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2 0 1 6 G R AN T PA R K MU S I C F E S T I VA L
CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF THE
MACARTHUR FELLOWSHIP
In 2016, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation celebrates 35 years
of its iconic MacArthur Fellows Program. Dubbed “genius grants” by the media,
the MacArthur Fellowship recognizes exceptionally creative individuals with a
track record of achievement and the potential for significant contributions in the
future. The Foundation also supports more than 300 Chicago-area arts and culture
organizations annually, including our Festival.
The Grant Park Music Festival is proud to take part in the celebration by presenting
a week-long collaboration curated by renowned conductor
Marin Alsop
(2005
MacArthur Fellow) in July.
Alsop is the Music Director of the Baltimore and Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestras and
is among the most accomplished conductors working today. She is deeply committed
to educational programming and development of music for all ages. Known for her
concert presentation, she often addresses audiences directly and previews short
passages demonstrating themes and motifs of pieces to be played. These engaging
presentations demystify challenging music for a wide range of audiences.
Kicking off the celebration on Wednesday, July 20, Alsop conducts the Grant Park
Orchestra inmultimedia event
Philip Glass: A Journey Through Time
, which features
cellist
Alisa Weilerstein
(2011 MacArthur Fellow) in “21st-century Baroque adagio”
Azul
by Argentina-born composer
Osvaldo Golijov
(2003 MacArthur Fellow).
Over the weekend, July 22 and 23, Alsop leads the Grant Park Orchestra with an
exploration through immigration and assimilation, in a program that includes
Dvoˇrák’s
New World Symphony
. MacArthur 2006 Fellow
Regina Carter
, this
generation’s foremost jazz violinist, guest solos on
Duke Ellington
’s
Imagine My
Frustration
and two excerpts from Ellington’s
Black, Brown, and Beige
, his 1943
jazz suite illustrating the struggles of early African Americans.
The Festival is grateful to the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation for its generous support of its week-
long collaboration with conductor Marin Alsop.
Left to right: Marin Alsop conducts
LIFE: A Journey Through Time
in New York; Photo
from Frans Lanting’s multimedia exhibit; Regina Carter, 2006 MacArthur Fellow