Orion Ensemble to present live and livestream concert

The Orion Ensemble will present a live and livestream chamber music concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5.

The award-winning group’s performance venues long included Geneva and, most recently, Aurora, in addition to Chicago and Evanston. The concert will be coming from the PianoForte Studios in Chicago.

“We are delighted to begin 2021 by bringing you more wonderful live music,” Orion stated in a news release. “We hope this concert’s romantic program will warm your hearts and lift your spirits. With so many people participating in our October livestream concert, we feel blessed by all of your support and love. We will continue to do our best to keep Orion’s musical offerings going until we can meet again in person.”

Program

Johannes Brahms’ Trio No. 1 in B Major for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 8, composed in 1853-54 and revised 35 years later, is a deep and mature work that nonetheless exudes youthful energy.

Suite for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (1992) by Alexander Arutiunian contains moods ranging from emotionally tense to lyrical. The Verdehr Trio commissioned the piece and describes its final movement as “containing elements of Armenian dance rhythms with their capricious pulse and unexpected irregularities in a freely improvised melodic style.”

PianoForte Studios is at 1335 S. Michigan Ave. Limited in-person tickets are offered by advance purchase only at 630-628-9591 or info@orionensemble.org.

A maximum of 20 people may attend in person at PianoForte Studios. Audience members must wear masks at all times. While family groups may sit together, different audience members/groups will be seated at least 6 feet apart. Extra masks and hand sanitizer will be available. All programming is subject to change.

The livestream will be available on Orion’s YouTube channel.

Virtual access is free. Donations are welcome and can be made at orionensemble.org.

The YouTube channel also will host a recording of the performance for a limited time. The October all-Beethoven concert is still available at shawurl.com/3eel.