HR1050 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1050 LRB097 21377 GRL 69304 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor the Grant Park Music Festival on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Grant Park Chorus; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival, the nation's only remaining free outdoor summer classical music series, was conceived by Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak in 1931; in 1935, the festival was founded by James C. Petrillo, president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, to lift the spirits of Chicagoans during the Great Depression; and

WHEREAS, In 1962, the award-winning Grant Park Chorus was established under the direction of Thomas Peck; the chorus has been led by Chorus Director Christopher Bell since 2002; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, the Grant Park Music Festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Grant Park Chorus, now a professional ensemble of more than 100 vocalists; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival annually offers a 10-week season of free concerts, artistic development initiatives, radio broadcasts, and community education and outreach programs; the festival shares the enrichment of symphonic music with nearly 1.8 million people each year and has made its home in Millennium Park and its state-of-the-art outdoor concert facility, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, since 2004; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival has earned a reputation for artistic excellence by consistently presenting varied and adventurous repertoire - juxtaposing well-loved favorites with less familiar classical and contemporary masterworks - at the highest professional level; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival remains committed to making live symphonic and choral performances broadly accessible and to fostering a lifelong appreciation of classical music among people of all ages, backgrounds, and means; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grant Park Chorus with a number of special activities and events throughout the 2012 season, including a Golden Anniversary Choral Spectacular on June 29-30, 2012; and

WHEREAS, The Grant Park Music Festival has further commemorated this anniversary with the commissioning of 2 new works for the Grant Park Chorus by esteemed American composers Michael Gandolfi and Sebastian Currier; the composers will present their world premieres on July 15-16, 2012 and July 6-7, 2012, respectively; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the organizers and performers of the Grant Park Music Festival on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Grant Park Chorus and commend their continued efforts to enrich, enlighten, and uplift all of Chicago's residents and guests with world-class, free classical music concerts; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Grant Park Music Festival as a symbol of our esteem and respect.