charitable Fund, which she launched to support mental-health charities and reduce the stigma associated with mental health. She’ll perform in Chicago at 7 p.m. on Jan. 23 at the United Center. For more, click here.
Borsato abbondanza
Casa Scalabrini Village will showcase its extensive collection of porcelain figurines during an open house for its Borsato Museum at 2 p.m. on Jan. 28. The facility’s collection of figurines by Antonino Borsato is one of the largest in the world, with more than 100 of his best pieces on display in the museum. Hors d’oeuvres will be served. Casa Scalabrini Village is located at 420 N. Wolf Road in Northlake. Call 708-394-7427 to RSVP.
Giving tree
A pair of Italian Americans teamed up with several other local artists to transform the remains of a 200-year-old elm tree into a work of art. Rising up from the grounds of Ragdale in Lake Forest, “Diversity of Birds” was created by Jyl Bonaguro and Mia Capodilupo and fellow artists Margot McMahon, Anthony Heinz May, Nicole Beck, Julia Sulmasy, and Fredy Hauman Mallqui. Located at 1260 N. Green Bay Road, Ragdale is an artist residency program and community (ragdale.org). The Ragdale Tree Project was spearheaded by Chicago Sculpture International (chicagosculpture.org). The CSI has collaborated with the Chicago Park District to create more than 50 public sculptures from dead and dying trees. For more about Chicago Sculpture International, click here. For more about The Ragdale Tree Project, click here.
Sumptuous showcase
European history buffs will have a field day at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Deering Family Galleries of Medieval and Renaissance Art, Arms and Armor. Unveiled in 2017, the expansive exhibit showcases nearly 700 objects from the museum’s rich holdings of art from 1200 to 1600 as well as an extensive arms and armor collection. Among the Italian items on display are a terra-cotta altarpiece by Florentine Benedetto Buglioni, works of art for the bedchambers of Tuscany’s merchant elite, and a tempera-on-panel diptych of the Virgin and Child Enthroned and the Crucifixion (pictured). For more, click here.
Several of these look very interesting. Thanks for sending.