The Chicago Ensemble‘s February 21/23 program features a wide-ranging selection of nine works featuring voice and chamber ensemble by Bach, Copland, Roussel, Berg, Mozart, Seiber, Mendelssohn and Schubert.

Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Stacy Eckert, mezzo-soprano; Susan Levitin, flute; Elizandro Garcia-Montoya, clarinet; and Gerald Rizzer, piano/artistic director, will perform.

• Bach: Cantata Arias, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute and piano
• Mozart: Aria: Parto! Ma tu ben mio from La Clemenza di Tito, for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano
• Copland: As It Fell Upon a Day (1923) for soprano, flute and clarinet
• Roussel: Joueurs de Flûte, op. 27 (1924), for flute and piano
• Berg: Four Pieces, op. 5 (1913) for clarinet and piano
• Arr. M. Valls and L. Algazi: Songs of the Sephardic Jews, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet and piano
• Mendelssohn: Selected Duets for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano
• Seiber: Drei Morgenstern Lieder (1929) for mezzo-soprano and clarinet
• Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D.965, for soprano, clarinet and piano

3 pm, Sunday, February 21, International House at University of Chicago
1414 E. 59th Street (between Dorchester and Blackstone)

7:30 pm, Tuesday, February 23, Fourth Presbyterian Church
126 E. Chestnut Street (at Michigan Avenue)

The program will begin with several arias from Bach’s cantatas, followed by the memorable aria, “Parto! Ma tu ben mio,” from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. Two works have historical roots–Copland’s delicate As It Fell Upon a Day (1923), based on an Elizabethan text, and Songs of the Sephardic Jews, sophisticated compositions derived from medieval Spanish and Portuguese Jewish melodies. Other vocal works include the melodic Mendelssohn duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano; and Seiber’s witty Drei Morgenstern Lieder (1929); and Schubert’s melancholy Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D.965.

For more than 30 years, The Chicago Ensemble has brought a fascinating array of chamber works to Chicago audiences. Offering an innovative mix of familiar masterworks and lesser-known repertoire, performed in varied combinations of instruments and voice, The Chicago Ensemble occupies a unique place in Chicago’s cultural life. Outstanding musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta and other distinguished area organizations come together in The Chicago Ensemble under the leadership of Gerald Rizzer, Artistic Director and pianist. Through the Discover Americacompetition for new chamber works, The Chicago Ensemble introduces Chicago audiences to innovative works by contemporary composers.