Free SXSW Music Sampler on iTunes

Are you ready for SXSW?  Download a free 11-song sampler of the rock bands and artists featured by NPR Music and public radio stations at this March’s South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas., including music from rock bands Spoon, Brooklyn Rider, Surfer Blood, Broken Bells and G-Side. NPR Music will offer live streaming of the rock concerts, podcasts and full coverage of the exhausting and exhilarating music event. Read about the bands on the sampler, as well as NPR Music’s full SXSW coverage.

Featuring Rock Bands:
“Written in Reverse” by Spoon from Transference
“The High Road” by Broken Bells from Broken Bells
“I Learned the Hard Way” by Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings from I Learned the Hard Way
“Canadian Girl” by The Walkmen from You & Me
“Girl In Love” by Smith Westerns from Smith Westerns
“Airplanes” by Local Natives from Gorilla Manor
“Everywhere I Go” by G-Side from Starshipz And Rocketz
“Cleo’s Song” by JBM from Not Even In July
“Achille’s Heel: IV. Shur Landing” by Brooklyn Rider from Dominant Curve
“Hannah” by Freelance Whales from Weathervanes
“Swim” by Surfer Blood from Astro Coast

To download the ‘NPR Music At SXSW Sampler’ on iTunes:

1. Download iTunes for Mac or Windows, free of charge at www.iTunes.com.
2. Open iTunes and click iTunes Store.
3. Click Redeem under Quick Links.

4. Click here.to get your Redeem Code.

5. Enter it into the ITunes Code box.

Your download will start immediately. Enjoy.

The code expires April 30, 2010 and is redeemable only on the U.S. iTunes Store. Available while supplies last. To redeem the code you must have an iTunes account, subject to prior acceptance of license and usage terms. To open an account you must be above the age of 13 and in the U.S. iTunes 9.0 or later, compatible hardware and software, and Internet access (fees may apply) are required. Not for resale. For full terms, see www.apple.com/legal/itunes/us/gifts.html. For more information, see www.apple.com/support/itunes/store. Don’t steal music. TM and c 2010 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple is not a participant or sponsor of this promotion.

Listen Live:

NPR Music’s SXSW 2010 Live Schedule

WEDNESDAY,
March 17th:
NPR Music’s Opening-Night Showcase At Stubb’s

9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT): Visqueen

9:45 p.m. ET/8:45 p.m. CT): The Walkmen

10:45 p.m. ET/9:45 p.m. CT): Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

12 a.m. ET/11 p.m. CT): Broken Bells

1:15 a.m. ET/12:15 a.m. CT): Spoon

THURSDAY,
March 18th:
NPR Music’s Day Party At The Parish

1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT): Smith Westerns

2:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. CT): Brooklyn Rider

3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT): Local Natives

3:45 p.m. ET/2:45 p.m. CT): G-Side

4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT): Surfer Blood

5:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. CT): Sleigh Bells

Free Downtown Chicago Lunchbreak Classical Music Concert – Mar 8

Take a lunch break in downtown Chicago on Monday, Mar 8th to listen to the free concert downtown by  Juliani Ensemble, a highly acclaimed chamber music ensemble comprised of world class musicians, has delighted Chicago audiences with inventive, energetic chamber music concerts since its inception in 1999.  The LunchBreak’s Classical Mondays offer a great free thing to do in downtown Chicago –  free concerts of classical, chamber music, and opera music in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall, located at teh edge of the Loop near Millenium Park.

THE JULIANI ENSEMBLE has been a regular performing partner at the Chicago Cultural Center since 2000, presenting innovative, world-class concerts, and a live performance on WFMT radio. The Ensemble has remained unique because it expands and contracts its membership as necessary to meet the needs of programming. However, the core of the ensemble is Emily Seaberry Graef, founder and flutist, Frank Babbitt, violin, viola, and baritone, Cornelia Babbitt, cello, Jo Rodenburg, mezzo-soprano and Roger Moseley, piano. The Juliani Ensemble is currently initiating chamber music education programs with schools in the Chicago area.

Date: March 8, 2010 at 12:15 pm

Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St, Preston Bradley Hall
Chicago, IL 60602

Free Chicago Jazz Concert with Reginald Robinson – Mar 7

Come out to hear a free jazz concert on March 7 at 2 pm by gifted pianist and Chicago native Reginald Robinson, who was born and raised in Chicago, and is a noted pianist/composer of Semi-Classical, Ragtime, Latin American and early Jazz & Blues styles. He is also an educator on ragtime music across the U.S. His first musical experiences were listening to his mother and father play records at home of everything from Classical to R&B music. Read more

Chicago Free Lunchtime Concert Friday: Orquesta Chekara Andalusi Tetuán – Feb 19

Come out on your lunch hour downtown Chicago Friday as Orquesta Chekara Andalusi Tetuán combines the unique sounds of Arabo-Andalusian music with Flamenco in a free concert. This free concert is supported by Instituto Cervantes Chicago. LunchBreak’s Music Without Borders Fridays feature music styles from around the world. Read more

Free Classical & Jazz Concerts in Chicago’s West Loop – Feb 19 and Feb 20

Music lovers are invited to enjoy some excellent West Loop free classical and jazz performances by some of Merit School of Music’s most advanced classical and jazz students, who are playing free music for the public during its “Performathon” extravaganza, Feb. 19 and 20 at the school’s Chicago West Loop music center. This is the 29th year of the free concerts at the Joy Faith Knapp Music Center, 38 S. Peoria St., which is just west of Greektown. Read more

Free Downtown Chicago Lunchtime Concert – Classical Mondays – Feb 8

Come out today Feb 8 (before the big snow tonight and Tuesday) to see the members of the Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists Program perform a free recital of operatic pieces.  Today you can enjoy a wonderful free concert lead by COT Young Artists soprano Catalina Cuervo and baritone Darik Knutsen with COT Director of Musical Studies Scott Gilmore. Read more

Classical Music on Your Lunchbreak Downtown Chicago – Feb 1

Enjoy your Monday lunch hour on February 1 with a free classical music concert by Chicago’s leading chamber music organization, as they perform  Franz Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 “Trout”, featuring Joseph Genualdi, violin, Ram Solomonow, viola, Stephen Balderston, cello, Peter Lloyd, double bass, and Meng-Chieh Liu, piano.  Read more

Free Live Bluegrass at Horseshoe – Jan 14, 15, 16

Come on out to the Horseshoe for some free rockin’ bluegrass. The Horseshoe is a full bar and restaurant offering premier Blue Grass music in addition to great BBQ! Live shows every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10pm to 2am.

Location:
Horseshoe
4115 North Lincoln Avenue – Chicago, IL

Cold Beer * Live Music * Texas BBQ

Contact:
773-248-1366

Additional Info:
- Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Chicago’s Wilco To Do Free Show at Winter Olympics – Feb 13

The legendary Chicago band Wilco has just announced that it will start the Canadian leg of its TransCanada Tour (from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, with a half dozen stops planned for south of the border) with an auspicious beginning: a free concert in Vancouver’s David Lam Park on February 13 as part of the “Live City” events celebrating the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Read more

Free Excellent “Jazz Nativity” Performance – Dec 12

Come out to see the nativity story performed by a lively group of top Chicago jazz artists that include: Bobby Schiff, Bobby Lewis, Ken Jandes, Jerry Coleman, Andy Tecson, Tim Coffman, Stew Miller, Ken Olen, Gayle Bisesi, Dawn Holt Lauber, Dave Molnar, and Bill Tadevich. Special appearances by Geraldo DeOliviera as the Latin Percussion King and Lane Alexander as the Tap Dancing King. This is a free concert and also has free parking available in the church parking lot.

This is a wonderful free performance of “a JAZZ NATIVITY” at St. Luke Church, 1500 West Belmont which includes live jazz arrangements of traditional holiday hymns. The whole family is invited is invited to this free event, even the pets. In addition to the themed concert, the Anti-Cruelty Society will host a holiday bazaar, an adoption event, and there will be a Christmas pet blessing for animals in attendance. All this musical fun takes place on Dec.12 from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. This is a free event for everyone including families, and sponsors ask guests for donations of canned goods for Lakeview Pantry or pet food for the Anti-Cruelty Society. Read more

Free Christmas Music Downloads for Your Enjoyment

It is the Christmas season and everyone here at Free Chicago loves to whistle or hum their favorite Christmas tunes. Now retailers are getting into the spirit with free Christmas music and free mp3s coming your way this holiday season.  First, check out Amazon and their 25 Days of Christmas Music special where you can build a great Christmas collection from Amazon with their holiday free downloads every day this month! So far we have seen “Joy to the World” by Casting Crowns and “Snow Angel” by Tori Amos with more to come!  Every day through Christmas, Amazon.com is unveiling a new holiday song that you can download for free. CLICK HERE to go check it out!

We also uncovered another music E-tailer, Hear It First, that is doing their version of the 25 Days of Christmas Music. It started yesterday and continues through Christmas Day!  CLICK HERE to go check it out!

This is a great way to add to your playlist!

Free Christmas Song “Candy Cane Christmas” from Darius Rucker

This week’s free single of the week at the iTunes Music Store is Darius Rucker’s “Candy Cane Christmas”. (Pictured, scroll down to find it.) Each Tuesday, iTMS offers a new single from up-and-coming artists as a free download. (You’ll need an iTMS account to download it.) 

Of note, this week’s other  free discovery download at the iTunes Music Store is Katherine McPhee “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”. (Scroll down to find it.)

Free Opera in Chicago – Nov 20

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and Chicago Opera Theater is proud to participate in this exciting week-long celebration of free opera with Opera “Flash” Performances around Chicago and free Double Bill of TWO one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center on November 20!

“Pop-Up Opera” Performances
When: November 14— 20, 2009
Where: All over Chicago!
Price: Free

Was that someone singing in the frozen food section?  Did I just hear a soprano by the “Bean”?   Is that a baritone singing at the United Center?  Chicago Opera Theater and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs presents “Pop-up Opera” all around town during National Opera Week – short performances of opera “favorites” in unexpected places in Chicago!

A Double Bill:
Jake Heggie’s At the Statue of Venus and
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s Susanna’s Secret
When: November 20, 2009, 6:30pm
Where: Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center,
78 E Washington St, Chicago
Price: Free

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs presents Chicago Opera Theater’s double bill of two-one act free operas: At the Statue of Venus and Susanna’s Secret.  Both operas are sung in English.

Jake Heggie’s At the Statue of Venus is an intimate one-act free opera featuring Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist Leila Bowie, as a nervous woman waiting “at the Statue of Venus” for the man who will finally change her luck in love…maybe.  (Chicago Opera Theater will present Three Decembers, a fully-staged Jake Heggie opera, as part of their 2010 Spring Festival Season at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.) At the Statue of Venus is directed by Chuck Smith, Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre.

Wolf-Ferrari’s Susanna’s Secret features Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists Catalina Cuervo and Martin Woods. Susanna’s Secret is directed by Joanie Schultz, who most recently directed Acis and Galatea that performed at both the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park.  The plot centers arond what Susanna is up to.  She seems to smell funny. A jealous husband suspects his wife has a secret passion, but is he right, or is he just a stupid man?  Come check out this free opera!

Both pieces are presented in collaboration with the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

National Opera Week is organized by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera (www.operaamerica.org/now), with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.  The National Opera Week celebration will reach from coast to coast with over 90 opera companies from 32 states and will offer a range of free programs for the public that demonstrate the allure and accessibility of  this most multi-media of the arts and will be accessible to both opera lovers and newcomers to the art form.

Free Classical Music Concert Each Month – Nov 2

The Chicago Chamber Musicians offer a free classical music concert each month at lunchtime during the school year, with the next free concert on Nov 2.  The CCM  has built a strong national reputation with its quality programs in artistic development, concert performances and education. With its resident ensemble comprising piano, string, wind and brass artists, CCM annually reaches thousands of individuals through an extraordinary range of programs that include: a critically-acclaimed subscription series; the award-winning Composer Perspectives series of contemporary chamber music; annual Family Concerts; radio broadcasts and touring engagements; plus extensive outreach and education in the Chicago community.  The Chicago Tribune calls it “the city’s flagship chamber music organization”.

Experience the joy of world-class chamber music performances in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Time:   12:15 – 1 p.m.

All concerts are broadcast live on WFMT (98.7 FM).

Check out the CCM’s Free Classical Music Downloads!

Free Lollapalooza Concert Sampler on iTunes

Want a free taste of the bands who will be rocking Lollapalooza in August? Now you can download the FREE digital sampler from iTunes featuring 15 artists from this year’s lineup in Chicago in Grant Park on August 7-9. Check them out, then click the button below to download your free Read more

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