Month: February 2026

CSO Backstage Tour

Since last year, I purchased two tickets for a Millennium Park concert, which was considered a fundraiser, I officially became a “CSO donor” (I think, my subscription is not expensive enough to qualify). With that, I started to receive some exclusive invitations. I know that invitations to the open rehearsals are issued to all subscribers, but I believe that for a backstage tour invitation, you need a higher level. Or maybe they just started to offer them. Whatever the case, this season was the first time I started receiving these invites, and I was sad I couldn’t choose any tour time that worked for me. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I spotted one time that could work and still had openings (it was a last-minute addition). The time loosely corresponded to my lunch break :). I immediately grabbed two tickets and told my neighbor about this opportunity.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the whole tour, because it ended up being longer than one hour (as it was advertised). But funny enough, the last and the best part of the tour – the backstage – was less important for me because I saw it as a part of the CSO for Kids Ambassador tour with Nadia, so it was OK; I just felt bad that I had to ask an usher to escort me out.

The curator who led the tour was exceptionally knowledgeable, and she told us all about the history of the building and the orchestra. I knew some pieces of it: how Theodor Tomas agreed to move to Chicago in 1890 for the promise to have a permanent orchestra (“I will move to hell for that!”). How the orchestra first performed in the Auditorium, and how Daniel Burnham volunteered to design the new orchestra’s home.

I didn’t know that Theodor Thomas specifically wanted to have a ballroom in the building for more intimate gatherings, and that it’s because of him we have Grainger Ballroom.

The Rotunda was a later addition, similar to the Arcade, and was built to house the CSO offices, the libarary and the archive
Another thing we learnde on the tour: the first female member joined the orchestra in 1940, and out of all instruments you would imagine, she played a French horn!
I didn’t know that the ceiling can be moved up and down to create a different effect, depending on who is on stage (the full orchestra, the Chamber orchestra, or a soloist)

Backstage:

The harpsichord (I remember seeing Melody Lord playing it)

As I said, I didn’t take a lot of pictures backstage because I took them on a previous tour. My friend messaged me later that it was a very special experience, and she loved it. She was able to sty till the end, and I had to run back to work!

I Knew It!

Honestly, when I saw this piece. in WBEZ newsletter, that’s what I wanted to scream: I knew it! I knew that Makela would love our Art Institute! And I love the concept of “music pairing.”

The story.

Continue reading “I Knew It!” →

ODS

ODS dinner on Wednesday – first time after two and a half months of absence. My emails remained unanswered, or the dates were confirmed when it was already too late, or something else. I thought for a hundredth time that I need to put my ODS volunteering on pause, but two weeks ago, when I was coming home on the Red Line, somebody called me from the seat facing me, and I saw J., one of the residents. It took me a couple of seconds to connect her face to a different environment, but both she and I were equally happy to see each other! There was a whole group of ODS residents, and I knew two others – at least their faces were familiar; and J. happily explained about the other two that “they were new.” And then she started to explain to them that I come and cook. I told her that I am finally scheduled to come on February 25, and I knew that I had to stick with this date no matter what.

When I checked in the day before, I was informed that they only have ground beef, rice, and frozen vegetables, and it’s up to me what to make. I took a celiac and some dark pink farmers’ carrots from home, and stopped at Target on theway to ODS to pick up frozen peas and brussels sprouts. I hoped they had potatoes (they always had!), but it was the end of the month, and I was told there would be no potatoes until Tuesday.

I sighed and started making my signature vegetable soup, using ground beef instead of turkey and rice instead of potatoes. I brought a jar of Vegeta with me, which helped! By some miracle (mostly me promptly removing the grease from the soup’s surface), it ended up being surprisingly good. Another miracle was that not only J. hung out in the dining area with me, but also several “new” boys and even girls were ready to socialize. They asked lots of questions about me and my cooking, came for seconds, and thanked me for the soup multiple times. And they didn’t get back to their rooms for a while, so we chatted for another hour.

N. (my favorite staff) was very sympathetic and told me to text her if I have scheduling problems again 🙂

MCA

I almost never make it to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and it’s hard to tell why – there are other museums which are not close to my office, and harder to get to. If anything, the MCA is between my work and my home, and not far from the Chicago Red Line stop. And, because I tend to consume too much information about what’s going on in the city, I learned that they have free admission on Tuesday evenings for all Illinois residents, so I decided to check it out (sort of “getting out of a familiar routine”). I went there on Tuesday when I had a midday doctor appointment, and worked from home, which is also not my typical way of going to the museums.

“The Trophy” by Marlene Dumos

From Firelei Báez exhibition:

City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago Exhibit:

And I didn’t know these facts about the Montrose Harbor:

I was slightly disappointed that the permanent collection is not on view, and overall, there are fewer things on view than I expected. I am going to hold off getting one more membership: now that I know it’s not so difficult to get there (and it a purely physological thing that I flelt this museum was not on my way), I am happy to see all new exhibits during these free Tuesday evenings.

Other Weekend Activities

As I’ve mentioned many times, I love it when Lena visits me because we like the same things, and I can have a perfect weekend with her, engaging in all my favorite activities.

I always try to make her feel a little bit “on holiday” when she visits me, and she does the same when I visit her. That said, I cooked her favorite dishes, made tiramisu, and showed her some hidden treasures in Rogers Park. She also went on early morning walks and explored the neighborhood (as seen in the pictures below)

At the Chicago border

We talked for hours. We didn’t solve all world’s problems, but we definitely registered consensus over them:). Also, with Lena’s blessings, I aquired one more orchid:

Orchids 2026. Part 2

You might not believe it, but Lena and I agreed that this year, there were fewer orchids on display, and fewer interesting compositions. Still, there was a lot to see!

A couple of pictures of us (myself, my mom, and Lena).

Continue reading “Orchids 2026. Part 2” →

Orchids 2026. Part 1

I always find it difficult to put all the Orchid Show pictures in one post. It always feels overwhelming, although I am sure most of my readers will just glance through them. Still, I am trying to share the beauty.

This year’s theme of the Orchid Show was the 70s – mostly the music, but also the culture and aesthetics in general.

Continue reading “Orchids 2026. Part 1” →

More Pictures From The Rally

(from the Instagram of my favorite Chicago photographer)

Lena is on the second photo (and I am not, although I was right by her).

About The Radio And Being In Direct Reach

I just think that people in the US can’t really understand the concerns of the European nations regarding potential Russian aggression. Yes, there was a Cold War. Yes, there was “duck and cover,” building bomb shelters, and such. But the US never experienced an actual Russian aggression, so all these scares were and still are very abstract.

I thought about that when Boris showed me his recent purchase last week. It was more like a joke for him, but the backstory is worth mentioning.

This is a Philips radio, which also has a large flashlight and a built-in siren. It can be charged from a wall outlet or a USB port, but it also has a built-in solar battery and, as a last resort, a rotating handle that you can turn to generate some electricity by hand. And in addition, it can be used to charge other devices via USB.

Overall, it can be viewed as a perfect “rescue me if I am lost in the woods while hiking” device, except for one small thing. The first time this radio appeared in a store was when the Finnish government was seriously preparing for potential Russian aggression and asked all citizens to have a three-day food and water supply, and to note the location of their nearest bomb shelter.

Half of Europe experienced direct Russian aggression over the last hundred years. Many cities were shelled and partially or almost completely ruined. Many countries lost big chunks of their territory. It’s very real and very close. It’s in people’s memories. And I don’t know how to get it into my countrymen’s heads that it’s not OK.

Support Ukraine Rally

This weekend, my best friend Lena from Ann Arbor came for her annual “Orchid Show visit.” Now, this visit has another, somber meaning. Although the show runs from the beginning of February to the end of March, we try to plan Lena’s visit so we can attend the rally in support of Ukraine, marking the dark anniversary of the full-scale invasion.

Igor was there before us, in a better position and with a better camera, so the pictures are mostly his. Also, I will come back to this post to fill in the names of the speakers, because I am not 100% sure of most of them.

One thing I noticed is that over these four years, everyone learned to say “Slava Ukraine!” without an accent. And the Lithuanian Consul General gave the entire introductory part in Ukrainian, which caused uproar from the crowd. As always, I was happy to see Dick Durbin, a great supporter of Ukraine (and I learned that his ancestors were from Lithuania!)

Pre-rally: Senator Durbin talking to the Iranian activists
Pre-rally

The rally started with the USA and Ukrainian Anthems.

Senator Durbin took the stage and told the crowd that there is support for Ukraine on both sides of the aisle, and that he will keep fighting.

Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak
Dick Durbin
‘The only fight we can’t win is the one we do not fight!”
Consul General of Lithuania Reginmantas Jablonskas

It was cold, but we stayed there for an hour and a half, and the whole time I was thinking about our visit to Vilnius in March 2022 and how there were Ukrainian refugees everywhere. We could not imagine back then how long the full-scale war would last, and we hoped for a quick victory for Ukraine. I know that we need to focus on our fight at home, because our victory at home will benefit the rest of the world, but I still feel that I am not doing enough to support Ukraine. Not talking enough about the war, and letting people to forget.

Last week, Boris asked me whether people around me know how often Kyiv is shelled. I told him: oh, I know! And he asked, “What about the others around you?” Again, I understand that out atmost focus is here and now, but still…