Wow! A great way to catch some culture on the cheap!  Comp tickets are for the Friday, June 14th, 8 pm performance, so enough time to plan – the full price is $30.  Impress your out-of-town family and friends with this treat.

Under the baton of Italian conductor Mattia Rondelli, the Chicago Philharmonic welcomes solo pianist Susan Merdinger for a performance of works by both famed American and Italian composers, from Verdi to Puccini and Bernstein to Gershwin. The Italian Consulate and University of Illinois co-sponsor this concert that features popular all-time favorites like Rossini’s William Tell Overture, selections from Bernstein’s West Side Story and a finale of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Merdinger is an acclaimed soloist and recording artist who recently won first prize at the 2012 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and the 2013 International Music Competition of France.