Lakeshore Rush | Thunder & Light: A World Premiere and Chamber Classics

From the lush, movie-like melodies of Nino Rota to the colorful, shimmering sounds of Maurice Ravel and the light, graceful style of Philippe Gaubert, this program moves through music that feels both comfortingly familiar and excitingly new. At its core, it’s the kind of mix Lakeshore Rush loves most: beloved chamber classics alongside fresh, modern pieces full of personality.

A cornerstone of the evening is music by Chicago composer Amos Gillespie, whose works Maloik, Soul Food, and The Entertainment of Being showcase his distinctive voice—groove-driven, colorful, and deeply expressive. Gillespie’s music bridges classical precision with improvisatory spirit, reflecting the creative pulse of the city Lakeshore Rush calls home.

The highlight of the concert is the WORLD PREMIERE of Thunder Dragon by Larry Axelrod, written especially for Lakeshore Rush. This electrifying new work unleashes bold sonorities, dramatic contrasts, and vivid musical storytelling. As the first-ever performance of the piece, this premiere represents Lakeshore Rush’s ongoing commitment to championing living composers and bringing brand-new music into the world.

Rooted in Chicago and dedicated to presenting music by living composers alongside overlooked chamber masterpieces, Lakeshore Rush brings curiosity, virtuosity, and heart to every performance. Join them for an evening of radiant classics, dynamic contemporary works, and the excitement of a world premiere—music that moves, surprises, and sparks the imagination.

Program:

Nino Rota - Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, mvts II

Amos Gillespie - Maloik (vc, pn)

Ravel - Trio for violin, cello and piano, mvts I and II

Philippe Gaubert - Médailles antiques, for flute, violin and piano, mvt II - Danses 

Nicola Resanovic - Trio for violin, alto sax and piano, mvts I and III

Larry Axelrod - Thunder Dragon (cl, fl, vn, vc, pn)

Amos Gillespie - Soul Food, flute, clarinet, alto sax, cello

Amos Gillespie - The Entertainment of Being for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, alto sax and piano

Erin Kendall Murphy, flute
Laura McLaughlin Lingle, clarinet
Amos Gillespie, saxophone 
Janice Lee, violin (guest artist)
Christopher Ferrer, cello
Elena Doubovitskaya, piano

Lakeshore Rush is an integral part of the Chicago community, the city they call home. Their priority is to present music by living composers as well as forgotten chamber music masterpieces. Over the past ten years, the ensemble has appeared at the Chicago Symphony Center, WFMT – Chicago’s classical radio station, Ear Taxi Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, the PianoForte Foundation, Fulton Street Collective, Garfield Park Conservatory, Constellation, and the Thirsty Ears Festival – Chicago’s only classical music street festival. Lakeshore Rush is an active member of New Music Chicago, and has commissioned several works by local established composers, including those by Beth Bradfish, Seth Boustead, Griffin Candey, Kyong Mee Choi, Amos Gillespie, Jonathan Hannau, Marc Mellits, Logan Rutledge, Laura Schwendinger, and Roger Zare. Lakeshore Rush maintains an ongoing relationship with the Merit School of Music by providing educational programming for audiences aged 5 – 14, and has presented workshops at the University of Illinois Chicago and Lawrence University.

Other career highlights include premiering their first feature length film score by composer Seth Boustead titled Dreaming Grand Avenue (2020), and premiering and recording Beth Bradfish’s Curved Silence (2022), which served as the catalyst for their commissioned cinematic music video by Alina Markina and Mario Bosca featuring the City of Chicago as a narrative element of the film. Their debut album, Lakeshore Rush: Moving Parts, was released on Albany Records in 2022 (TROY 1896). The ensemble was also featured on Lawrence Axelrod’s album 5X4: Quartets for Various Instruments (Ravello Records 2023). A review in Gramophone magazine described their performance as ‘exquisitely rendered’.

The ensemble is named after a previously endangered grass that has recently revitalized the shores of Lake Michigan, and commits itself to environmental stewardship in its programming. Past seasons included partnerships with the Honnold Foundation, a nonprofit working to advance solar energy access all over the world, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a nonprofit formed to conserve and restore the freshwater resources of the Great Lakes through public engagement and policy promotion. To celebrate their 10th Anniversary Season, “One Small World,” they went beyond environmental stewardship to tackle broader social issues through a partnership with UNICEF – donating a portion of all ticket sales at the end of the season.

Our programmatic theme for the 2025-2026 season is “You Can Dance If You Want To,” which focuses on the lighter side of contemporary music and pieces inspired by dance and movement. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming performances!