Guarneri Hall Announces '24–25 Season With 20th Century, Jazz

Blue and purple-cast photo of a musician playing the piano with great focus

Jahari Stampley

Guarneri Hall, an intimate and innovative performance space in Chicago’s Loop, has announced its upcoming season. Established in 2018, the 60-seat venue is the brainchild of violinist and instruments dealer Stefan Hersh.

The season opens on August 19 with the annual NEXUS Chamber Music Festival. NEXUS, the hall’s ensemble-in-residence since its opening, was founded by acclaimed cellist Alexander Hersh (Stefan Hersh's son) and respected violinist Brian Hong. This year's fest features a program of dream-inspired artsong performed by soprano Kristina Bachrach and an evening dedicated to music from underrepresented composers: Billy Childs, Paul Wiancko, and Amy Beach.

Guarneri also introduces a new line of programming for this upcoming season: Jazz@GH. This first season features a single program, on October 8, with Chicago jazz pianist Jahari Stampley and his mother, saxophonist D-Erania Stampley.

20th century works are a focus for the season. November sees a program of music written during the Cold War — including by Dmitri Shostakovich and Györgi Ligeti — and will also feature discussions from sociology and political science professors from the University of Chicago. In December, Guarneri mounts a program built around Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire.

Other Season Announcements

In February, the hall shares a program of music that emerged from the colleagues and friends of the pivotal critic and novelist Marcel Proust, with works by Gabriel Fauré, Florent Schmitt, and Charles Koechlin. Then in April, the season concludes with a screening of Buster Keaton’s seminal silent film The General with a live score performed by Stephen Prutsman.

For ticketing and information, visit guarnerihall.org.