Chicago Lifestyle Podcast & Video Blog
In this podcast episode I present my film review as well as share some personal recollections of the Maxwell Street and Halsted shopping district where the music known as Chicago Blues sprang to life. If you want a glimpse at a piece of the not …
This podcast episode can be described as a day in the life of a Jeopardy! champion. As a huge fan of the popular game show I was very excited to talk with seven time winner Brian Chang about the behind the scenes action from a …
My wife Julie and I were on hand Friday, January 27th, 2023 at Lighthouse ArtSpace to celebrate the 267th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which included a sneak peek kickoff of their newest experiential exhibit – – Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius. Before the doors opened to the general public and V.I.P guests I had an opportunity to record and exclusive interview with the production’s musical director, Maestro Constantine Orbelian which you can hear in the podcast above.
Past ArtSpace presentations have featured the works of visual artists such as Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. The unusual multi-media exhibits employ cutting edge projection techniques to create a 360 degree immersive visual experience. This particular Mozart presentation is the first to feature a musician. The producers assembled the expert creative team of Massimiliano Siccardi (Artistic Creator), Luca Longobardi (Composer) and Vittorio Guidotti (Artistic Director) to craft dream-like 18th century inspired imagery.
Mozart Immersive will have its world premiere in Chicago, March 10, 2023 at the Lighthouse ArtSpace on the corner of Clark Street and Germania Place with no immediate plans for the exhibit to travel to other cities.
Terri Hemmert of WXRT Radio acted as host and emcee for the birthday bash with live music by The Ryan Center Ensemble featuring Basso vocalist William Clay Thompson singing an aria from Don Giovanni with Chris Reynolds on Piano followed by an expert chamber quartet from The Music of the Baroque performing the ever popular Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Divertimento in D Major.
The final production will be a kind of retrospective of highlights from the short life of Mozart. The program integrates video re-enactments alongside the animation. Many will be delighted to see legendary dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov in the heart-rending role of Mozart’s father, Leopold.
The music arranged by Composer, Luca Longobardi, that will accompany the Mozart Immersive production was recorded under the baton of four-time Grammy Nominated Maestro Orbelian, by the Lithuanian, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra where he is chief conductor.
Take a listen to the podcast (at the top of this page) to enjoy my conversation with the Maestro.
Details: Tickets are on sale now for Mozart Immersive at http://mozartimmersive.com
Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago is at 108 W. Germania Place off Clark Street just one block south of North Avenue.
(Photo-credit: Kyle-Flubacker)
It’s a shame that too often these days, individuals resort to firearms to settle disputes. Certainly no one wants to be assaulted physically under any circumstances but people seems to turn to the use of deadly force quickly and easily and with little thought or …
In 2011 Harry Osterman was elected alderman for the 48th Ward replacing the outgoing ward representative on the city council Mary Ann Smith. After three terms representing the northside ward that covers parts of Edgewater, Andersonville and Uptown, Osterman announced in July 2022 that he …
The management of the 58th Annual Chicago International Film Festival tried something new with a full blown outside Opening Night Block Party and Red Carpet Event.
Luckily the weather cooperated providing neighbors and film patrons a glitzy and glamorous outside spectacular with trivia games, improv show, food and other entertainment. It’s a risky time of year for outside events in Chicago but hopefully it will be the beginning of a tradition.
Our video includes interviews and crowd comments featuring cast members, producers and director from the opening night film “A Compassionate Spy.” Film makers Mercedes Kane, Donald Conley, Duro Howard, Jr., each of whom have subjects dealing with Chicago themes.
Author Mary Pat Kelly talks a bit about her biography of Martin Scorsese.
Take a look at our short video and get a glimpse of what you missed and a little of what you have to look forward to at the festival over the next two weeks.
The duo of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were the genius songwriters behind several hit Broadway musicals with many of their numbers going on to become standards in the Great American Songbook. This Madkap Production of “Falling for Make Believe” at the Skokie Theatre purports …
Horace Vandergelder meets his match in the person of Dolly Levi in the Marriott Lincolnshire production of “Hello Dolly.” The popular Jerry Herman musical based on Thornton Wilder’s hit play “The Matchmaker” is a perfect wedding of story and music. No doubt the original 1964 …
The music of Regina Harris Baiocchi performed by the Six degrees Jazz Ensemble was the opening act for the 2022 Chicago Jazz Festival. Baiocchi dubbed this a performance of love and peace. This video produced by Chicago Broadcasting Network Executive Producer Reno Lovison includes a multi-media finale of Baiocchi’s composition “Farafina” a tribute to the Black Lives Matter Movement.
I had a little melodramatic fun with this review/announcement of the world premiere hybrid radio drama, Orson Welles’ Dracula onstage at the Raven Theatre, at Clark & Granville through September 25, 2022. The Glass Apple Theatre cast includes: Andrew Bosworth as Dracula . . . …
Update: We are reposting this article in memory of Stann Champion (born Stanley Higgins) May 16,1952 – August 16, 2022. Elixir Strings Proudly Announces the selection of Chicago Award Winning Culture Music Legend Stann Champion for Elixir’s, “Endorsing Artist Program” for 2019. Based in Chicago, …
This episode of our podcast is a remix of an earlier interview conducted by Chicago based journalist Brett Stewart recorded with Blues authority Bill Dahl, feature writer for the Chicago Tribune, radio broadcaster and author of the books , “Motown the Golden Years” and more recently “Art of the Blues – A Visual Treasury of Black Music’s Golden Age.”
Bill recalls his encounters with legendary performers like Muddy Waters, Lonnie Brooks, Professor Longhair, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Johnson, Buddy Guy, and others and remembers the clubs that featured them like Biddy Mulligan’s in Rogers Park and Wise Fools Pub on Lincoln.
Bill Dahl has had a long career writing liner notes for many Blues and soul records including one that earned him a Grammy nomination.
At Chicago Broadcasting Network we aim to bring you interesting information about Chicago people, places and performing arts as well as Chicago history and this episode has it all.
Most of our episodes are under twenty minutes but this interview was full of so much cool and unique information about Chicago and the Blues that I found it difficult to cut too deep.
So put on your headphones or crank up your speakers and enjoy this conversation with guest contributor Brett Stewart and Grammy-nominated liner notes writer and author of “Art of the Blues” Bill Dahl.
Thanks to Chicago based journalist Brett Stewart for sharing this recorded Bill Dahl interview with Chicago Broadcasting Network.
You can learn more about Brett at tiltingwindmillstudios.com or follow him on twitter @iambrettstewart .
If you enjoy listening to content related to Chicago history, Chicago people and places, as well as lifestyle and the arts including Chicago musicians and authors, be sure to LIKE, FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE to our podcast.
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NOTE: “This interview was part of a larger series called Exploring the Blues in Chicago. Check it out here (https://tiltingwindmillstudios.com/exploringtheblues/). Music in the series was performed by Frank Bang & the Cook County Kings and Derrick Procell.”
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