Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral
Behind the Scenes - October 2009
In This Issue
10th Anniversary Season: Facts & Figures
Cultivating a Neighborhood of Minds
Pointing at the Moon: A Farewell
Much Ado About Fanfare
Rush Hour Internships
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10th Anniversary Season: Facts & Figures
Gran PartitaA roster of 57 world-class artists performed 13 programs of great music from the 17th century through the present day...
Waiting for the doors to open



...over 5,800 people attended the season's concert events, 25% of whom were under the age of 40...


Refreshments
...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...



Media...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...


Dining Partners... 8 neighborhood dining partners offered discounts to Rush Hour audience members after concerts and throughout the week...


...and over Website20,000 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
Engaging Our Neighborhood of Minds
The Listenersenergy 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
Schumann & Chopine 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
Pointing at the Moon: A Farewell
One of the most basic functions of an executive director is to point to the moon, toCello Celebration 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. 

RH AudienceI 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.

Autumn moonSo...in the spirit of the executive director, have you seen that glorious moon? 

I'm pointing to it.

- Megan Balderston

Much Ado About Fanfare
Fanfare, Rush Hour's under-40 cheerleaders, celebrated a very successful 2009 season!
 
Third Coast PercussionEach 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 H
our's 10th anniversary. The result? We raised $4,000 in gifts ranging from $10 to $1,000 from over 60 people. 

We
Under-40 challengestill 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!
 
Fanfare membersDuring 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
Rush Hour Internships

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