Venues
Mandel Hall
Mandel Hall was a gift to the young University of Chicago
by department store tycoon Leon Mandel. It is modeled after the
great hall of Crosby House, built in 1472 by Sir John Crosby, Sheriff
of London. The house was actually rented to Richard Duke of Gloucester
(Richard III) after his nephews had been imprisoned in the Tower.
By the time it had been admired by Leon Mandel, Crosby House had been a Presbyterian Meeting House, a restaurant and a bank and it would soon be moved from its original site in Bishopsgate Street to its present location on Cheney Walk on the Embankment in Chelsea. In any case, something about the storied edifice struck the Chicagoan's fancy and its noble hall became the inspiration for a musical American cousin.
Despite its gothic roots, the interior of Chicago's Mandel Hall, capable of seating almost 1000, is decidedly Victorian, boasting an ornate balcony, detailed oak woodwork, ornamental painting, and majestic windows, including one by Tiffany and Co., a gift of the class of 1902. The graceful size of the hall and its fine acoustics made it an immediate favorite of area music-lovers.
The first concert in Mandel Hall, on December 21, 1903, featured
works by Mozart and Wagner, Beethoven's Leonore Overture,
No.3 and Strauss's Death and Transfiguration performed by
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, then known as the Theodore Thomas
Orchestra. The Chicago Symphony continued to use Mandel for both
symphonic and smaller ensemble concerts until the mid-1970's
when rising costs made South Side productions prohibitive.
In the mid-1940s, classical music in Mandel Hall became organized as the University Concerts series. It was this organization that first presented 24-year-old violinist Isaac Stern, introduced guitarist Andres Segovia to local audiences and welcomed the newly formed Juilliard String Quartet to Chicago. These early years boasted a "dean's list" of legendary performers: organist Marcel Dupre, the Budapest String Quartet, violinist Alexander Schneider, harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and keyboard greats Grant Johannesen, Eugene Istomin and Artur Schnabel. The practice of hosting stellar debuts continues to this day with violinist Hilary Hahn, soprano Cecilia Bartoli, tenor Ian Bostridge, flutist Emmanuel Pahud and cellist Pieter Wispelwey among many taking their first Chicago bows at Mandel Hall.
Along with its dedication to the classics, Mandel Hall has also consistently showcased the music of ascending composers. It was within Mandel's ivied walls that Samuel Barber conducted the first performance of his Capricorn Concerto, Aaron Copland first played his Piano Sonata for the public, Isaac Stern premiered Hindemith's Violin Sonata and Gregor Piatigorsky introduced Martinu's Variations on a Russian Theme. In 1964, Professor Ralph Shapey founded the Contemporary Chamber Players (CCP), making the University's dedication to new music and new composers official. Almost 40 years later, the CCP continues to keep Mandel Hall a centenarian on the cutting edge of new music performance.
Now organized as the University of Chicago Presents and including four concert series and a number of related events, professional concerts continue to animate Mandel Hall. The venerable venue has undergone only one major renovation since its opening: in 1980-81, a $2 million project improved acoustics and stage lighting, as well as expanding stage, dressing room and backstage space. The 2003-04 season marked the beginning of the Hall's second century.
Click here to view main floor seating chart
Click here to view balcony seating chart
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
In
1910, John D. Rockefeller made a gift of $10 million to the University
of Chicago. It would be, he said, his final gift to the University,
and was made with one stipulation: that $1.5 million be used to
build a chapel for the University, a chapel that would be the central
and dominant feature of the University group. University Chapel was dedicated in 1928 and was renamed for Rockefeller upon his death a few years later. True to his wishes, it remains a central architectural feature of the campus. Its majestic limestone exterior rises dramatically along the Midway Plaisance; its breathtaking Gothic interior inspires awe and reverence.
Today the chapel serves the University and the community through
educational, social, and interfaith activities. The chapel is a
focus for the essential life of the campus, a place where significant
life passages are marked: weddings, memorials and convocations.
Furthermore, it sustains a long and distinguished tradition in performance
of the organ, carillon, orchestral, and sacred choral repertoire.
Its acoustics are particularly suited to the human voice. When appropriate,
the University of Chicago Presents tries to program appropriate
concerts in this glorious acoustical and architectural gem.
Click here to view seating chart.