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.

This was a wild ride of a year. I shot tons of fabulous music. Philip Glass signed my photo of Philip Glass playing Philip Glass. I covered Kurt Elling in the studio and created his latest batch of publicity portraits. Spektral Quartet's album "Serious Business," which includes my cover photo, was nominated for a Grammy. I sat next to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for 15 seconds. I gazed at the Milky Way from the tiny island of Islesford, Maine. And right in the middle of it all, I presented my jazz photography portfolio at the American Embassy in Vienna, Austria. Thanks to all of you for being a part of a wonderful 2016! Enjoy this gallery of a few of my favorites.