CPC Concert Series
The CPC Concert Series was established in 2019 as a ministry of CPC to bring top quality music to the community. We offer three concerts per year covering a wide range of musical styles from classical to modern, both instrumental and vocal, and featuring musicians from our area. The Concert Series Committee recognizes the capacity of music to calm, uplift, delight, solace, unify and much more, thereby enriching our community through these gifts of music.
Upcoming Concert Series
The 2024-25 Concert Series Season has ended! We hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to next year. If you are not on our mailing list, please email concerts.chcpc@gmail.com to be added to the email list announcing next year's series!
These concerts could not happen without the support of sponsors. If you renewed to be a sponsor of past CPC Concert Series, we thank you wholeheartedly for your generosity. If you haven’t renewed yet or wish to become a sponsor for the upcoming season, click the button below to donate. To see information on all levels of sponsorship, click the button below for a Sponsorship Card that you can download, print, fill out, and mail. Your gift will be acknowledged as a tax-deductible donation to Community Presbyterian Church.
Have a question about the Concert Series? Want to be the first to know about the new season? Want to be added to the Concert Series email list? Want us to consider a musical performer (self promotion is allowed) for a future concert?
Then send an email to concerts.chcpc@gmail.com!
Past Concert Series
2024-25 Concert Series
Josie Falbo Jazz Quintet
Sunday, January 12, 2025 3:00 pm
Josie is one of Chicago's busiest and most frequently heard studio singers for over 35 years. Vocally she can deliver the Gospel power of Mahalia Jackson, rock as hard as Pat Benatar, Be-Bop with the best of them, or perform today's contemporary hits with a style and sound that will amaze and impress any audience. The program, “Swinging Ladies of Jazz,” will incorporate songs made famous by the most revered female jazz singers.
Josie will be joined by Jeremy Kahn (piano), Eric Hochberg (bass), Bob Rummage (drums), and Eric Schneider (saxophone). ​
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View the program HERE
Family Concert: Wendy and DB
Sunday, January 26, 2025
This concert will feature singer/songwriting team Wendy & DB - a multicultural, award-winning children's music duo. They write their songs with inclusion, diversity, love, kindness and family values, and their themes examine the world with curiosity. This interactive musical event is suitable for the whole family, young and young at heart.
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The Chicago-based duo consists of Wendy Morgan, a singer/songwriter for over 20 years, and Darryl Boggs, who has been making music professionally for over 30 years. You can learn more about Wendy and DB by clicking here to visit their website.​​
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​View the program HERE
KAIA String Quartet
Sunday, February 16, 2025
From the tango of the Rio de la Plata to the string quartets of Silvestre Revueltas, the KAIA String Quartet is an ensemble devoted to promoting the rich and colorful music of Latin America. Join us for a lively program called "Song and Dance: Celebrating Latin American Culture." Come hear how diverse the string quartet repertoire can be through the masterful writing of composers like Astor Piazzolla, Joaquín Turina, and Clarice Assad.
The musicians are Victoria Moreira (violin), Naomi Culp (violin), Susan Bengtson Price (viola), and Hope Shepherd DeCelle (cello).​
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The program can be downloaded HERE
Sharp, Shacht, & Choi
Sunday, April 27, 2025
We are excited about the return of John Sharp, principal cello of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Liba Shacht, violinist in the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the principal second violin in the Grant Park Orchestra. They first appeared on our concert series in April of 2021. They will be joined by pianist Winston Choi, Associate Professor of Piano and the Head of the Piano Program at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.
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Sharp and Choi will perform the Shostakovich Cello Sonata, written during a very turbulent time in his life right before Soviet authorities cracked down on his overly “modern” style. All three will play piano trios by Haydn and Mendelssohn. The Haydn is perhaps his best-known piano trio, often nicknamed the "Gypsy" trio. The final work embodies all the finest qualities of Mendelssohn's art from the passionate to the sublime.
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Program available HERE
2023-24 Concert Series
Avalon String Quartet
Sunday, April 28, 2024
The Avalon String Quartet has established itself as one of the country's leading string chamber music ensembles. They have performed in major venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St Y, in New York; the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; Wigmore Hall in London; and Herculessaal in Munich. The Avalon is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music.
They will perform a classical string quartet concert featuring Florence Price’s G Major Quartet No. 1, Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 9 in E-flat Major, and the Dvorak Quartet No. 13 in G Major. Price and Dvorak brim with charm, lyricism, and lush harmonies, contrasted by the intense brooding voice of Shostakovich.
The musicians are Blaise Magnière (violin), Marie Wang (violin), Anthony Devroye (viola), and Cheng-Hou Lee (cello). (Avalon photo by Todd Rosenberg)
Jeremy Kahn Jazz Quintet
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Jeremy Kahn is one of Chicago’s busiest pianists, dividing his time between jazz venues, pit orchestras, and recording and teaching studios. He has performed on stage with Dizzy Gillespie, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Branford Marsalis, the Chicago and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras, and on screen with Madonna and Mary Wilson. Jeremy has played at many of Chicago’s leading downtown and suburban theaters for shows such as Wicked, Spamalot, The Lion King, Les Miserables, Aida, and Aladdin.
Appearing with Jeremy will be Scott Burns (saxophone), Dennis Carroll (bass), George Fludas (drums), and Paul Marinaro (vocals). They will swing and sing the great Standards, featuring composers like George Gershwin and Duke Ellington.
Chicago Brass Quintet and organist David Jonies
October 29, 2023
Widely recognized as one of America's most distinguished brass chamber ensembles, the Chicago Brass Quintet's signature sound has been embraced by audiences around the world and has helped shape the landscape of modern brass music.
The concert will feature a wide range of music from the Renaissance to the contemporary, including works by Monteverdi, Bach, Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Dupré, Vierne, Copeland, and others.
Ross Beacraft, (trumpet), Matthew Lee (trumpet), Sharon Jones (French Horn), Adam Moen (trombone), and Matthew Gaunt (tuba) will be joined by David Jonies, Director of Music & Organist at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on organ. All these players have appeared with the Chicago Symphony and many other major orchestras in the Chicago area.
Jim Gill Family Concert
Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs!
September 24, 2023
Jim Gill is the family entertainment specialist. Anyone who has ever attended one of Jim Gill's concerts knows that rather than performing for the children, parents, and grandparents, he leads them to sing and play together. Each event is more than a show to watch. It is an opportunity for family play! This unique focus on family play and interactions is what sets Jim Gill apart from other children's musicians and authors and reflects his graduate studies in child development. For over 20 years Jim has engaged families in joyful, energizing play in order to inspire them to continue to play at home.
2022-23 Concert Series
March 5, 2023
Quarantet Wind Quintet
The Quarantet Wind Quintet consists of musicians affiliated with organizations such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, and others. The musicians are Anne Bach (oboe), Rachel Blumenthal (flute), Keith Buncke (bassoon), Renée Vogen (French horn), and Susan Warner (clarinet).
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January 29, 2023
CHAI Collaborative Ensemble
CHAI Collaborative Ensemble is a Chicago-based collective dedicated to honoring history, advocating for new works, and engaging with communities through performances of mixed vocal and instrumental chamber music. Artists with us for this concert are trumpeter Ryan Berndt, violinist Emelinda Escobar, soprano Alicia Berneche, and pianist Talar Khosdeghian. Expect to be inspired by the experience!
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November 6, 2022
Wayne Messmer Quartet with special guest artist, Angel Spiccia
From selections of the Great American Songbook, to unforgettable standards and classics that have stood the test of time, this program will take the audience on a sentimental journey of song.
Supported by world-class musicians, The Wayne Messmer Quartet is enriched by the voice of one of Chicago’s most celebrated female vocalists, Angel Spiccia, who has appeared as a headline performer at leading venues in Chicago and across the country.
The instrumentalists are among the most respected musicians working today. Pianist Chris White is a recording artist and professor of piano at the university level. Bassist Sean Jacobi is considered one of the finest double bass artists on the jazz scene today. Master of the trumpet/flugelhorn Dave Katz is in high demand as a soloist, recording artist and featured member of a number of big bands.
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2021-22 Concert Series
March 20, 2022
Artemisia Vocal Trio
Artemesia, the female vocal trio, presents an engaging, multi-media performance titled “She Was.”
She Was revives past and little-known stories of women, and celebrates the storytellers among us today who are keeping their legacies and influences alive.
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Download concert program HERE
February 6, 2022
Robert Chen, Violinist,
in concert with Matthew Hagle, Pianist
The concert will feature Robert Chen, Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and pianist Matthew Hagle, faculty member and Musicianship Program Director at the Music Institute of Chicago.
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Download concert program HERE
November 14, 2021
Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble
The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble is known for its fun and entertaining performances that offer an unexpected array of musical offerings. The concert will feature five brass players on trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba and an organist playing CPC’s Martin Ott tracker organ.
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Download concert program HERE
2020-21 Concert Series
April 11, 2021: Chicago Strings
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featuring members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera playing the music of Schubert, Boccherini and Beethoven
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Download concert program HERE
February 14, 2021: Heart Strings featuring Gail Gillispie, lutenist
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November 1, 2020: The MBC Ensemble in Concert
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featuring Mike Brozick, trumpet, Betsy Waldon, organ and piano, Craig Felde, timpani playing works by Dvorak, Sibelius, J. S. Bach, and more.
Download concert program HERE
2019-20 Concert Series
October 20, 2019: Oriana Singers
A premier Chicago a cappella chamber choir. The Book of Love. Featuring songs by Imogen Heap, folksongs from Britain and Finland, and Renaissance madrigals.
February 9, 2020: Julian Chin Trio
Piano, bass, drums. Jazz on Broadway! Fresh variations on Broadway musical numbers.
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February 24, 2019: Kevin Chunko, organ concert
Kevin was the CPC organist at the time. Sound Remembrances: Journeying from the Musical Past to Now
March 17, 2019: Agape Ringers
Chicago’s premier handbell ensemble.
2019 Concert Series
The CPC Concert Series relies on financial support from sponsors and free will offerings. Click here to make a donation to support the CPC Concert Series. Gifts of $25 or higher qualify as a sponsorship. Your gift will be acknowledged as a tax-deductible donation to Community Presbyterian Church.