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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KEN CARL F ront Runners Paul Freeman conducts the Chicago Sinfonietta, 1987. music to our ears WITH ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENER, THE DIVERSITY-CHAMPIONING CHICAGO SINFONIETTA RETURNS TO THE SITE OF ITS TRIUMPHANT DEBUT. BY ALLISON PIWOWARSKI I 6 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM t was 1987, and Maestro Paul Freeman—who had already graced the podiums of more than 50 orchestras world- wide—set out to create a musical group like no other: an orchestra focused on diversity. Noticing a dearth of composers of color within the best orchestras, Freeman aspired to recognize great talent across racial lines, and the Chicago Sinfonietta was born. On October 11, 1987, under Freeman's direction, one of the most diverse orchestras in the nation made its Chicago debut with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, "Italian," in Orchestra Hall at the Symphony Center. In the quarter-century since, the Chicago Sinfonietta has brought composers such as Ulysses Kay and George Walker to new audiences and achieved the highest degree of success with albums, European tours, and a Millennium Park per- formance with more than 12,000 attendees. After the 2010–2011 season, Freeman stepped down as music director and left the podium to Mei-Ann Chen. In June, Chen was awarded the League of American Orchestras Helen M. Thompson Award, which recognizes rising-star conductors. This month, joined by Brooklyn-based chamber group Project Trio, Eric Goldberg, and Shuya Gong, the Chicago Sinfonietta will kick off another 25 years of expanding the horizons of music lovers across the city, at the venue where it got its start. The Chicago Sinfonietta will perform October 1 at Symphony Center's Orchestra Hall. Tickets are $29–$96. 220 S. Michigan Ave., 312-236-3681; chicagosinfonietta.org MA