Ravinia 2025 Issue 3

PAVILION 7:30 PM FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2025 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MARIN ALSOP, conductor BRUCE LIU, piano † SIMON AMEN! * (performed without breaks between movements) Lively Soulfully Mysteriously RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini Bruce Liu –Intermission– STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring : Scenes of Pagan Russia in Two Parts Part One: The Adoration of the Earth Introduction Harbingers of Spring: Dance of the Adolescents Abduction Spring Rounds Games of the Rival Towns The Procession of the Wise Man Dance of the Earth Part Two: The Sacrifice Introduction Mysterious Circles of the Adolescents Glorification of the Chosen One Evocation of the Ancestors Ritual of the Ancestors The Sacrificial Dance of the Chosen One † Ravinia debut ** First performance by the CSO and at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Spotlight Sponsor Hunter Family Foundation . Bruce Liu’s appearance is made possible in part by the Maxine M. Hunter Guest Artist Fund . CARLOS SIMON (b. 1986) AMEN! Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two B-flat clarinets and bass clarinet, four horns, three trumpets, tuba, timpani, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, two large whips, tubular bells, tambourine, bass drum, tom-toms, 20-inch suspended cymbal, 12-inch splash cymbal, suspended cymbal, triangle, shaker, tam- tam, piano, and strings “Classical music gives me so much freedom to experiment,” composer Carlos Simon stated in a recent interview. “You don’t have to follow the rules in the same way as in other mediums like jazz. I can play with almost an endless number of sound combinations that don’t exist anywhere else, and this allows me to say what I want to say in music.” Growing up in Atlanta, GA, Si- mon experienced music as part of worship at the church his father served as pastor. The small congregation lacked a pianist, so 10-year-old Carlos began lessons so that he could play for church. Though his family only allowed gospel music in the home, playing by ear and improvis- ing were Simon’s first tastes of musical freedom. His formal training expanded over time through studies at Morehouse College, Georgia State University, and the University of Michigan, where his composition teachers included Mi- chael Daugherty and Evan Chambers. He also participated in the Film Scoring Summer Work- shop at New York University and at the Holly- wood Music Workshop in Baden, Austria, with well-known Hollywood conductor, orchestrator, and producer Conrad Pope. As a composition fellow at the 2018 Sundance Institute—held at the historic Skywalker Ranch—Simon com- posed An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave , a string quartet honoring the lives of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner. He has served on the music faculties of Spelman College, Morehouse College, and, since 2019, George- town University. After joining the Georgetown faculty, Simon became involved in the Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation Project, which confronted “the university’s role in the injustice of slavery.” This activism resulted in the gripping 10-movement Requiem for the Enslaved , commemorating the 272 enslaved African Americans whom the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesu- its) sold to Louisiana slave owners Henry John- son and Jesse Batey in 1838 to fund Georgetown College (now University). The Library of Con- gress hosted its virtual premiere on November 5, 2021, a performance featuring Hub New Music, hip-hop artist Marco Pavé, trumpeter MK Zulu, and Simon playing piano. These artists later re- leased a recording on Decca that was nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award for Best Contempo- rary Classical Composition. Simon garnered further acclaim as a recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, “the high- RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JUNE 30 – JULY 20, 2025 62