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10th Anniversary Season: Facts & Figures |
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A roster of 57 world-class artists performed 13 programs of great music from the 17th century through the present day...

...over 5,800 people attended the season's concert events, 25% of whom were under the age of 40...
 ...over 5,000 cookies, brownies, and pastries, 4,500 glasses of wine, and 250 pounds of fruit and cheese were served by over 30 volunteers at the summer's pre-concert's receptions...
...notable press included a segment by the "Artbeat" series of PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, a 30-minute episode on ABC7 Chicago's "Chicagoing," and a feature in the Chicago Tribune by classical music critic John von Rhein...
... 8 neighborhood dining partners offered discounts to Rush Hour audience members after concerts and throughout the week...
...and over 20,000 people have visited the Rush Hour website this year, which includes the podcast series Rush Hour Conversations, a Flickr photo album of the season's concerts, recaps of all events, and much more!
Thank you again to all who have contributed financially at any level to help us guarantee that our weekly concerts and audience enrichment activities continue to remain free and available to all.
- Julie Hutchison Managing Director
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Engaging Our Neighborhood of Minds
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The energy of people of all ages and backgrounds coming together in engaged listening is one of Rush Hour's hallmarks. It is felt by all who attend, and most palpably by our artists.
We are already hard at work at crafting our 2010 season which promises equally wonderful music and artists as this past season, and we plan to offer you several opportunities to stay engaged with Rush Hour over the upcoming winter months. We will be hosting several winter "soirees" - intimate gatherings of chamber music and refreshment throughout the city as part of our Rush Hour Circle events. Our Fanfare group (ages 40 and under) will host its own series of networking events beginning in November. Also beginning in November, I will be hosting a bi-monthly podcast series - an off-season extension of the Rush Hour Conversations series - with artists as well as community and cultural leaders.
2010 is the birthday anniversary of two beloved classical composers: Robert Schumann and Frederic Chopin. W e will celebrate the music of both of them throughout out 2010 season. The "soiree" was very popular in these men's lives, as a means to hear great music-making, and to exchange ideas. Rush Hour will continue this soiree format during the winter and, through its podcasts, offer a 21st century format for idea exchange. Come summer, our smaller soirees will expand back into the larger "neighborhood of minds," as our audience has become known.
I hope you will join us through our website and its many access and contact points in the upcoming months!
- Deborah Sobol Artistic/Executive Director
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Pointing at the Moon: A Farewell
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One of the most basic functions
of an executive director is to point to the moon, to borrow (and maul)
a Buddhist phrase. If we do our jobs well, you see the moon rather than
us most of the time. In our case, the moon is the exquisite music you
experience every Tuesday evening from June through August.
Rush Hour staff hunkers
down from September through May and does the wrap up, fundraising and
production work necessary to present these concerts to you. Naturally,
it is a time of reevaluation, of dreaming, and of renewal. And so it
is in this spirit that I tell you that I have decided to transition
out of my role as executive director at Rush Hour and into
my next challenge.
I am pleased and honored to
have been part of Rush Hour for the last two years. Your support
as an audience has shown in every way: in our standing-room-only crowds,
your moral and financial support, and the appreciation for the beautiful
music presented by our friends and colleagues - the artists of Rush
Hour.
Being part of Rush Hour
for its 9th and 10th seasons has been a dream
come true for me - and also a period of incredible personal growth.
(It is fitting that one of my last tasks as executive director is to
write you this letter - my role at Rush Hour has redefined my great
love of writing!) To share stewardship of such a fine organization with
all of the people who make it great - in particular the artists, volunteers,
board, and staff - has been a rewarding experience. The energy, love,
and ideals of the organization have made it a meaningful place to work
and I thank all of you for welcoming me with open arms and enthusiasm.
I am called to adjust my path
now, and I feel that now - during the autumn - is the best time to do
so.
So...in the spirit of the executive director, have you seen that
glorious moon?
I'm pointing to it.
- Megan Balderston
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Much Ado About Fanfare
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Fanfare, Rush Hour's under-40 cheerleaders, celebrated a very successful 2009 season!
Each month this summer, we hosted casual post-concert happy hours at area restaurants where we were able to chat with Fanfare members old and new alike. We open and closed Rush Hour's 10th year with Third Coast Percussion, who both hosted our annual spring "Rush Hour Tasting" and capped the season with a performance of "Fanfare for a New Audience" - composed in honor of us!
Additionally, we launched the 10x10x10 Project-we challenged Fanfare to ask 10 people under 40 for $10 in honor of Rush Hour's 10th anniversary. The result? We raised $4,000 in gifts ranging from $10 to $1,000 from over 60 people.
We still have $1,000 to go towards meeting our $5,000 goal and are still taking donations at rushhour.org/giving. (Click on the "Under-40 Challenge" icon and your gift will be doubled by a challenge grant issued by the Irving Harris Foundation.)
Equally exciting, all Fanfare's hard work and outreach resulted in extraordinary audience growth - 25% of the weekly audience was under the age of 40!
During the off-season, we'll have a wine tasting and other great opportunities for members to get involved and get together - stay tuned for more updates.
Questions? Want to get more involved? Email us at fanfare@rushhour.org. - Kristin Lunardini Secretary, Fanfare
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Rush Hour Internships
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Rush Hour welcomed 3 bright and gifted students to its staff over the summer for the ultimate "Behind the Scenes" experience: an internship.
Our three interns had hands-on participation in concert production, marketing and public relations, cultivation and fundraising, and audience outreach.
We are already looking for talented and energetic students for next summer's season: if you know of anyone who might be interested in an internship in 2010, please forward them this e-newsletter. Interested candidates should contact me at julie@rushhour.org or 773.338.9480.
- Julie Hutchison Managing Director
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