Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Christopher Bell, chorus director
Maeve Höglund, soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone

Joel Thompson: Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem

Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra with the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus and soloists in Johannes Brahms' choral masterpiece A German Requiem*, written for the bereaved after the death of the composer's mother. The concert opens with another choral tribute, Joel Thompson' chilling cantata Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. Each movement is a setting of the last words uttered by seven unarmed men who were killed by police officers or by vigilantes—Kenneth Chamberlain, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, John Crawford, and Eric Garner. The Festival welcomes soloists Maeve Höglund and baritone Hugh Russell.

During the Brahms Requiem, members of the Grant Park Orchestra will play instruments provided by Violins of Hope, a private collection of violins, violas, and cellos that once belonged to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. The presentation of these instruments is hosted by JCC Chicago.