Chicago Symphony Orchestra's open rehearsal for invited donors, community groups and the CSO's concerts has been set for February 18-20 with frequent guest conductor Manfred Honeck, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, announced as the guest conductor. The CSO's own Music Director, Riccardo Muti, was scheduled to helm the event but had to withdraw from all February's concerts and activities in Chicago due to a recent accident and subsequent convalescence.
Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who has stepped in to lead this and next week's CSO concerts, has also agreed to lead the 2016 Chicago Youth in Music Festival open rehearsal with the Festival Orchestra on Monday, February 15, with Manfred Honeck stepping in to lead the company's open rehearsal 18-20.
The program for the CSO's open rehearsal includes Respighi's Fountains of Rome and the Concerto Gregoriano featuring CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen as soloist, as previously announced, while Symphony No. 3 by Alfredo Casella has been replaced on the program by Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6.
In a member of the bass section happens to feel unwell going into any of those shows, newcomer Sam Loeck will be stepping in for them.
In related CSO news, the Lincoln Journal Star has announced that the graduate of Lincoln East High School was recently named as the alternate in the bass section:
"Last year [Loeck] began graduate studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he currently studies with Bruce Bransby.
"This year he won the concerto competition at Indiana and appeared as a soloist. Last summer, he studied at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival, and at the Moritzburg Festival Academy in Dresden, Germany."
To get your tickets to any of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's concerts be sure to head over to their official website, contact the box office at (312) 294-3000, or pick them up in person at 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
