Concert: Steve Yépez with Jeff Panko

In celebration of the season, join us for a springtime concert featuring flutist Steve Yépez, accompanied by pianist Jeff Panko.

Guests will enjoy complimentary sparkling rosé and salted nuts.

Doors at 6:00 p.m. Concert at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. (1) bottle of rosé per table of (4). For sparkling non-alcoholic rosé, please contact us at [email protected] by Thursday, May 14. Tickets are non-refundable after May 14.

About the Setlist

Steve and Jeff will perform the following pieces:

• Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
• Sonata Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
• Sonata Yuko Uébayashi (b. 1958)

The first piece by Debussy will take us back in time to visit the World’s Fair of 1889. Here we will learn how inventions in metal and impressionism influenced instruments and music as a whole.

The second piece will move us forward in time from the Paris Exposition to the 1950s. Here we will learn what famous French flutist premiered this delightful piece and what role America played.

Why choose a Japanese composer for an all French program? Sometimes when two worlds collide, we experience a kaleidoscope of color. This sonata is proof that when east meets west, art can be endless even today.

About the Artists

Steve Yépez

Steve Yépezhas been performing for thirty years and comes to the stage with a long history of performing around the country and especially along the West Coast and throughout the Chicago area.\

Mr. Yépez has taken several notable Chicago landmarks as a soloist. Some venues include the Epiphany Arts Center and the Fourth Presbyterian Church. He hopes to connect his audience with the wide variety of flute repertoire and create new experiences for all. As a chamber musician, Mr. Yépez is currently creating NEXT, a new ensemble that showcases collaborative artistry and exciting classic and new repertoire.\

Mr. Yépez has been the Principal Flute for the Chicago Summer Opera since 2009, as well as the Principal Flute for Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra of Chicago, The Chicago Arts Orchestra, and The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.\

In Los Angeles he has performed with a number of notable groups, including The West Los Angeles Symphony, Burbank Philharmonic, and The Antelope Valley Symphony. And for three summers Mr. Yépez played at the Walt Disney Concert Hall as the Principal Flute and Assistant Principal Flute with the Idyllwild Festival Orchestra.\

In addition to performing with these stellar ensembles, Mr. Yépez also teaches flute at New Music School in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Here is where Steve is able to connect with each student on a very high musical level.\

Steve’s newest venture, Collaborate in Harmony, has added an exciting twist to performance: working with the corporate world to teach the classical musicians’ approach to communication and productivity but in the business/technology workplace.\

Mr. Yépez earned his Master of Music Degree at DePaul University after graduating from California State University, Northridge. He has studied with renowned flutists Mary Stolper (Grant Park Symphony), Sandra Iles (California State University), and Catherine Ransom Karoly (Los Angeles Philharmonic).

Jeff Panko

Pianist Jeffrey Panko has received critical acclaim as both solo and collaborative artist throughout the United States and Europe. Earning degrees in Piano Performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the DePaul University School of Music, Panko was awarded top prizes in the Society of American Musicians’ Piano Competition (Chicago) and the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition (New York).

Following a concert tour of Poland where he was honored by the United States with the title of Cultural Ambassador, Panko was invited by the City of Chicago to present a Chopin recital for the visiting Lech Walesa and other Polish dignitaries. Panko has also been featured in performances at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Lincoln Center Library, WQXR Radio (New York), is a frequent performer on WFMT Radio (Chicago), and appeared in Symphony Center playing the music of Steven Sondheim for Mr. Sondheim.\

An Artist Faculty member of the New Music School piano faculty in Chicago, Panko also serves as Minister of Music and as Artistic Director of the Music at Bethel Concert Series for Bethel United Church of Christ in Elmhurst, Illinois and is a founding member of the Indigo Ensemble.

Get Here

The Alliance Franaise de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Avenue. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago Avenue.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Photography Notice

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.