Directed by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen
Composed and conducted by Jeremy Jacobsen
Produced by Smog Veil Records and co-presented with the MCA in partnership with the Chicago Humanities Festival. Sponsored in part by SAIC.
Two performances:
1 and 3 pm
Free program, reservations required. Contact the Chicago Humanities Festival ticket office at (312) 494-9509 or www.chfestival.org.
Created as a way to unburden the mind, this public art project draws on everyday people as creators and participants. Conceived by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen and culled from the Finnish word valituskuoro - literally "complaints choir" - the project is a play on the phrase's irony, describing the power of negative energy and humanity's tendency to complain en masse. Complaints of all shapes and sizes, submitted by Chicagoans, are crafted into compositions and sung by the participant choir in a joyous tribute. The project has already been realized in unique forms in ten cities around the world, but Chicago is the first official Complaints Choir in the U.S. The Chicago performance, conducted by Jeremy Jacobsen, premieres at the MCA with two performances and additional performances at other area locations following later in the week, the process of which will be recorded for a documentary film.
Trio:
Jeremy Jacobsen, piano
Nick Macri, bass
Charles Rumback, percussion
For more information about Complaints Choir.
Additional performances by Complaints Choir take place Sunday, November 4 aboard a Chicago Trolley, departing from Franklin and Ontario streets at approximately 3:30p, with performances planned for (all times are approximate):
- Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, 4-4:15 pm
- Whole Foods Market parking lot at Roosevelt and Canal streets, 4:45-5 pm
- WBEZ station entrance on Navy Pier, 5:45-6 pm
Watch the performance on You Tube.