Event Description

Amos Gillespie’s music has been heard on WFMT in Chicago, WQXR in New York City and PBS. His music spans a wide range of genres including chamber and orchestra concert music, jazz, as well as music for film, theater and dance. His music has been commissioned and performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Atlantic Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble, Third Millennium Ensemble, Eclipse Theater, Barkada Saxophone Quartet, Chicago Q Ensemble, Access Contemporary Music (ACM) and the Chicago Composers Orchestra among many others. Amos’ music has been heard at various venues and Festivals around the world including The Ear Taxi Festival, Preston Bradley Hall Sunday Salon Series, Atlantic Music Festival, Illinois Musicians Festival at Grant Park, North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, Old Synagogue chamber music series in Mainz Germany, An Die Musik in Baltimore MD, Music Institute of Chicago, Court Theatre and the Green Mill among others.

Since 2004, the Gaudete Brass Quintet has committed itself to presenting serious brass chamber music through compelling concerts, commissioning new works and adventurous recordings. The group has engaged in live performances at venues such as Merkin Hall and Symphony Space in New York City and Millennium Park in Chicago, commissioned new works from noted composers such as David Sampson, Jonathan Newman, John Cheetham, Steven Bryant and Stacy Garrop, and appeared on radio broadcasts on WFMT in Chicago and Nashville Public Radio. While keeping this rigorous performance schedule, Gaudete has recorded three albums: Brass Outings (2006), winner of the CDBaby Editors’ Choice distinction and nominee for Just Plain Folks Best Classical Chamber Album; Conversations in Time with organist R. Benjamin Dobey (2011, Pro Organa); and Chicago Moves, produced by Grammy winner Judith Sherman and featuring several of its commissioned works (2012, Cedille Records). Gaudete (gow-day-tay) is a form of the Latin word for “Joy.” We support the idea that chamber music, even (and perhaps especially) the serious kind, can powerfully communicate both the poignant and the exuberant.