What comes to mind when you think of classical music? Is it Beethoven in an 18th Century wig or a Vienna concert house with Mozart? Well this is not what "classical" music is today, and the ensemble Access Contemporary Music demonstrates that classical music is still well and alive without the 18th Century or Beethoven. In fact, classical music is supposedly in their golden age according to the company. Access Contemporary Music wants to change the way the public perceives "classical" music; they know that classical music today is more relevant and modern than ever.

Access Contemporary Music was founded by Seth Boustead who came up with the idea in 2000 but did not officially open until May of 2004. The company is passionate in its mission of making contemporary classical music accessible to the masses. This musical form is just as prevalent as other music genres in the field and is performed by a diversity of well-regarded musicians. Contemporary classical music styles can range from post-minimalism to world music but a hallmark of the music is actually that there are no consistent styles. ACM's ensembles are unique in that they often commission their own work and house world premieres. The members come from as far as Jerusalem and Rio de Janeiro, and play a variety of pieces as part of Access Contemporary Music. ACM also collaborates with many other companies around in Chicago, such as the Strawdog Theater, eighth blackbird, the Chicago Architecture Foundation and several radio stations across the country. They hope to go international within the next few years.

Not only performing music, Access Contemporary Music provides instruction to aspiring musicians. The ACM School of Music, with Ravenswood location at 1758 W. Wilson Avenue, now has over 220 students enrolled and is the fourth largest community school in the City. To make music relatively more affordable for everyone reasonable prices and scholarships are offered. ACM also has a variety of events coming up including the praised Sound of Silent Film Festival on April 29th which involves new musical pieces by the ensemble. Another future event to take note of will be the Architectural Artifacts on June 17th, a Goblin Market based on the poem of the same name. Take the time to reintroduce yourself to classical music at a reasonable price and you will not regret it! Visit www.acmusic.org.

The New Colony, 4740 N. Western Avenue, 773-413-0862
ReWILDing Genius, thru April 20th 

Alibi Fine Art Exhibit, 1966 W Montrose Ave, 773-454-1512
Boldly, We Go Blindly, thru May 24th   

This photography gallery's theme is about works and people who have been overlooked and forgotten.
www.alibifineart.com

American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron Street, 773-409-4125
Hair, starts April 25th

A group of hippies explore the idea of love and civil rights in 1968 in this classic rock musical.
www.atcweb.org

Access Contemporary Music, 1758 W Wilson Avenue, 773-334-3650 

The Public House Theater, 3914 N Clark St. 773-904-8777
Bye Bye Liver, every Friday & Saturday 8PM & 10PM
A series of outrageous and hilarious comedic sketches, all centered around one thing...alcohol!

www.pubhousetheatre.com

Cornelia Arts Building, 1800 W Cornelia Ave, 773-316-9223
Open House, May 16th Friday 6-10PM
Take a look at some of the most cutting-edge artwork in our community and get a chance to talk to the artists themselves!
www.corneliaartsbuilding.com

We are accepting letters of interest and resumes from college and graduate students seeking a paid summer internship in our aldermanic office. Applicants must have completed at least one semester/quarter of college during the spring of 2014 in an accredited program and must have proof of residency in Chicago, preferably the 47th Ward, at time of hire. The ten week program runs from June 9 to August 15. We will be making our decision in late April/early May. Email ernie@chicago47.org.

Waters Elementary
There are three more school tours this year. If you know parents interested in hearing about Waters School, please share the following dates with them. Please be prompt. 

• Thurs, May 22, 8:45am in Annex

McPherson School Tours are designed for neighborhood and Options for Knowledge parents to get a better idea of what makes McPherson unique. Come see for yourself and get all your questions answered live and in person!

• Friday, April 25 @ 9:30 a.m.
• Friday, May 9 @ 9:30 a.m.
• Friday, May 30  @ 9:30 a.m.

RSVP: Marianne Turk, mturk@cps.edu, 773-534-2625, ext. 167874728 North Wolcott Avenue | Enter through the main office door (#1) from Wolcott and sign in at the office.

Ravenswood Elementary

Ravenswood Elementary School offers comprehensive school tours on the second Tuesday of every month that school is in session. All tours begin at 9 a.m. in the multi-purpose room, where we'll grab a cup of coffee and set off to observe classrooms, discuss the curriculum and learn what makes Ravenswood Elementary School a truly hidden gem.  Mr. Manaen, Ravenswood School principal, will meet with prospective parents for an open question-and-answer session following the tour.  Not sure if you're in the Ravenswood Elementary School attendance boundaries? Please click here .

Tours for the rest of the school year will be May 13 and June 10, all at 9 a.m. in the multi-purpose room. All are welcome! 

Great Kids, Great Teachers = Great School  Congratulations Amundsen!  Click here to learn more.

This past August, Lane Tech High School's Principal, Dr. Christopher Dignam, was one of six high school principals (and the only one from a selective enrollment high school) to receive the Principal's Incentive Award from Chicago Public Schools in recognition of the school's growth in reading and math scores as well as closing achievement gaps. Lane's standardized test scores increased 2.03 points in reading and .87 points in math from 2012 to 2013. The school's overall ACT composite score increased by 1.08 points. The Incentive Award is funded by private donors, such as philanthropist Penny Pritzker.  

In March this year, Dr. Dignam was also awarded the Scholastic Press Association of Chicago/McCormick Principal of the Year. The Principal of the Year award acknowledges the important role principals play in high school journalism.   Dr. Dignam was nominated by the Lane Tech Warrior teacher sponsor, Seth Johnson, in recognition of his support for student journalists as well as his position against censorship.

Upcoming dates are: April 18, May 16, June 20 from 3-5pm

If you know anyone who needs assistance, please pass this along.

Lincoln Square Friendship Center Pantry Are you interested in our newest neighborhood pantry? Sign up for their newsletter: lincolnsquarefc@gmail.com  

There are many ways for you to help - volunteer, help fundraise, hold a food drive, donate bins, pick-up donations, sponsor/manage a community garden bed. We are neighbors helping neighbors and making a difference.  

Sulzer needs your old games.  Thanks to our neighbors who have donated games for the Sulzer's Game Night!  If you have games that your family no longer uses, please bring them to the 47th Ward Office or to Sulzer Library. Their ever-popular "Game Night" could use a few more board games like Sorry, Chess, Life, Uno, Jenga, Rummy Cube, etc.   

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

Lawrence Avenue Streetscape

• Work resumed the first week of April after a long winter.  Lighting work continues between Western and Clark and new pedestrian refuge islands are being installed between Damen and Clark.
• Between Damen and Clark, the sidewalks are being widened, lane markings are being painted, and landscaping work is being done.  All crossings will be ADA compliant.
• Work on the south side of the street near McPherson will be completed over the summer when school is not in session.
• Street resurfacing and final striping will be completed in the fall.

Water Main Replacement for Hutchinson between Lincoln and Damen

Contractors working with the Dept. of Water Management have finished replacing the water main from 1897 under Hutchinson St. between Lincoln and Damen.  Restoration will occur once the asphalt plant opens (Mid-April or May). For full information, please click here.   

Water Main Replacement for Hoyne between Irving Park and Grace

Contractors working with the Dept. of Water Management are replacing the water main from 1895 under Hoyne between Irving Park and Grace.  No parking will be enforced between 7am and 4pm Monday through Friday.  During work, there will be no thru traffic allowed.  For full information, please click here.  

Water Main Replacement for Byron between Damen and Ravenswood

Contractors working with the Dept. of Water Management will be replacing the water main from 1891 under Byron from Damen to Ravenswood.  No parking will be enforced between 7am and 4pm Monday through Friday.  During work, there will be no thru traffic allowed.  For full information, please  click here.

Water Mains Coming Soon:

Berteau (Bell to Damen): Start in April.

Warner (Leavitt to Damen):  Start in April

Ashland (Irving to Lawrence): Start in May - MORE INFO COMING SOON! 

The Chicago Cubs have provided some additional funding for infrastructure improvements in the 44th 46th and 47th Wards.   In the 47th ward we will be getting new residential street lighting on: W Byron (Clark to Ashland), N Janssen (Addison to Irving Park) and N Greenview (Addison to Irving Park).

Chicago River Work (east side) Berteau to Montrose (from Riverbank Neighbors) 

Please check out this updated landscaping plan for the bank.

New to the plan:

• removal of all Ailanthus, honeysuckle and buckthorn (all invasives);
• add soil to the rip rap on the upper sections of the project area to make planting easier and recovery quicker;
• substitute for the elderberry, since we said we have a thriving e-berry community already;
• substituted a cover seed mix instead of the IDOT mix we objected to;
• four species of gray dogwood (stakes) that a vigorous colonizers for the new territories.

These will be substantial new lands, with the bank secured, and planting begun. Riverbank Neighbors will be able to enrich species diversity over time and introduce many new forbs. Habitat for birds and reptiles and amphibians and mammals will be greatly improved.

Horner Park Riverbank Project (from US Army Corps)

Winter conditions are still delaying contractor progress. The exact start date is still pending construction plan approval.  

• Leland Ave Full Closure will be up until June, 2014.  
• Ravenswood from Lawrence to Leland Ave Full Closure will be up until June, 2014 on the west side of Ravenswood.
• Ravenswood (east side) between Ainslie and Winnemac some of the landscaping features will be installed before snowfall in preparation for planting in the spring.  Blockades may be in place on the street to make room for the work to be done however there is not a parking restriction when workers are not present.
• Ravenswood (west side) between Berteau and Grace landscaping projects are expected to begin late April or early May along the base of the walls along the Metra tracks.  Short closures will be necessary to install the new plants, so pay attention to parking restriction signs.
• Ravenswood (west side) between Lawrence and Berteau landscaping projects are expected to start mid May.  Again, short closures will be required to install the new trees and plants.  Fencing is also being installed in the planting areas.   

For more information, visit the infrastructure section of our website or contact Jim Poole at jim@chicago47.org or 773-549-4462.  

Enjoy one of the best running experiences the city has to offer at the 18th annual Ravenswood Run. This 5K, run on the beautiful tree-lined streets of the Ravenswood and Lincoln Square neighborhoods, is perfect for the new runner or those chasing a PR. 

100% of the proceeds from the event go to Ravenswood Community Services' hunger relief programs and the student-based health centers at Lakeview and Amundsen High Schools.