[il-talk] Memorial Cello Concert

[Steven Hastalis]

    Sunday evening, November 16, cellists and friends gathered outside Saint James Cathedral in Chicago. We checked all the entrances found them locked and temporarily moved to a hair salon across the street to keep warm.

    Eventually, the church was opened. We entered and proceeded with a most heart warming and beautiful tribute concert in memory of Mark Johnson.  Leslie Hamric and many of her fellow cellists studied under his direction when he taught at Northern Illinois University.  She played in the third movement of Franz Schubert's Cello Quintet in C Major.  The concert ended with a cello ensemble which played a most moving rendition of Bachianas Brazileros 5, by Hector Villalobos.

    We capped off this wonderful evening by enjoying each other's company, with food and drink at Quartino's Italian restaurant about three blocks away.