Back in 2022! Join us the first Saturday of each month at 11am for Community Drumming classes led by OPSM’s very own Bob Parlier! Classes are open to all ages and families are encouraged to register together. Due to capacity limitations, classes must be purchased in advance.

Advance reservations required for Community Capoeira. Please make sure to reserve your spot no later than the Thursday prior to each Community Capoeira class.

$15 per person

Capoeira incorporates Brazilian Song, Dance, and Martial Arts. Join us every second Saturday to perfect your moves with Gingarte Capoeira!

Zoom Community Drumming was such a blast that we're bringing it back again. :)  Bob will be leading another "Desk Drumming" class, in hopes that people might find joy in the creation of music, using common household items as instruments. He'll start with some basic techniques, and build to perform multi-part arrangements!

• $10/Household

• Register by Friday 4p CST

• Upon payment, we will send you a link with a password.

• Come Saturday Morning, click the link, enter your password, and ENJOY.

• Materials needed for class

  • 12 or 16 oz plastic cup

  • Pencil

  • Pen

  • Spiral-bound notebook

  • Folded sheet of paper

  • Aluminum can

Invite all your friends, NEAR and FAR (hidden silver linings to online classes)

$10 per family

Do you find yourself constantly tapping on tables, chairs, desks and whatever else is nearby? Do you love listening to dance, afro beat, or salsa music? Turn that tapping into music and explore the world of hand drumming! This online community class is designed to temporarily turn common household items into instruments for a 30-minute class intended for all ages and experience levels.

$10 per family

Join us every first Saturday of the month for Community Drumming led by our very own Bob Parlier! Tickets may be bought in advance or families are welcome to drop-in.

Advance reservations required for Community Capoeira. Please make sure to reserve your spot no later than the Thursday prior to each Community Capoeira class.

$15 per person

Capoeira incorporates Brazilian Song, Dance, and Martial Arts. Join us every second Saturday to perfect your moves with Gingarte Capoeira!

$10 per family

Join us every first Saturday of the month for Community Drumming led by our very own Bob Parlier! Tickets may be bought in advance or families are welcome to drop-in.

General Admission: $20
Students 13+ & Seniors: $10 (Contact us for tickets)
12 & under: Free

Bow & Hammer refers to Chicago-based violin & piano duo, formed by friends Kathryn Satoh and Elizabeth Newkirk, respectively. Just as their name addresses the core of their sound, their performances have been addressing the core of duo chamber music as “A New Niche” (Chamber Music of America Magazine) since they formed in 2012. Though they have a sweet tooth for compositions from the early 20th century (1917 to be exact), they use both modern and traditional repertoire to craft well-balanced programs that connoisseurs and newcomers alike can enjoy.

Spirited storytellers, Bow & Hammer connects audiences with chamber music through their personal narratives and inventive collaborations. Their productions have paired Bartók with Pakistani art installations (Chicago Sun Times), Ravel with craft cocktails (“Ravelation” WFMT), and Prokofiev with a graphic novelist. With the big picture in mind, they create access points for the modern adult to experience classical music. From the vibe of the space to the flow of each set, Bow & Hammer makes the classical concert relevant, relatable, and “another world—one of magic and story.”

Working to remove chamber music from its insulated bubble, Bow & Hammer has built an incredible community of collaborators including chefs, local business owners, artists, musicians, farmers, and more. Their productions, Élevé and the Coursed Concert, create a platform for chamber music to inspire other disciplines, as well as be uplifted from the creativity and output of others. A literal demonstration of this collaboration is with Chicago company, Metric Coffee. They have created a proprietary blend complete with the Bow & Hammer demo, EP: Brahms & Milhaud. Coming from the city of neighborhoods, Bow & Hammer embraces the quirks and nuances of each community, celebrating their customs as an opportunity to collaborate.

The 2019-2020 season features the recording of their first full-length album featuring works by Mozart, Ravel, and Bartók. Continuing in Chicago are new seasons of IndustryNight, Élevé, and the Coursed Concert. One of their classic concert offerings, Bow & Hammer in Concert, will be on the road sharing Bow & Hammer’s distinct programming, relatable narratives, and warm-hearted engagement with audiences they meet. Coming up, a regional Coursed Concert tour with celebrated chefs across the Midwest, the world premiere of Chicago composer Sebastian Huydts’s Sonata Op. 40, and a celebration of Bartók’s 140th birthday.

Advance reservations required for Community Capoeira. Please make sure to reserve your spot no later than the Thursday prior to each Community Capoeira class.

$15 per person

Capoeira incorporates Brazilian Song, Dance, and Martial Arts. Join us every second Saturday to perfect your moves with Gingarte Capoeira!

$10 per family

Join us every first Saturday of the month for Community Drumming led by our very own Bob Parlier! Tickets may be bought in advance or families are welcome to drop-in.

General Admission: $20
Students 13+ & Seniors: $10 (Contact us for tickets)
12 & under: Free

Heart Dance Recording Artist Michael Kent Smith is a composer who uses acoustic and electric guitars as well as traditional and folk instruments, performing on them and stitching the various strands together into a vivid, expressive musical tapestry. His compositions are a blend of Classical, Folk, Celtic and Jazz influences. His latest album, “After the Harvest” created a stir in the industry and rose to #13 on the U.S. charts and #2 on the European charts. The album was nominated for both the ZMR Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year in the U.S. and the O.W.M.R. award for Acoustic Guitar Album of the Year in 2018.

Smith has toured Europe, Africa and Latin America and performs regularly around the United States with concerts at such notable venues as the Kennedy Center, The Festival Cervantino and the Chicago Cultural Center. He was the principal composer in Pong Unit, the ensemble fronted by poet Marc Smith, inventor of the Poetry Slam. In addition, Smith has won the Outstanding Soloist award at the prestigious Midwest Jazz festival and was voted Chicago’s Best Guitarist in 1990. As a solo artist he has released three CDs, “La Esperanza Sigue” in 2010, “Beauty Without Warning” in 2005 and “After the Harvest”, 2002, rereleased in 2017. Smith also has appeared as a guest artist on dozens of recordings with a recent guest spot on the new album by composer Monica Williams currently sitting at #3 on the Billboard instrumental chart.

Our final faculty showcase of 2019 features Seth van Embden in a solo viola recital.

Named a 2016 “Emerging Artist” by the Mendocino Music Festival, violist Seth Van Embden first moved to Chicago to attend the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University for a Masters in Viola Performance on full scholarship, studying under Helen Callus. Before his move from New Jersey, Seth received a dual degree in viola performance and music education at Rutgers University under the tutelage of Philadelphia Orchestra principal violist CJ Chang. Previously Seth was principal violist of the orchestra Sinfonietta Nova, in West Windsor, NJ. Most recently Seth has been a prizewinner in the 2018 Northwestern Viola Competition.

Seth has performed in solo, orchestral, and chamber settings all over the world, including Italy, the United Kingdom, and China. He most recently performed with the Northwestern Baroque Ensemble playing the primo viola part of the Brandenburg Concerto 6. Seth is currently a member of two new ensembles in Chicago: the Millennial Chamber Players and 5th Wave Collective.

Before his relocation to Chicago, Seth taught in the public-school system as an elementary orchestra director in Princeton, New Jersey. He also ran a private studio of over thirty students, and served on faculty of the Mason Gross School of the Arts’ Extension Division. Seth teaches with a patient yet thorough approach focused on proper technique and musical originality, and takes great joy in working and learning together with his pupils. He loves teaching all levels and ages, including adult beginners. Seth's students achieve high levels of musical success, including entry into the most competitive youth orchestras.

Seth also has a keen interest in performing early music and has performed on baroque viola in many period operas and ensembles, including the Northwestern Baroque Opera Orchestra and the Dartington Baroque Festival Orchestra. This past winter Seth took part in creating a student ensemble devoted to performing the works from Frederick the Great’s court. He will be attending the Berwick Academy as part of the Oregon Bach Festival this summer.

Seth is an active member of the American String Teachers Association and Early Music America, and is certified by the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Join in this all ages community drumming experience!

$10/family

Join us for another great faculty showcase as James Davis (trumpet), Dave Miller (guitar), and Lucas Gillan (drums) come together one night only to present both new works as well as music from the jazz standard repertoire.

Join in this all ages community drumming experience!

$10/family

OPSM students will present two recitals, one at 11am and one at 2pm.

Join in this all ages community drumming experience!

$10/family

Open house events include:

10:00-10:45am - Music Together, 0-5 years ($10/family)
11:00-11:45am - Community Drumming, all ages ($10/family)
10:00am-1:00pm - Free Sample Lessons (violin, viola, cello, bass)