On a March afternoon, as bagpipes and parade preparations begin to echo across the South Side, a different kind of Irish celebration will unfold inside the Beverly Arts Center. A quartet from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will trade the grand downtown stage for an intimate matinee performance in the heart of the neighborhood at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago.
Irish heritage runs deep in Beverly and the surrounding communities.
“This is one of the most diverse communities on the South Side,” said Matt McKinney, BAC’s artistic director. “There’s a lot of pride in the Irish heritage — churches, pubs, Irish dancing.”
The March 14 concert arrives the same weekend as the South Side Irish Parade, offering another way for families to mark St. Patrick’s Day. Instead of braving the crowds, audience members can settle into their seats and hear strings bring Irish melodies to life.
McKinney sees the performance as more than a themed concert. The event reflects an ongoing effort to connect neighborhood audiences with the cultural giants of the city.
Last year, the arts center partnered with CSO musicians for a program devoted to Black composers. Building on that collaboration, this season’s Irish focus felt like a natural progression. The repertoire required some digging. Nineteenth-century composer Charles Villiers Stanford, best known for his choral music, wrote a string quartet that anchors the program. Six of his choral songs have also been arranged for the ensemble. A Mozart quartet opens the afternoon, offering a glimpse of the musical influences that shaped Stanford’s style. The concert concludes with a familiar favorite, “Danny Boy,” arranged for strings.
The musicians performing include violist Danny Lai, violinists Danny Yehun Jin and Matous Michal, and cellist Olivia Jakyoung Huh. Together, they bring chamber music into a setting where audience members can feel every phrase and exchange between players.
“Our mission is to be as diverse as the community we serve,” McKinney said. “We want our audiences to be curious, and to bring them something they didn’t know they were going to love.”
Tickets for the March 14 performance are available online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36129/production/1257607?performanceId=11723073.
On the South Side, where tradition and community pride are woven tightly together, the afternoon promises more than a concert. It offers a shared moment close to home, where world-class musicians and neighborhood roots meet in the same room.