Bizet's "Djamileh" : Chicago Cultural Center's 10th Annual Free Summer Opera

GEORGES BIZET'S DJAMILEH

10^th Annual Chicago Cultural Center Summer Opera

The Midwest premiere of a one-act fairy tale from the composer of Carmen

Sunday, August 3, 3:30 pm

Tuesday, August 5, 7:30 pm

Thursday, August 7, 7:30 pm

Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street

Free admission

A little-known gem, this delightful opera follows the devoted, beautiful Djamileh in her quest to win over the blasé young nobleman Haroun. The sparkling mosaics of Preston Bradley Hall and its newly restored Tiffany stained glass dome serve as the backdrop to this tale of love in an Egyptian palace. An opening performance of music for oud and percussion explores the sounds of the Turkish nobleman's court, setting the scene for an evocative evening.

The opera is directed by Patrizia Acerra and features Katherine Pracht (mezzo-soprano), Cornelius Johnson (tenor), and Bill McMurray (baritone), with members of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago under the direction of Maestro Francesco Milioto. The Summer Opera Chorus, which is comprised of some of Chicago's brightest young students, is directed by Dr. Dana Brown. The set and costumes will be created by designers Carol Blanchard and Kurt Sharp. The opera is performed in English.

Admission is free but tickets are required. Tickets (limit four per person) must be obtained in person at the Storefront Theater Box Office, 66 E. Randolph Street. Hours are noon – 6 pm, Tuesday – Saturday. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on a first come, first served basis. For more information, call 312.742.TIXS.

The ESO Celebrates the 400th Anniversary of Québec City With a FREE Concert

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Celebrates the 400^th Anniversary of Québec City,

with a special FREE Performance

Sunday June, 22^nd- 2pm

Edmonton, AB …The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra finishes off the 07.08 season with a FREE performance celebrating the 400^th anniversary of Québec City. Conducted by Red Deer Symphony Music Director Claude Lapalme, this performance is a tribute to all things French-Canadian! Maestro LaPalme will be joined by the University of Alberta’s Chorale Saint-Jean, their Music Director, Laurier Fagnan, and ESO Concertmaster Martin Riseley for a concert with music by Robert Franon, Claude Champagne, Francois Dompierre, and much more!

Hosting the afternoon’s performance will be Canadian Senator Claudette Tardiff and CBC Radio-Canada’s Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko.

Attendance is free. This is a general admission event. Doors open at 1pm. Performance begins at 2pm. Runtime is approximately 70 minutes with no intermission. After the performance, stay downtown to take in The Works, Edmonton's Art and Design Festival.

For more information- please visit www.edmontonsymphony.com .

This performance is made possible through generous funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

This performance is generously sponsored by National Bank Financial

Media Sponsors: Espace Musique & the Edmonton Journal

Do it in ... June at Yonge-Dundas Square!

YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE

DO IT IN PUBLIC... THIS JUNE!

This June, Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) invites everyone to... DO IT IN PUBLIC! Or, at the very least, watch, listen, dance, and shop Š in public! With two free original concert series, a summer of big-screen romances, indie arts markets and spectacular guest events such as Luminato and North by Northeast, YDS is bursting with fun all summer long.

SERENADES IN THE SQUARE, Wednesdays @ Noon, Free Admission
Do it on your lunch hour Š in public! YDS hosts Serenades in the Square, a weekly series of free midday concerts featuring some of Canada's hottest new performers. Concerts start at 12 Noon. Lunchtime is about to get a whole lot tastier!

Wednesday, June 18 Flat Fifth
Pop meets jazz in this melodic five-piece from South Shore, Nova Scotia. With piano, guitar, fiddle, double bass, harmonica, percussion and vocals, Flat Fifth creates an infectious, fresh sound that shows the influence of artists such as Steely Dan, Ben Folds, The Beatles, Nat King Cole, Monte Alexander, Duke Ellington and Joe Jackson.

Wednesday, June 25 Ciara Adams
With her incredible vocal prowess and undeniable charisma, Ciara Adams is a talent that, once experienced, is never forgotten. A classically trained opera singer with a background in cabaret and a love of jazz, Adams blends cabaret, pop, electronica and jazzy grooves to create a style all her own.


Citytv and OMNI Television present
MONDO MUZIKO A-GO-GO!
Fridays, June 27 - September 19, 8-10 pm, Free Admission
Do it on Friday nights! Mondo Muziko A-Go-Go sets your burner to sizzle with a concert series that'll get hips swaying and temperatures rising - muy caliente !

Fri. June 27 Psychotropical Orchestra

It's a psycho-tropical brew of Latin rhythms, afrobeat, dub-reggae and straight-up rock with a dash of psychedelia, served up in a groove-busting, high-energy show.

Future Shop presents CITY CINEMA
ROMANTIC REELS 2008
Tuesdays at Sunset, June 24 - August 26, Free Admission
Tuesday night is movie night at YDS and this summer, the season is dedicated to the most romantic movies of all time Š as voted by you! Our countdown begins with that sweeping saga of southern love, lust and war. Lawzy!

Gone With the Wind (Part I - June 24; Part II - Mon. June 30)
It won a record-setting 10 Academy Awards, was named the 6th greatest movie of all time by the American Film Institute, and was voted by Torontonians as one of the most romantic movies ever made. Don't miss this opportunity to see virile Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and wily flirt Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) as they were meant to be seen - on a huge screen!


ARTS AT THE HEART
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and all Holidays, May 9 - October 26, Free Admission
Yonge Dundas Square hosts ARTS AT THE HEART, a fabulously eclectic marketplace featuring unique work from local artists, artisans and designers.


MORE FREE EVENTS AT YDS
June 6-11 Luminato - Toronto's Festival of Arts and Creativity
June 12-14 North By Northeast (NXNE) concerts and music marketplace
June 28 Mexico: Cultural & Gastronomic Festival
July 1 Multicultural Canada Day Festival


Admission is FREE to all these events at YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE!
Programming is subject to change.
For more information visithttp://www.ydsquare.ca.