Now in its 48th year, Contempo continues as the vanguard of adventurous new works and cutting-edge programs. Under the direction of Artistic Director Shulamit Ran, Contempo introduces audiences to the bold visions of today’s most innovative composers.

Dedicated exclusively to the performance of contemporary classical music, Contempo is one of the oldest and most successful professional new music groups in the nation. Over its 48-year history, Contempo—formerly known as the Contemporary Chamber Players—has earned an enviable reputation for its outstanding performances of music by living composers. Since its inception, Contempo has dedicated itself to the performance of works by the University’s own doctoral candidates in composition, as well as countless other composers whose name recognition may not yet equal their talent, a practice that has greatly enhanced the living art of composition. Contempo has given over eighty world premieres, and even more Chicago premieres, of works by both established and emerging composers, including Roger Sessions, John Harbison, Ralph Shapey, George Perle, Pulitzer Prize-winning faculty member Shulamit Ran and MacArthur fellow and former University of Chicago faculty member John Eaton.

Season Highlight

Antigona Furiosa, an opera by Jorge Liderman

Award-winning composer Liderman (UChicago PhD) transports Sophocles’ tragic tale of Antigone to modern-day military ruled Argentina. The powerfully staged opera production was awarded the Munich Biennale International Prize and features an intriguing trio of threes (three singers, three pianists, and three percussionists). April 13 (7:30 pm) and14 (3:00 pm)