Constellation

Year in Review: Jazz Photos of 2015

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Jazz and photography.  I love them both.  Here are my favorites from the year. 

Photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved. 

Chamber music and whiskey shots: a recap of June

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June was filled with music.  So. Much. Music.  Spektral Quartet rocked The Hideout so hard, the boys needed whiskey shots.  Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago closed out its season with French art songs performed by Juliet Petrus and Matthew Gemmill at PianoForte Foundation.  Some highlights from the Rush Hour Concerts season include the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia performed by violinist Liba Schacht and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's principal cellist John Sharp, and a beautiful concert by the trio of John Macfarlane, Brant Taylor, and Winston Choi.  Alice Teyssier and the International Contemporary Ensemble blew away a packed Constellation with Daniel Dehaan's "Trompe l'Corps."  And soprano J'nai Bridges hit some serious high notes during Make Music Chicago.  Click through the gallery below for a selection. 

Spektral Quartet plays new ringtones

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Forget the canned default music programmed on your phone.  Spektral Quartet has launched a brilliant project that brings new, fresh music to your device - and everywhere else you go.  The quartet commissioned more than 40 composers across the country to write ringtones, alerts, and alarms.  The result is Mobile Miniatures - dozens of tiny masterpieces for your phone.  On Saturday, the Spektrals gave a ringtone party at Constellation, including the premiere performance of several pieces, curated listening stations on phones from olden days, and two ringtones composed live that night.  I was thrilled to photograph the event and to walk among so many accomplished artists.  Check out a few of my shots below, then go download some new ringtones!

Spektral Quartet plays a brand new ringtone.

Spektral Quartet plays a brand new ringtone.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Shulamit Ran listens to the big red lips phone.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Shulamit Ran listens to the big red lips phone.

Go get ringtones!

Go get ringtones!

Ye olde talking device from olden times. 

Ye olde talking device from olden times. 

Composer Marcos Balter does his thing. 

Composer Marcos Balter does his thing.