september, 2023
Harris Fest: Music + Dance in the Park
Event Details
Chicago Philharmonic
Kalena Bovell Conductor
Njioma Chinyere Grevious Violin
Sleeping At Last (Ryan O’Neal) Vocals and Piano
This September, Chicago Philharmonic celebrates the start of its ninth season as a Harris Theater Resident Company at the Harris Theater’s 20th Anniversary concert!
In a FREE concert at Millennium Park, experience an exclusive sneak peek of Chicago Philharmonic’s highly anticipated 2024–2025 Season and 35th anniversary year with performances featuring dazzling guest artists. Inaugural Artist in Residence and 2023 Sphinx Competition winner Njioma Grevious performs the first movement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “irresistibly tuneful and big-hearted” (Gramophone) Violin Concerto in G Minor. Chicago Philharmonic then collaborates with local, established singer, songwriter, and producer Ryan O’Neal (stage name: Sleeping at Last) for exciting new orchestral arrangements of the star’s heartfelt hit singles, including Saturn, Sun, and Turning Page.
Check out the program below!
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto in G Minor, op. 80
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤI. Allegro maestoso
Sleeping At Last, arr. Michael Moricz Turning Page
Sleeping At Last, arr. Michael Moricz Venus
Sleeping At Last, arr. Mateo Messina Sun
Sleeping At Last, arr. Mateo Messina Saturn
Visit the Harris Theater website HERE to view the festival schedule.
Catch our next concert at the Harris Theater on October 14 as
Chicago Philharmonic presents Ryan Speedo Green.
About Conductor Kalena Bovell
With her distinctive voice as maestra, speaker, and poet, critics praise Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell as “one of the brightest stars in classical music.” (Channel 3 News, Connecticut). Propelled by a steadfast commitment to musical excellence and community access, Bovell has rapidly ascended to international prominence. Her recent achievements include receiving the prestigious 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence—the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization—and being named a 2022-2024 Awardee of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. In a groundbreaking moment, Bovell etched her name in history in 2023 as the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada, conducting a world premiere reimagination of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha.
About Njioma Chinyere Grevious
Described as “superb” by the Chicago Classical Review, violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious is an emerging, passionate and versatile solo, chamber and orchestral musician and performer. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a winner of its John Erskine Prize for scholastic and artistic achievement. In 2023, Njioma won both the Robert F. Smith First Prize and the Audience Choice awards in the Senior Division of the Sphinx Competition and joint prizes in the CAG/YCAT auditions. In 2022, she was the winner of concerto competitions at the University of Delaware and the Newark Symphony Orchestra. Njioma was also a winner of the Music Academy of the West Keston-Max Fellowship to study and perform in the London Symphony Orchestra in November 2022. She won First Prizes for Performance and Interpretation in the 2018 Prix Ravel in Fontainebleau, France.
Njioma Grevious performs Concerto for Violin in G Minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and Maestra Kalena Bovell
About Sleeping At Last (Ryan O’Neal)
Ryan O’Neal hails from the suburbs of Chicago. When Ryan started Sleeping At Last, it was initially as a three-piece band alongside his brother Chad O’Neal on drums and bassist Dan Perdue. However, as time unfolded, Ryan O’Neal became the sole driving force behind the project. Armed with his melodic genius and exceptional multi-instrumental talents, he carved a unique path in the world of music. Since its inception in 1999, Sleeping At Last has released seven albums, four EPs, and over 170 singles and has toured extensively in the United States and internationally.
Sleeping at Last‘s work is characterized by its enchanting and emotive sound, often described as indie, alternative, and ambient. Ryan is known for his ability to craft introspective and cinematic compositions, which evoke a sense of introspection and depth. His has found resonance in various media, such as Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Criminal Minds, and So You Think You Can Dance. Notably, his song “Turning Page” was prominently featured in the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which undoubtedly introduced his music to a vast new audience, as the Twilight film series had a massive global following.