Performers:

Chicago Composers Consortium:

Brad Jungwirth, baritone
Lawrence Axelrod, piano
Amos Gillespie, saxophone
Elizabeth Start, cello
Amy Wurtz, piano

—

Caroline Jesalva, violin and voice

—

​​Corinne Costell, soprano
Shannon McGinnis, piano

—

Constellation Men’s Ensemble

Matthew Brennan, baritone
Conor Broaders, bass
Matthew Cummings, tenor
Micah Dingler, tenor
James Judd, tenor
Ian Prichard, bass
Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor
Pete Wesoloski, baritone

Program:

Chicago Composers’ Consortium with Brag Jungwirth:
Talking to Heart

Elizabeth Start † | Talking Object Songs

Laura Schwendinger † | Composer's Companions

Kyong Mee Choi † |  Breathe Life III

Kathleen Ginther † | There Will Come Soft Rains*

Stephen Ferre † | L'enchantement du bois (excerpts)*    

Lawrence Axelrod † | Bruit d'un Coeur

Caroline Jesalva: out of context

Erez Dessel † | Trial of the Righteous Mother* 

Aaron Kaufman-Levine † | Untitled* ‡

Caroline Jesalva † | Transubstantiation

Shannon McGinnis: Anything but a Dream

Gabrielle Rosse Owens | The Water is Wide (from Three Folk Songs) 

Behzad Ranjbaran | Three Persian Songs

Kyong Mee Choi † | Anything but a dream*

Jodi Goble | Ode to the Sea (from Heart of the World) 

Constellation Men’s Ensemble: pouring from empty cups

Gregory W. Brown | Twilight Hours

Robert Maggio  |  Interlude I. Manhood in the 21st Century 

Nicholas Cline † | I had a white room 

Rob Redei | No Longer Mourn

Samara Rice | Election Syndrome

Maggio | Interlude II. Refrains & Misconceptions

Alex Berko † | cardinal directions 

north
south
east
west

Maggio | Interlude III. A Life Just Like Their Fathers’

Ephraim Champion † | pouring from empty cups* 

*World Premiere Performance
† Illinois-based Composer
‡ Micro-Grant Awardee

---

CCC’s program is centered around works written for baritone Brad Jungwirth at a concert given by the Chicago Composers’ Consortium eleven years ago. The texts are varied in language and emotional content, at turns wry and humorous, searching, gentle and powerful. These four works are balanced by instrumental compositions showcasing members of the CCC who are also accomplished instrumentalists - Amos Gillespie, saxophone and Elizabeth Start, cello. 

With this concert, they welcome back Stephen Ferre, one of the founding members of CCC, who has lived away from the Chicago area for many years but is happily now returned. 

‘Out of Context’ began as a commissioning project in the summer of 2023 to explore new approaches and experimental methods of ‘violin playing’. Violinist Caroline Jesalva met many composer-improvisers who were drawing from 20th century composers while imbuing their works with language from their respective traditions: free jazz, bebop, performance art, punk etc. The problem was that they had not found opportunities to have their pieces performed! This program features those works, encouraging creative ways of violin playing and highlighting the innovative and composed music of improvisers.

Shannon McGinnis’ program weaves together folk memory, mystic contemplation, and cross-cultural resonance through the voices of four contemporary composers. Gabrielle Rosse Owens sets the timeless ballad “The Water is Wide” against a sparse, haunting backdrop. Behzad Ranjbaran’s "Three Persian Songs" offer lush settings of classical Persian poetry. Kyong Mee Choi’s "Anything but a dream" invites deep listening through meditative, philosophical text. Jodi Goble’s Ode to the Sea closes the set with aching simplicity. Together, these works explore longing, identity, and the enduring human impulse to sing across boundaries.

Pouring from Empty Cups explores what it means to keep giving when you have nothing left. In a world marked by political anxiety, emotional fatigue, and a constant demand for resilience, Constellation Men’s Ensemble offers a program that confronts the quiet toll of survival. Featuring Alex Berko’s cardinal directions, Samara Rice’s searing Election Syndrome, and the world premiere of Ephraim Champion’s pouring from empty cups, this performance reflects on numbness, vulnerability, and the human need for connection. Through new music and collective expression, Constellation creates space for reflection—and the possibility of renewal amidst mounting challenges.