We study with master musicians, gathering songs and stories and learning musical styles from around the world.
Arranging Across Mediums
We arrange our own repertoire by interweaving the music and stories we gather, arranging dramatic pieces that feature simultaneous music and spoken word.
Presenting High Quality Performances
We work with accomplished professional artists to captivate audiences with beautiful shows that celebrate world cultures.
Bringing People Together
Our work is based on values of inclusivity and diversity. Our goal is to build interaction and understanding among Chicago’s vibrant communities and cultures.
NEW ALBUM COMING SOON
Chicago Folklore Ensemble's second album, Praner Alap: Meeting of Hearts, will present arrangements of songs from Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali sung by Bengali vocalists in Chicago. (Click the image below for a preview!)
THE WORLD IN CHICAGO: BOOK AND CD
Songs and stories of musicians who immigrated to Chicago from Argentina, Thailand, Jordan, Ghana, and Serbia.
Song Offerings of Rabindranath Tagore Premiered 2018
Our Gitanjali: Song Offerings of Rabindranath Tagore takes audiences on a spiritual journey through Bengali music and poetry and reflects on the continuing impact of a great Bengali songwriter on the lives of ordinary people. Vocalists from Kolkata, India are accompanied by sweeping strings and accordion harmonies.
Stories and songs from masters of Arabic music Premiered 2017
Where Rivers Meet is a show of Arabic music and storytelling that takes listeners down the rivers of the Middle East. String ensemble and storyteller accompany master musicians from Iraq, Egypt, and Palestine who share melodies and memories passed down in song and story.
Folktales about the earth and traditional music from around the world Premiered 2016
Follow the Butterfly is a fun and interactive show for kids and families. String ensemble and storyteller present international folktales with themes of respecting nature and caring for the earth. Each tale is accompanied by traditional music from its respective region – Nigeria, Thailand, the United States, India, and the Amazon Rainforest.
Music and stories collected from Chicago immigrant musicians Premiered 2015
The World in Chicago is a show that celebrates immigrant musicians in Chicago. String quartet and storyteller present traditional music and moving personal stories of master musicians from Jordan, Ghana, Argentina, Thailand, and Serbia.
Click here to reserve tickets for Chicago Folklore Ensemble’s upcoming performance on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at 8:30PM as part of Old Town School of Folk Music’s World Music Wednesday series! Chicago Folklore Ensemble will present Tagore’s Gitanjali: Our Song Offerings, a show that takes audiences on a spiritual journey via the music and poetry[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble will be performing a free concert of songs from Rabindranath Tagore’s poem collection Gitanjali. We will also be releasing a few tracks from an upcoming album! Please join us! Our GitanjaliSkokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, ILSaturday, September 21, 1 pmFree Admission Our Gitanjali is a show that takes audiences on[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble’s new show, Lift Every Voice, premieres this month with three free performances hosted by Night Out in the Parks! Lift Every Voice uses the power of music to engage children and families in celebrating African-American and Latin-American freedom movements in Chicago. Guided by storytellers Sojourner Zenobia and Mercedes Inez Martinez, kids will sing[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble will perform Our Gitanjali: Song Offerings of Rabindranath Tagore on May 16th, 7:00pm, at the Assembly Hall in the International House at University of Chicago, 1414 E 59th St. Chicago. Our Gitanjali presents English translations of several poems from Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali paired with the songs sung in the original Bengali and improvisations in the[…]
Along the banks of a river, people wash clothes, sing songs, and tell stories. Spices, fabrics, and melodies are carried downstream, and villages are woven together by the current. The Shatt Al-Arab, the Nile, and the Jordan converge at Lake Michigan as Chicago Folklore Ensembles explores the music and stories of master musicians from Iraq,[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble’s new show, Gitanjali: Song Offerings, will premier on November 3, 2018, at Second Unitarian Church, 656 W Barry Ave., Chicago, at 7pm. Gitanjali: Song Offerings is a two-hour show that takes audiences on a spiritual journey via the music and poetry of legendary Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore. In 1912, Tagore published a book[…]
We will be performing our new show, Where Rivers Meet: Songs and Stories from Masters of Arabic Music, twice this June as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series! Both shows will be free and open to the public. June 16, 2018, 2pm – Marquette Park, 6743 S Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble is proud to announce the premier of our new show, Where Rivers Meet. Join us for two free shows: December 10, 2017, 3pm at Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave. December 17, 2017, 3pm at Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St. Where Rivers Meet is a show of Arabic music and storytelling[…]
The Chicago Park District is offering dozens of free programs this summer for their Night Out in the Parks series. Chicago Folklore Ensemble will be performing twice! Follow The Butterfly, Revere Park Traditional music and folktales about respecting the earth; for kids and families. 2509 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago Friday, June 16, 2017 6-7[…]
Chicago Folklore Ensemble will be performing The World in Chicago as part of Old Town School of Folk Music’s World Music Wednesday Series. Join us Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at 8:30 PM. 4544 N Lincoln Ave · Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall Click to reserve tickets!
