20 Years of Musical Excellence
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Mission

The Mission of the Chicago Sinfonietta is to serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music through the presentation of the highest quality orchestral concerts and related programs. The Chicago Sinfonietta aspires to remove the barriers to participation in, and appreciation of classical music through its educational and outreach programs that expose children and their families to classical music, and by providing professional development opportunities for young musicians and composers of diverse backgrounds enabling new, important voices to be heard. This will help America become a true cultural democracy, in which everyone can share fully in its cultural resources and in which all can contribute to it cultural richness.

History

For 21 seasons, the Chicago Sinfonietta has enriched the cultural, educational and social quality of life in Chicago while gaining significant recognition on the national and international stage. Under the guidance of Founding Music Director Paul Freeman, the orchestra performs at the highest artistic level and has achieved an outstanding reputation for its innovative programs. The Sinfonietta is dedicated to the authentic performance of Classical, Romantic and Contemporary repertoire and excels at presenting imaginative new works by composers and soloists of color.

During the first ten years, the Sinfonietta embarked on a number of successful U.S., European and overseas tours including concerts in Germany, Austria, the Canary Islands, and at the Kennedy Center, and mounted equally successful seasons at home. By 1997 the Sinfonietta was attracting 1,100 season subscribers, had released nine recordings, and had an annual budget of $1.2 million. Artists presented during our first decade included the Vienna Boys Choir, Ben Vereen, Marian McPartland, and many others.

Since 1997 the Sinfonietta has released three additional recordings, seen its subscriber base increase to a high of 1,600, and performed with an incredible cross-section of artists including Poi Dog Pondering, the Congo Square Theater Company, Howard Levy, Rachel Barton, Orbert Davis, R. Carlos Nakai, and the Apostolic Church of God Choir, to name just a few.

Maestro Paul Freeman, Founding Music Director, can be heard in more than 150 cities across America as the co-host of the syndicated National Public Radio program, The Global Maestro. In addition, Maestro Freeman serves as the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1996.

The Chicago Sinfonietta’s vision of inclusiveness also extends beyond the concert hall. To help develop tomorrow’s musicians and audience members, the orchestra has created an innovative outreach program entitled Audience Matters. In collaboration with the Chicago Public Schools, this program provides in-depth music programming and subsidized tickets to Sinfonietta concerts for students in underserved areas of Chicago.

The orchestra performs in Chicago’s renowned Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center and has been the orchestra in residence at Dominican University in River Forest since 1987. Chicago Sinfonietta musicians truly represent the city’s rich cultural landscape, and continue to fulfill the orchestra’s mission of Musical Excellence through Diversity.