Category Archives: Concerts

2026 A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn with Shakespeare narration, October 16 - 18

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October 16
Chicago

7:30 pm Friday

Fourth
Church

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6:45pm
Pre-concert
Lecture

October 17
Wheaton

3 pm Saturday

Armerding
Concert Hall

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2:15pm
Pre-concert
Lecture

October 18
Hinsdale

3 pm Sunday

Union
Church

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2:15pm
Pre-concert
Lecture

 

October 16 – 18, 2026
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mendelssohn & Shakespeare

Support provided by Arts DuPage, a DuPage Foundation initiative

Composer-in-Residence Dr. Tony Payne presents a short pre-concert lecture about his Fantasy on English Folk Tunes.
October 16 Chicago at 6:45pm
October 17 Wheaton at 2:15pm
October 18 Hinsdale at 2:15pm

Concert Repertoire

Mendelssohn & Shakespeare
narrated by conductor Maestro Hall

Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante
with Four Winds Soloists

Fantasy on English Folk Tunes by
Composer-in-Residence Dr. Tony Payne

This family event will run for 1 hour 45 Minutes
including a 20 minute intermission.

Chicago | Wheaton | Hinsdale

In a stunning inaugural performance of the 2026 / 2027 Season, Camerata Chicago plays Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including the famous Wedding March, with excerpts from Shakespeare’s play narrated by conductor Maestro Drostan Hall.

Listen to this excerpt from the Woodstock festival 2008 in which Maestro Drostan Hall narrated the poetry of Shakespeare’s play to the music of Mendelssohn!

Four of Camerata Chicago’s superb wind Principals will play Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Four Wind Instruments:
  • Grace Hong, oboe;
  • Elizandro Garcia Montoya, clarinet;
  • Vincent Karamanov, bassoon;
  • Lee Shirer, horn.
Musicians performing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante: Clockwise: Grace Hong, oboe; Elizandro Garcia Montoya, clarinet; Vincent Karamanov, bassoon; Lee Shirer, horn.

Clockwise: Grace Hong, oboe; Elizandro Garcia Montoya, clarinet; Vincent Karamanov, bassoon; Lee Shirer, horn.

The orchestra will perform the World Premiere of Dr. Tony Payne’s Fantasy on English Folk Tunes!

Dr. Payne is Camerata Chicago’s Composer-in-Residence.

Dr. Tony Payne, Composer-in-Residence

Dr. Tony Payne, Composer-in-Residence

Repertoire

Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Four Wind Instruments
Dr. Tony Payne Fantasy on English Folk Tunes

Camerata Chicago Orchestra perfomring at the Armerding Concert Hall

 

Eric Gratz

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Guest Concertmaster Eric Gratz

Camerata Chicago is delighted to announce the appointment of violinist Eric Gratz as guest concertmaster for the 2026-2027 season. He succeeds concertmaster Mathias Tacke, who retired at the end of the 2025-2026 season after serving 18 years with us. Mathias’s leadership elevated every performance, inspiring both musicians and audiences alike.

Gratz, an international prize-winning violinist, is artistic director of the American Chamber Music Society in Chicago. He previously served for nine seasons as concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony. As both soloist and concertmaster, he has appeared with more than two dozen orchestras, including those of Cleveland, Louisiana, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tucson, Santa Fe Opera and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Tony Payne

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We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Tony Payne as Composer-in-Residence at Camerata Chicago!

Dr. and Mrs. Payne at our Benefit Concert, Reception and Dinner on September 14, 2024

Dr. and Mrs. Payne at our Benefit Concert, Reception and Dinner on September 14, 2024

Dr. Tony Payne, was until July 2024 Associate Professor of Music, Director of Arts Events Management and General Manager of the highly successful Wheaton College Artist Series for 45 years, bringing some of the world’s greatest performing artists to the Wheaton College campus, including the Camerata Chicago Chamber Orchestra.

Prof. Payne has also been involved with the founding of Wheaton’s Arts4Ministry program and engages widely in music for Christian worship from Evangelical and Protestant to Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox. He was Minister of Music at First Baptist Church, Wheaton from 1993-2013, and organist at Wheaton Bible Church since 2018.

He holds degrees in music composition from Wheaton College, Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Music degree in composition from Northwestern University School of Music.

Dr. Tony Payne, Composer-in-Residence

Dr. Tony Payne, Composer-in-Residence

His earliest compositions were inspired by his participation in the Bedford band program with David Tolly, Leonard Salvo and his dear friend, Paul Stanifer, the Bedford choir program with C. David Parker, also the music program of First Baptist Church, Temperance. He served the church in various ways, particularly under the ministry of his lifelong friend Dr. Robert Wisehart, and of Pauline Tolly (Bedford Alliance Church) and her mother, organist Elizabeth Williams. On Saturday mornings, he pestered Mrs.

Williams with questions about the organ during her rehearsal time, so much so that she sometimes struggled to be patient! Among all of these mentors, Tony found the inspiration to pursue a career and a life in music. After his advanced degrees, he returned to his alma mater, Wheaton College and has used that treasured assignment as a springboard to countless opportunities around the world from Auckland, New Zealand to Moscow, Russia.

At Wheaton, Tony Payne taught arranging, orchestration, electronic music and composition during his long tenure at the College’s Conservatory of Music. He has also served the Wheaton College Chapel Program as pianist, organist and worship leader on countless occasions. As a lifelong contributor to Christian worship, he has composed and published over 100 psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that are available in a spiral-bound book form.

Dr. Tony Payne Photo Credit Kayla Smith

Dr. Tony Payne Photo Credit Kayla Smith