The past year has been devastating for countless industries, but one that is particularly felt is Chicago's previously thriving music scene. Due to the highly contagious nature of the live music experience (large crowds, small spaces, and merely the act of singing) concerts were one of the first mass-cancellations of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the city begins to re-open with the help of vaccines, a lot of emphasis has been placed on re-opening bars and restaurants. But when can we expect concerts and our favorite music venues to re-open to artists? And what has the pandemic been like FOR artists without access to their audiences? In an era of post-pandemic anxiety, will concerts ever really be the same? Dive into these questions and more during this Chicago Studies Conversations session, the final conversation in our Chicago Futures Series.
This one-hour session will feature a live conversation and Q&A with musicians in Chicago:
Adam Zanolini is a multi-instrumentalist, ethnomusicologist, and arts organizer based in Chicago. He is the Executive Director of Elastic Arts Foundation. He is also a co-founder of the Participatory Music Coalition and an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Adam received his PhD in music from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He performs as part of the AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble, SuRa Dupart’s Sidepocket Experience, Angel Bat Dawid & The Brothahood, his own Aspects of Life, and the Participatory Music Coalition. Adam has also served as Associate Director of Arts for Art, presenter of the annual Vision Festival of avant-jazz in New York City. All of which are dedicated to an interdisciplinary/multi-arts approach to improvised creation. He is also a board member of the Live the Spirit Residency, presenter of the annual Englewood Jazz Festival in Chicago.
Friday, May 21, 12:30-1:30 PM | Register via Zoom.