Bridget Skaggs
A look at the faces that looked at me this year, and a peek behind the scenes as we made it happen. Many thanks to Ashley, Bradford, Magdalena, Melissa, Michelle, and Bridget for being your fabulous selves; and to Angela, Christine, and Lillian for your expert styling.
Learn about how to make your portrait session happen and shoot with me in 2021!
My view of 2019 included plenty of great music from all over Chicago, especially my photographer debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I braved the polar vortex along Lake Michigan and gazed at the night sky in far west Texas. And right in the middle of all of it, I stepped in front of the camera to ask Bridget a very important question. Wishing you joy and beauty in 2020!
January: My visit with a snowy owl on Northerly Island.
January: the polar vortex gripped the city, so I went outside.
February: the Lunar New Year parade winds through Millennium Park.
March: Punditry in all its glory at the Spertus Institute.
April: Gauthier Dance Company at the Harris Theater, mixing it up with the audience.
May: The Chicago Children’s Choir painting the town red in Millennium Park.
May: David Finckel and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Harris Theater.
May: Marc-André Hamelin in recital against a spring sunset at Northwestern.
May: Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque opening its Musical Feast Gala.
June: My exhibit of jazz photography extends through the summer at PurePoint Financial.
July: the Bitter Jester Music Festival rocking out under Fourth of July fireworks.
July: after a 4-hour photo shoot, I ask Bridget to marry me and she says yes!
August: Kurt Elling belts it out at the Green Mill.
September: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg addresses an adoring audience at the 30th Anniversary Gala for Cedille Records.
September: Music of the Baroque opens its 49th season.
September: Third Coast Baroque opens its season at Nichols Concert Hall.
October: The Chicago Children’s Choir concludes another record-breaking Red Jacket Optional gala.
October: Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic open their 30th season - my 6th as their photographer.
October: Fourth Coast Ensemble sings to a packed room at the Logan Center.
October: Vladimir Kulenovic leads the Lake Forest Symphony.
October: Victor Yampolsky leads the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Beethoven’s Ninth.
October: Wu Man gives a wide-ranging recital on the pipa at the University of Chicago.
November: I make my debut covering the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Maestro Riccardo Muti honors Acting Principal Horn Daniel Gingrich.
November: Wynton Marsalis drops some wisdom in the schools during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s weekend residency in Chicago,
November: the Marcus Roberts Trio joins the Chicago Philharmonic for one killer rendition of Gerswhin’s Piano Concerto in F.
November: bonus shot of Marcus Roberts.
November: the Pleiades Cluster (right) and a billion other stars, appear above Big Bend National Park.
November: a magical sky on the border above the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park.
December: Ashley Bryan (96) celebrates the release of his memoir, Infinite Hope, at the Univ of Pennsylvania.
The many faces of 2019! Thank you to all these wonderful musicians, arts advocates, and educators for tolerating my witty banter, flashing lights, and entire cans of hairspray while making portraits together. Additional gratitude to Angela Brasington, Christine Sciortino, Kimberly Cox, and Lillian Sakamaki for their hair and makeup styling expertise.
Photos © copyright 2019 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Look at all these wonderful people making the world better with beautiful art! Thanks to all for their trust and enthusiasm. Plus, I joined in and got a new headshot myself. Hair and makeup by Angela Brasington, Christine Sciortino, Kimberly Cox, and Andrea Samuels. Photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
A year of big performances, big venues, big voices, and big ovations. Here’s a look at my favorite music photos from 2018. Applause to all!
All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianist Shannon McGinnis open the 2018 Collaborative Works Festival (Sept 5, 2018).
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han celebrate the Harris Theater’s 15th Anniversary (Oct 3, 2018)
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard accepts the ovation at University of Chicago (March 6, 2018).
Jane Glover leads Music of the Baroque in its Millennium Park debut (Sept 12, 2018).
Kurt Elling in full voice at a packed Green Mill (June 22, 2018).
Chicago Children’s Choir belting it out in Millennium Park (May 24, 2018).
Fourth Coast Ensemble opens its 5th season in Frank Lloyd Wright’s stunning Unity Temple (Nov 2, 2018).
Soprano Nicole Cabell and pianist Craig Terry melt all the hearts Beyond the Aria (May 17, 2018).
Bella Voce stand and sing as one during their annual gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art (May 19, 2018).
Axe-slingin’ at the annual Bitter Jester Music Festival (July 4, 2018).
Victor Yampolsky and the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra after a blistering Mahler 5 (Feb 3, 2018).
I found a neat little corner at the Copernicus Center for this angle on Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic’s season opening concert (Nov 10, 2018).
Eric Snoza is the bassist in blue for Daren Hagen’s “Orson Rehearsed” (Sept 14, 2018).
Stephen Burns and the Fulcrum Point New Music Project’s annual Concert for Peace at Harris Theater (Dec 19, 2018).
The Zukerman Trio headlines the Music Institute of Chicago’s gala weekend (May 20, 2018).
Maestro Stanley Sperber leads the masses in the International Music Foundation’s DIY Messiah (Dec 17, 2018), though one face stood out from the crowd…
…Applause for Mr. Claus. (Dec 17, 2018).
Summer is even more unpredictable than the rest of the year, but the last three months gave me some wonderful shoots with longtime friends and colleagues, cool kids being their cool selves, lots of great tunes, and a big open look at the Milky Way on a perfectly dark night in Colorado. Behind the scenes, I've made significant investments in my business and I'm looking forward to sharing some big projects, news, and more views in the fall!
All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Look at all these wonderful people!
Top, L-R: Bridget Skaggs, Juliet Petrus, Ashley Bryan. Mid, L-R: Lauren Haselberger, Robert Nordling, Alexandra Ganser. Bottom, L-R: Penelope Turgeon, Sarah Forbes Orwig, Anna Sanders Lee, Charles Thomas.
Photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Throughout my work with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, I've been introduced to one of Chicago's newest vocal quartets, Fourth Coast Ensemble. I've shot the individual members of 4CE in several master classes and coachings, and it was a pleasure to shoot their performance of music by Lita Grier and Ned Rorem at Ganz Hall with pianist Dana Brown. Pictured: soprano Karen Ann Baron; mezzo-soprano Bridget Skaggs; tenor Zach Vanderburg; baritone Zach Angus.
Photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
The Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago closed out its 2014-15 season this month, and with it, my second season shooting for them. Through terrific recital programming, a series of master classes, and expert coachings, CAIC has added a vibrant art-song presence to Chicago's music scene, and I've been happy to see its audience grow at each event. Congratulations to my friends at CAIC on another wonderful season - I was happy to see it all, once again, through the camera.
All photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.
Joshua Hopkins, Kelley O'Connor, Susanna Phillips, Nicholas Phan at Poetry Foundation
Michelle DeYoung and Kevin Murphy at Harold Washington Library
J'nai Bridges at Dixon Stein
John Brancy and Peter Dugan at Logan Center
Maureen Zoltek at Dixon Stein
J'nai Bridges at Dixon Stein
John Brancy and Peter Dugan at Logan Center
Dr. Timothy Cheek coaches Czech singing
Dr. Timothy Cheek coaches Czech singing
Martin Katz coaches French music
Martin Katz coaches French music
Bridget Skaggs performs in a master class
