Dawn Upshaw in Ravinia Park

It had been a very long time since I'd been to Ravinia Park north of Chicago.  The July 5th performance by Eric Jacobsen and the Knights with Dawn Upshaw was a lovely evening with longtime friends Charles Schutte and Julie Carlson.  A pre-performance dinner at Parkview restaurant overlooking the birch trees was lovely and the performance in the intimate Martin Theatre fresh and inspiring.  The Knights is (are?) a collaborative ensemble of friends and colleagues -- accomplished soloists and chamber musicians all -- with a wide appreciation of many musical styles.  Their program consisted of works never before performed at Ravinia, including the Dvorak Czech Suite and Brahms German Dances, along with selections from Zhou Long's Eight Chinese Folk Songs and Ligeti's Concert Romanesc.  Dawn Upshaw's performance of the Berio Folk Songs was, as all of her performances, sung with an honesty and deep connection with and commitment to language and story.  Though a long-time friend and fan of Dawn's, I had not heard the Knights before.  Their youthful energy and vitality, spirited playing and keen sense of each other in ensemble brought a bright clarity and nuanced expression to each piece.  A truly memorable night!  The bonus?  Eric Jacobsen will be coming to Orlando as the newly appointed Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic!