This is somewhat off-topic, but still involves a group of smart Chicago artists doing interesting things, which is why I decided to post a mention of it here anyway...

This weekend I had the chance to see the inaugural performance of a new Chicago group called the Erato Chamber Orchestra, down at the magnificent Chicago Cultural Center (former home of the city library's central branch for a century, now the host of literally half a dozen free cultural events every single day, courtesy of our city government). The orchestra is an interesting one, I think; made up mostly of musicians who were professionals anyway, they are mostly dedicated to the love-labor of experimental work, minor pieces and other music that does not usually get produced by large chamber groups such as symphonies and orchestras.

This first performance of theirs featured among other things a world premiere by Stacy Garrop, a postmodernist orchestral composer based right here in Chicago; that led my friend, writer and former cartoonist Carrie Golus, down to the concert as part of an interview she's doing with Garrop for the University of Chicago alumni magazine, which in turn is what led me down there myself. And see, I used to be involved with orchestral music myself when in my youth, for those who don't know -- I play both piano and trumpet, belonged to a plethora of chamber groups when young, and am even a member of music fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi -- so of course ended up loving not only the group but also the setting and the show, which besides Garrop also featured Aaron Copland's "Music for the Theatre" and Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61.

They're an interesting group with a unique mission, an eclectic collection of talent that only a large city like Chicago can put together. I encourage all of you to stop by the Erato Orchestra website for more, and especially encourage all you fellow Chicagoans to get out to one of their upcoming performances. Oh, and you can click here if you want to see more photos from the show itself, hosted over at my Flickr account.