For Immediate Release: Press Contacts:

February 15, 2017 Eileen Chambers/CSO

312-294-3092

Photos Available By Request

PR@CSO.org

THE CSO’S AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK HOSTS

INAUGURAL EVENT AT SYMPHONY CENTER DURING

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Screening of Oscar Micheaux’s Silent Film Body and Soul Features Original Jazz

Score by Chicago Composer Renee Baker

Saturday, February 25, at 3:00 p.m.

CHICAGO— In recognition of Black History Month, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s recently

formed African American Network (AAN) hosts a screening of Oscar Micheaux’s 1925 film Body

and Soul featuring an original jazz score by Chicago composer Renee Baker on Saturday,

February 25 at 3:00 p.m. at Symphony Center. Following the screening, audience members can

attend a Q&A with Baker and CSO musicians in Buntrock Hall and a reception provided

courtesy of Tradition Gastro Pub.

Body and Soul is a 1925 silent film from renowned filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. A native of

Illinois, Micheaux is regarded as the first major African American feature filmmaker producing

more than 40 so-called “race films,” a term coined in the 1920s for films intended for all-black

audiences and featuring an all-black cast. The critically acclaimed version being screened at the

February 25 event is scored by Chicago-based composer and conductor Renee Baker, founding

director of the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project.

The February 25 event is the first of its kind hosted by the CSO’s African American Network,

with more events already being planned for 2017. AAN Coordinator Sheila Jones notes “CSO

Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti's commitment to connecting the CSO with new audiences at

Symphony Center and beyond is at the heart of our goal to grow a new base of CSO

concertgoers through community participation and creative musical experiences. We are very

proud to be hosting our first program and hope to have many more.”

The African American Network also highlights free community concert programs and select $35

CSO ticket offers throughout the season. More information is available at cso.org/aan.

Tickets for the African American Network event on February 25 are $10 and can be purchased

by phone at 800-223-7114 or 312-294-3000; online at cso.org, or at the Symphony Center box

office: 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604.

Artists, programs and prices are subject to change.

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African American Network (AAN) The mission of the CSOA’s African American Network is to engage Chicago’s culturally rich African American community through the sharing and exchanging of unforgettable musical experiences. The AAN seeks to serve and encourage individuals and families; educators and students; musicians and composers; and churches and businesses to experience the timeless beauty of music. More information is at cso.org/aan.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra: www.cso.org and www.csosoundsandstories.org/ Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. Since 2010, the preeminent conductor Riccardo Muti has served as its 10th music director. Yo-Yo Ma is the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, and Samuel Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek are its Mead Composers-in-Residence. From baroque through contemporary music, the CSO commands a vast repertoire. Its renowned musicians annually perform more than 150 concerts, most at Symphony Center in Chicago and, each summer, at the suburban Ravinia Festival. They regularly tour nationally and internationally. Since 1892, the CSO has made 60 international tours, performing in 29 countries on five continents. People around the globe listen to weekly radio broadcasts of CSO concerts and recordings on the WFMT radio network and online at cso.org/radio. Recordings by the CSO have earned 62 Grammy Awards, including two in 2011 for Muti’s recording with the CSO and Chorus of Verdi's Messa da Requiem (Muti’s first of seven releases with the CSO to date). Find details on these and many other CSO recordings at www.cso.org/resound. The CSO is part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, which also includes the Chicago Symphony Chorus (Duain Wolfe, Director and Conductor) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble for emerging professionals. Through its prestigious Symphony Center Presents series, the CSOA presents guest artists and ensembles from a variety of genres—classical, jazz, world, and contemporary. The Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO offers community and education programs that annually engage more than 200,000 people of diverse ages and backgrounds. Through the Institute and other activities, including a free annual concert with Muti and the CSO, the CSO is committed to using the power of music to create connections and build community. The CSO is supported by thousands of patrons, volunteers and institutional and individual donors. The CSO’s music director position is endowed in perpetuity by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation. The Negaunee Foundation provides generous support in perpetuity for the work of the Negaunee Music Institute.