Generations Move Together at Dance Ensemble Performance

By Allison Hagey

Ten young members of the Evanston Dance Ensemble, performing with 17 seniors at the Levy Center, learned that age is no barrier to dancing.
Photo by Allison Hagey

The generation gap was filled with dance on Feb. 18, when the Evanston Dance Ensemble (EDE) presented "The Generations Project," a dance performance connecting 10 young EDE dancers with 17 seniors at the Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave.

The project was conceived by co-artistic directors Bèa Rashid and Christina Ernst. Ms. Rashid says, "This project grew out of my own thoughts about aging ... I'm approaching an age when I have to decide whether to stop now or choose to dance for the rest of my life."

Bèa Rashid, sitting on floor, co-director of "The Generation Project," taught dancers of all ages to generate choreography by answering questions through movement

The program consisted of three multi-generational pieces ("Faces of the Earth," "Three Questions" and "Hello Goodbye") and selections from EDE's upcoming production, "FAB! Evanston Dance Ensemble Dances the Beatles." "Hello Goodbye" is the only multi-generational piece that will also be featured in "FAB!" The dancers and seniors put in seven weeks of preparation for "The Generations Project," practicing one hour each week.

Blair Laden, 82, was asked to participate in the project by Ms. Ernst, choreographer for "Hello Goodbye."

Ms. Laden, one of eight dancers featured in the piece (two children, two teens, two middle-agers and two seniors), has prior dance experience. She has taken modern, tap and ballet dance classes "off and on." Ms. Laden says the project allowed her to "learn from the kids by doing movement that I found fascinating," and that a multi-generational dance allows people to "connect in different ways ... even if age is not on the same level, there is always something to learn."

Matt Glavin, 47, EDE's board president, also appears in "Hello Goodbye." He has 15 years of past dance experience and previously danced with Ms. Ernst, who selected him for the piece. Mr. Glavin says he did not know what to expect from the piece because they were given no description and "with Christina you never know what you are getting into."

Ms. Ernst says the dance involves a family theme and focuses on the idea of generations weaving together. In creating the dance, Ms. Ernst said she began thinking about how the idea of family "lent itself to ‘The Generations Project' very well."

Mr. Glavin says the piece has a very strong emotional theme. "The variation of people on stage adds gravity to the piece. It has a unique theme that resonates with people differently, depending on the age of the audience."

For 14-year-old Emily Higgins, the only EDE member in the dance, the experience helped her learn "how you can never judge people by their age." Emily says Wallace Butler, one of the children in the performance, "said some great things, even though he was so young, like how the end of the dance was ‘like letting a bird go.'"

Emily's mother, Jenny Higgins, is also in the performance. Emily said, "[I was] really excited to dance with my mom, because not a lot of people get to do that. People have come up to us after the performance and said we have the same presence on stage."

Mr. Glavin says "Hello Goodbye" "is still evolving and will continue to evolve."

Ms. Rashid said she wanted to start "The Generations Project" because she "felt movement and dance can energize everyone, no matter the age, and it can bring everyone together."

Ms. Rashid's multi-generational dance piece, "Three Questions," was created through the dancers' "movement responses" to questions she proposed to them. Ms. Rashid said she would ask the dancers what their favorite color was or their favorite activity in preschool and the dancers would answer through movement, as a way to learn how to generate choreography. Ms Rashid says, "In working with these seniors, I can see that movement doesn't have to be limited to your view of dance from your 20s, when you are so focused on technique. They are showing us all that a lot of dancing is possible, even at age 82."

The other multi-generational dance piece, "Faces of the Earth," choreographed by Ms. Roy, was inspired by a poem. Ms. Laden also performed in this piece. Matt Coley, a student at Northwestern University, composed the music for "Faces of the Earth."

The Generations Project was funded by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council in order to create choreography integrating young dancers from EDE with seniors, Ms. Rashid says.

EDE's upcoming production, "FAB!," opens Mar. 7 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd. For more information, call 847-328-6683 or visit www.dancecenterevanston.com.

Destination: Bishop Hill, Vestiges of Utopia

By Alan Barney and Neil Cogbill

A three-hour trip from Evanston took the Getaway Guys to what remains of the utopian settlement of Bishop Hill in west central Illinois.

In 1847-1848, a Swedish utopian religious community led by Eric Janson began building a city of God on the Illinois prairie, a city to be devoted to prayer and collective ownership. Now a subdued and melancholy place punctuated by polite curiosity, Bishop Hill, Ill., www.bishophill.com, tells a familiar American story -of hope and sacrifice, reward and disillusion, sanctuary and strife.

After a disastrous first two winters when many died, Bishop Hill rapidly became a flourishing small city, then almost dwindled away within a couple of decades. What is left behind by the Jansonists (a break-off from the state-controlled Swedish Lutheran church) is an impressive architectural archive that makes for an interesting and informative getaway to a beautiful part of west-central Illinois.

Erected between 1847 and 1861, most of the remaining and restored buildings are of handmade brick and, according to the Bishop Hill Heritage Association, built in the Greek Revival style.

Neil thought them more Federalist and Alan thought Neil was splitting hairs. Greek Revival or Federalist, one in particular was an oddity: With pediments, columns and pilasters, Steeple Building (1854) is far more ornate and ambitious than its neighbors, more like a Palladio villa dropped from the sky, according to Neil.

In addition to Steeple Building, the Colony Church (1848), the Colony Hotel (1852-1860), and the newer Bishop Hill Museum are owned and maintained by the State of Illinois. The church is particularly interesting: It was originally designed to house colonists on the first two floors, with the sanctuary located on the third.

Now the lower level is a museum with notable artifacts demonstrating the colony's self-sufficiency; the chapel above is still in original condition, and was built to house 1,000 worshippers segregated by sex. The sanctuary's hand-carved native walnut pews and original glass windows attest to the colony's industrious nature. Meanwhile, the hotel was a fashionable stop in its day between Peoria and Rock Island, and has an uncharacteristic ballroom on its third level.

Remarkable works by the primitive painter-colonist Olof Krans are housed in the Bishop Hill Museum, just three blocks south of Bishop Hill's central square. In addition to the state-run buildings there are more than a dozen others from the colony era to explore, most within a four-block radius from the square. (A good map of Bishop Hill can be found at www.bishophill.com/map.php.)

The colony's problems began as early as 1850, when Mr. Janson was murdered by his cousin's husband. While his successor, Jonas Olson, had some success in maintaining the community, a nationwide depression in 1857 proved fatal to its reliance on a commerce-based economy. By the beginning of the Civil War four years later, the dream had unraveled and the colony's incorporation was dissolved.

This once-upon-a-time place of hard work and God is about a three-hour drive from Evanston. Bishop Hill is 20 miles south of Exit 27 (Atkinson/Galva) on I-80 via CR5 south to CR4 west to CR39 south (which becomes Bishop Hill Street, the main drag).

Departing early, the Getaway Guys made it to Bishop Hill in time for a late breakfast of (what else?) Swedish pancakes at the Filling Station. Alan, perpetually concerned with his waist, thought his helping too large, but cleaned his plate anyway. They toured all the buildings open to the public, visited gift shops (much to Alan's relief and Neil's chagrin, none sold antiques), reconnoitered some promising restaurants (Red Oak Comfort Food and Pie Company, P.J. Johnson's Dining Room, and the Colony Inn) and checked out the Colony Hospital Bed & Breakfast (www.bishophilllodging.com) for future reference.

All in a leisurely afternoon, finished off by a visit to the Bishop Hill Colony Bakery for coffee and treats.

The Getaway Guys took a different route home via US34 to stop near Sheffield for a view of Lock 22 on the Hennepin Canal, another ambitious 19th-century marvel destined to disappoint its believers. Its tow paths are now part of the Hennepin Canal State Bike Trail, but that is another story.

A Book Review

"Tipperary"

By Sue Brooke

"Tipperary" by Frank Delaney is a historical novel covering Ireland's "troubles" from the potato famine of the 1840s to the fight for independence in the 1920s.

Charles, whose diary has been discovered by the book's narrator, is a kind, unassuming gentleman. His mother is Anglo-Irish and his father Irish all the way back to the kings. This family remains neutral and is accepted by both sides as the Catholics start to rebel against the Protestant upper class. Charles drifts along until, in his 40s, he falls in love with April, who grew up in England and has the manner of "quality."

It is rumored that she is the sole heir to Tipperary Castle. The tenant farmers want the vacated land distributed to them; the government wants to sell the land to the highest bidder, and Charles wants the land for April, even though April spurns every romantic overture from him and marries someone else.

During this time a new Irish voice was evolving. Represented by men like William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, "their unique tone brought the English language to bear on the Irish imagination." The boldness and charisma of Michael Collins, too, inspired many.

One time he asked a boy on the street to watch his bicycle while he casually sauntered over to the courthouse. When he returned, the boy asked what he was doing and Michael Collins replied, "I went over to see what all the commotion is about. And," he said, smiling, "they're looking for me."

This is a story of Ireland itself, with many different factions vying for the same land. And, of course, the Irish love a good tale. This is a novel that will make readers want to hop on a plane to visit an old Irish castle - owned by the Anglo-Irish, built by the local Irish craftsmen, and now a lure for tourism to the new, emerged Ireland.

Call for Artists For Evanston Festivals

The City is seeking artists for its two summer arts festivals, the Ethnic Arts Festival, July 19-20, and the Lakeshore Arts Festival, Aug. 2-3. Both festivals are held in Dawes Park, at Church Street and Sheridan Road.

The Ethnic Arts Festival is a juried festival open to all ethnic, folk and fine artists whose work expresses the heritage of a national, regional, tribal or language group. Exhibitor fees are $240 and the nonrefundable jury fee is $35. The deadline for submitting applications is April 18.

The Lakeshore Arts Festival is also a juried event, and it is open to all fine visual artists and crafters. Exhibitor fees are $310 and the nonrefundable jury fee is $35. Applications must be received by March 7. Artist applications for both festivals are available online at www.cityofevanston.org/arts. For more details, call 847-448-8260.

GREEN aRound Evanston

Girls Softball Team Recycles Electronics

Recycling for Softball and the Environment. The Evanston Wildkit Softball Team collected old computers, cell phones and other electronic equipment at a drop-off point at a parking lot at the high school on March 1. Materials in the equipment that can be reprocessed will be recovered, lessening the burden on resources throughout the ecosystem. The drop-off fees (50 cents per pound), will be used to support Girls Softball at the high school. A portion of the funds will help players participate and travel to a tournament in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The balance will be used for improvements to the softball fields and for off-season training opportunities. Pictured above from left are senior Emily Krochmal and sophomore Katy Rodriguez, moving some of the equipment to be loaded on a truck.

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Lights out March 29

The City of Evanston is joining the City of Chicago and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus in making a statement on climate change by asking its community members to join together Saturday, March 29 to participate in Earth Hour.

Evanston residents and businesses are invited to turn off lights between 8 and 9 p.m. that day and make Earth Hour 2008 a truly regional and global event.

Beyond turning off their lights, Evanston community members are invited to take additional measures to make Earth Hour 2008 a great success, such as sign up at www.earthhour.org to become an official part of the effort and receive useful tips and tools; tell a friend about Earth Hour; and advertise Earth Hour and your support for it.

On March 29, residents in major metro areas around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show that it's possible to take action on global warming. Chicago was selected as the flagship region to lead the Earth Hour effort in the United States.

Last year, the first Earth Hour was held on March 31, 2007, in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses turned off their lights for one hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney's energy consumption by 10.2 percent for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.

Ask Eco Gal - Kitchen Composting

By Mayre Press

Dear Eco Gal,
...I decided to be serious about decreasing my garbage going into the landfill and began collecting compostable kitchen materials in large re-usable yogurt containers. Given I'm a vegetarian and live alone, this was easy to do. My problem is I have nowhere convenient (and eco-friendly) to take my compostable materials. I live in an apartment and do not garden.

I understand that Evanston has composting for lawn material. Are there any plans to develop a communal compost bin for kitchen scraps? If people composted their kitchen stuff, there would be no need to use garbage disposals or take up landfill space with plastic garbage bags filled with compostable materials. -- Joan D., Evanston

Dear Joan: First, kudos on your personal commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Your decision to compost kitchen scraps is laudable. I spoke recently with contacts at the City of Evanston and, unfortunately, there are no plans for a communal compost site for kitchen scraps. Furthermore, the yard waste compost site in James Park was closed due to lack of funding.

You might want to replace the yogurt containers with an odor-free compost pail. A popular version is available from the National Gardening Association www.garden.org) and retails for about $20. It holds 1-½ gallons of kitchen scraps and has a lid that snaps firmly shut and a carbon filter to eliminate odors (filters last three months, with replacements sold separately). The pail measures 9" x 9" x 12-¼" to fit easily on a countertop or under the sink.

As a vegetarian, your diet automatically eliminates many of the materials on the "out" list of composting dos and don'ts compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency. Food items such as meats or fish bones and scraps; fats or oils; butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream and yogurt are "don'ts" because they can cause odor problems and attract rodents and flies. Visit the EPA website www.epa.gov for the complete lists and other useful information.

Regarding what to do with composted kitchen waste, those who do not have a home garden may want to look at community garden options. Evanston has four such gardens: James Park Gardens, south of Oakton Street between McCormick Boulevard and Dodge Avenue; Twiggs Canal Gardens, by the intersection of Bridge and Simpson streets, on the south side of North Shore Channel in Twiggs Park; McCormick Gardens, at McCormick Boulevard and Bridge Street, across the street from the Ecology Center; and Lighthouse Gardens, off Sheridan Road, north of Grosse Point Lighthouse. Additional information is available at the Ecology Center, 847-448-8256 or on the City's website www.cityofevanston.org.

Another option is to offer your composted material for someone else's garden. By sharing your compost you are not only sending less waste to the landfill, you are also helping to beautify the community. Garden soil that is fed organic matter from composting usually improves its texture, water-holding capacity and fertility.

This basic composting information may spark the interest of some, and the resources listed here are a good starting point. For those who want to delve deeper into the subject, the Evanston Ecology Center will offer a composting class on April 17. Another local resource is the Chicago Botanic Garden, www.chicagobotanic.org.
Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

‘The American Dream Songbook'

A Play Review By Brian Murphy

When Leonard Bernstein wrote his short musical/operetta, "Trouble in Tahiti," in 1952, he spoke of the putative and collective "American Dream." His satire poked a hole in the inflated, middle-class notion that a house in the suburbs, new appliances and a smiling wife and child would cure all our ills.

With "The American Dream Songbook," Next Theatre Artistic Director Jason Loewith seeks to juxtapose the 50s notion of a shared "American Dream" with the evolution (or disintegration, depending on how you look at it) of the idea in contemporary America. The work poses the question: Does a shared "American Dream" still exist today?

"The American Dream Songbook," therefore, is split into two acts. The first act comprises Mr. Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti" in its entirety (roughly an hour), followed by a second act featuring new songs by acclaimed composers Michael Friedman, Michael John LaChlusa, Michael Mahler, Kevin O'Donnell and Next artistic associate Joshua Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt is the composer and co-librettist of the Next Theatre's "The Adding Machine: A Chamber Musical" which was a huge success last season and is currently running Off-Broadway.

Mr. Bernstein ("West Side Story") throws us into a seemingly happy reflection of "Suburbia," in which the men mowing their lawns, the women cooking dinners and the well-kept white houses mirror one another throughout this land. Everyone smiles and sings a happy tune until we are brought through the looking glass and observe the unhappy couple that resides within the home.

Sam (James Rank, whose performance in "Grand Hotel" at Drury Lane Water Tower earned him a Jeff nomination) and Dinah (Karen Doerr's voice and performance are grand) construct a stable façade for the outside world, but through the gaps of their picket fence we see the truth - they have fallen out of love and are living a miserable existence.

Costume designer Janice Pytel nails the suit-and-tie stuffiness of the era's businessmen, and the oppressive dress and apron worn by a typical housewife. With a backdrop of mirrored glass, we begin to see their reflections as a carbon copy of housewives and businessmen throughout the U.S.A.

Not a word of dialogue is spoken. Instead, Mr. Rank reveals, through song, Sam's musings on infidelity, his masculine desire to dominate and his frustration with his marriage. Ms. Doerr, through her powerful, operatic voice, expresses Dinah's loneliness and depression, her solos perfectly adorned by Jason Fassl's lighting scheme.

The second act kicks it up a notch (or twelve), showcasing five original song and dance routines featuring forms as diverse as a pop ballad, a cabaret piece and a country/western ditty. With song titles like "Betty, the Clam Girl" and "The Rise and Fall of Britney Spears," the second act is like making a play list on an iPod pertaining to a certain theme but with different musicians expressing varied messages.

What "The American Dream Songbook" sacrifices in cohesiveness, it gains in originality and ambition. Jason Bayle, Brandon Dahlquist and Bernadette Garza, relegated to chorus roles as the "Trio" in act one, all get their time to shine in the second act.

The infinitely talented Joshua Schmidt ends the night on a raucous note during his "This Little American Dream," which begins like a Bernstein reprise. Characters spouting hopeful dreams for the future wind up engaging in an all-out brawl until the band decides to play them off stage.

Whew! That's the America I know.

A Film Review

By Brian Murphy

A French Feast at Evanston Symphony's March 16 Concert

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra will present French music at its March 16 concert at Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger concert hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, starting at 2:30 p.m.

The concert will highlight a collaboration with the North Shore Choral Society (director Donald Chen) and soprano Michelle Areyzaga in the
"Gloria" by Francis Poulenc. Ms. Areyzaga will also join the ESO in seven of the "Songs of the Auvergne" as arranged and orchestrated by Joseph Canteloube.

Under the direction of conductor/music director Lawrence Eckerling the concert will open with George Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite No.2 and will also feature Paul Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," made famous by Walt Disney in the classic animated film "Fantasia."

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $5 for students with a student ID and free for children 12 and under when accompanied by an adult.

Call 847-864-8804 or visit www.evanstonsymphony.org.

ETHS to Perform Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana'

By Julie Hynes

The Evanston Township High School Symphony Orchestra, with the ETHS Concert Choir and Chorale, will be performing Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" on Mar. 18.

Charles Abplanalp, director of orchestras, and Mary Theresa Reed, director of choirs, made the decision to perform "Carmina Burana" in addition to the annual spring musical this year to create more performance opportunities for the able vocalists and instrumentalists at ETHS.

In recent years, "Les Miserables," "Anything Goes," "West Side Story"
and "Ragtime" have been the ETHS spring musicals. These large-scale performances required a sizeable cast of vocalists and
actors, as well as a large pit orchestra.

This year's spring musical, "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Mr. Abplanalp said, "has a relatively small cast and orchestra [leaving] fewer opportunities for our able vocalists and instrumentalists. We wanted to do a special, important work for chorus and orchestra to fill that void. ‘Carmina Burana' is just the perfect vehicle," he said.

ETHS has never attempted such a project, and several issues arose as the choruses and orchestra began their preparation. For example, the expensive orchestral music may be rented for only six weeks, so the orchestra was not able to begin rehearsing until Feb. 5. Another challenge has been that the choir had to begin work on the "Carmina Burana" vocal parts, purchased along with the score in December, while simultaneously preparing for a Feb. 29-Mar. 2 performance at the EPCOT Center in Orlando, Fla.

Precise time management is a must for high school musicians and vocalists attempting to tackle the hour-long performance of a work with 25 unique and individualized sections. Mr. Abplanalp explained that the orchestration ranges from very thick and intense to very thin and exposed.

Further, he said, "Most sections have very demanding vocal solos and choral parts, in addition to being musically complex and sophisticated with many meter and tempo changes." He added the ecclesiastical Latin and medieval German vocal parts have proved arduous for the vocalists.

"The 42-minute-long daily class periods for orchestra and choir render only about 35 minutes a day for actual preparation, after warm-ups and tuning," said Mr. Abplanalp.

"Symphony 0rchestra students personally practice between a half hour to three hours a day and have ‘practice parts' for individual preparation. Choir students are working intensively on the solo parts with their teachers and outside of class time."

Beginning March 4, there will be considerable time outside of class devoted to rehearsals and sectionals in order to assemble and polish the performance. Because the choirs and orchestra rehearse during different class periods, the final rehearsals, in which both groups must be present, must be held outside of class.

Vocal and instrumental music are curricular classes at ETHS. Students receive full credit for music performance classes and can receive honors credit for increased musical involvement. Because there are class obligations outside the school day (such as performances), choir and orchestra, as well as band, are termed "co-curricular" classes.

For the 2003-04 and 2005-06 school years, ETHS was one of 40 schools in the nation to be named a "Grammy Signature School for Excellence in Music Education." ETHS is yet again a finalist and will find out early this month whether the school has received the 2006-07 award.

Mr. Abplanalp said most students choose to be in performance groups for all four of their high school years and are deeply involved in our programs and their music education. "The students are extremely excited [about performing] this intense and engaging work of music," said Mr. Abplanalp.

The ETHS Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir, and Chorale will perform "Carmina Burana" on Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the ETHS Auditorium. Tickets will be available at the door at $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased in advance in person at the ETHS Fine Arts Office, room A-119, or by calling the Box Office Hotline, 847-424-7848. These tickets must be picked up at the Fine Arts Office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Mar. 17.

Young Evanston

2008 African-American Youth Achievement Awards.

Thirty-eight students "who pay homage to African-American pioneers through their daily actions" were honored with African-American Youth Achievement Awards at Evanston Township High School Upstairs Theatre on Feb. 29. Pictured above at a reception before the award ceremony are (from the left) School District 65 Board members Jerome Summers and Keith Terry and District 202 Board member Mary Wilkerson, standing behind honorees Derrick Brown, Rae Killebrew, Marquis Reggs, Daphney Ambroise, Nancy Nyanti, Rickey Smith, Kelse Horton-Irving. Other students honored are Adenike Akapo, Ritchy Balthazar, Venessa Beaudouin, Kianna McKinley-Brown, Grace Carter, Khadijah Davis, Nkem Ekwunife, Ishara Emerson, Erica Gardner, Alexis Gill, Laura Hayden, Derek Hunter, Frantz Jacques, Shemar James, Lafisu Lasisi, Cedric Logan, Michael Matthew, Isaac McCrary, Marcus McDowell, Devin Patterson, Jeffery Pittman, De'Andre Pough, Trent Rallins, Brianna Ransom, Porsha Richardson, Jeorgia Sanders, Dujon Smith, Teion Stoby, Maria Succes, Jason Taylor, and Sarah Williams.

Book Buddies Registration Open

Book Buddies, Covenant Nursery School's exclusive summer program, is now accepting applications for Summer 2008. Located at 1420 Maple Ave., this fun and educational program is designed to promote pre-literacy skills in children aged 3-5 years old.

Children will explore classic and contemporary literature through hands-on art, drama, cooking activities and more! Visit www.covenantnurseryschool.org and click on ‘Summer", or call Tina at 847-475-2990 for more information.

ESO Teams With Kids in ‘Play Me a Picture'

This picture by Chute seventh-grader Cody Samson-Sprague reflects his thoughts on "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the piece selected by Evanston Symphony Orchestra for its annual "Play Me a Picture, Paint Me a Tune" collaboration with Evanston school students. Photo courtesy of ESO.

Fifty-Five Evanston school children from kindergarten through 9th grade have been judged winners in the Evanston Symphony Orchestra's annual "Play Me a Picture, Paint Me a Tune!" contest.

The program, co-sponsored by School District 65 and other middle schools in the area, is designed to enhance the learning experience by combining music with art. This year's contest revolves around "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas, which will performed by the Evanston Symphony at its March 16th concert.

Teachers introduced the students to the music and had them create paintings based on the music.

Winning students received gift certificates provided by Blick Art Materials in a ceremony at Blick on Feb. 23. Winning pictures will be on display at Blick through March 13 and will also be on display at the Evanston Symphony Concert at Pick Staiger Auditorium at 2:30 on March 16.

Contest winners follow:
Evanston Home Educators, Joyce Elias, teacher: Will Steinman, Gabriel Stern, Zach Baer, Chris Davis and Immanuel Stern.

Bessie Rhodes Magnet School, Mary Beth Koszut, teacher: Colin Dong, Claire Larson, Lauren Robinson, Sam Crawford-Cloonan, Owens Edobor and Matthew Hall

Haven Middle School, Dan Engh, teacher: Jason Murray, Laura Nordhem,
Lilly Saywitz, Madeline Vroom, Mykola Chemyash and Collette Green

King Lab, Susan Watson, teacher:Aaron Kramer, Philip Wasserberg, Micah Takagishi, Kaylie Engle, Quinn Shaw and Claire Hilton

Chute School, Cindy Adler, teacher: Dana Jacobson, Evan Binford, Rachel Schumm, Patrick Klamm, Cody Samson-Sprague, Melissa Burkhart, Emma Schumann, Anne Marie Brown, and Mary Grace Floeter

St. Athanasius, Mary Ryter, teacher: Will Nawrocki, Paige Affinito, Sarah Soleiman, Terese Swords, Jake Miller, Megan Patton, Daniel O'Malley, Derek Schmitz, Carlin O'Brien, Charlotte Runzel and Seamus McMahon

YMCA K-2 After-School Program: Anaya Gunn, Jada Garcia, Kammaria Madourie, Juan Perez, Ethan Francis, Ulas Scurry, Melik Smith, Melissa Rivera, Tamia Amos-Bailey, Melika Smith, Nathan Bstidas, Lys Acacia, Anja Eason-Johnson, Avilana Garcia and Zyon Brooks

Bebop at Boocoo

ETHS will host its annual Jazz Cabarets at 7 p.m. on March 14 and 15 at the Boo Coo Center, 1823 Church St. Both cabarets will feature different programs played by students in three big bands and 11 jazz combos. Two special guest artists - trumpeter James Davis and his wife, Caroline Davis, who plays alto saxophone - will be showcased each evening.

The $10 ticket, which includes hors d'oeuvres, is available through the ETHS Fine Arts office, 847-424-7130.