Critic’s Choice

Tue Mar 10, 2015 at 1:53 pm

By Lawrence A. Johnson

Civitas

The Civitas Ensemble is among Chicago’s finest and most adventurous chamber groups. Civitas members (Chicago Symphony Orchestra assistant concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu, assistant principal cellist Kenneth Olsen and clarinetist J. Lawrie Bloom, along with pianist Winston Choi) will be joined by guest musicians Sunday for a concert made up entirely of music by Chinese-American composers.

Co-presented with the Chinese Fine Arts Society, the program will offer two world premieres, both commissioned by Civitas: Emanations of Tara by Yao Chen, and Five Elements with Five Movements by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long. Also on tap are To the Four Corners by Huang Ruo and Roundabouts by Anthony Cheung.

Concert time is 3 p.m. Sunday at Nichols Concert Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston. There will be a pre-concert discussion at 2 p.m. and post-concert reception. civitasensemble.org

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Pierre Boulez has been a missing presence in Chicago in recent seasons, both on the podium and regarding his music. Pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich will help fill the void, marking the French composer’s 90th birthday by performing his complete piano music 3 p.m. Sunday at Symphony Center. cso.org; 312-294-3000.

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