Fall Preview Critics’ Picks | Yet more Classical & Opera events this fall

Christine Goerke

Photo: Christian Steiner

1. Elektra
Civic Opera House
A stellar Lyric season gets under way with Richard Strauss’s intense one-act opera, featuring New York soprano Christine Goerke in her company debut as the titular Greek princess. Oct 6–30

2. Anaphora Ensemble
Green Mill
The new-music daredevils celebrate five years with a program devoted to local composers, featuring a world premiere from Anaphora cofounder Sarah J. Ritch in addition to premieres by George Flynn and Marcos Balter. Nov 25

3. The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma
Symphony Center
Cello giant Yo-Yo Ma reconvenes his multinational Silk Road outfit for a special concert bridging cultures from across the globe. Also promised is Sacred Signs, a newly commissioned work by Uzbek composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky nodding to Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Oct 13

4. WarnerNuzova
Music Institute of Chicago, Nichols Concert Hall
Top-notch cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Irina Nuzova consistently deliver thrilling live performances. The Music Institute agrees, recently tapping the pair to be its chamber-music duo in residence. Nov 17

5. Fulcrum Point New Music Project
Chase Auditorium
Native-American flutist R. Carlos Nakai and local combo Zamin join Fulcrum Point to commemorate 9/11 in the Annual Concert for Peace. Subtitled “Harmony—East Meets West,” the internationally diverse program includes works by two Pulitzer-winning composers: Israel’s Shulamit Ran and China’s Zhou Long. Sept 11