Lakeshorerush : Lakeshore Rush

Lakeshore Rush

Co-founded by clarinetist Laura McLaughlin and flutist Erin Murphy in 2014, the chamber ensemble Lakeshore Rush comprises six extraordinary musicians from the Chicagoland music scene.  Through a combination of creative programmatic innovation, synergistic collaborative partnerships and intimate performances, Lakeshore Rush has inspired and enlightened audiences in the Midwest.  Employing various combinations of riveting contemporary music from living composers, as well as various dance styles including rock and jazz, Lakeshore Rush has delighted and entertained audiences of all ages. Lakeshore Rush takes its name from a previously endangered lakeshore grass that has recently revitalized Lake Michigan’s shores in Chicago.  Like the renewal of this plant, the resurgence of contemporary classical music has taken root and flourished in Chicago’s music culture.  Indeed, just off Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, one need only stroll along Rush Street and Lake Shore Drive to experience the energy which motivates and exhilarates the musicians of Lakeshore Rush. Through active collaborations with composers – including new works commissioned by Joshua Hintze and Laura Schwendinger – and a plan to expand the Pierrot + percussion ensemble repertoire, Lakeshore Rush is bringing to life a new variety of audience-friendly music.  Their inaugural 2014-2015 season has found Lakeshore Rush in numerous venues in the Midwest, including the Chicago Center for Music Education, Chicago’s Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue, the George Crumb Festival at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and at the PianoForte Studios in Chicago, among others. Lakeshore Rush is:              Erin Kendall Murphy, flute                                Laura McLaughlin, clarinet                                                  Amanda Bailey, violin                                                                    Christopher Ferrer, cello                                                                                      Dane Crozier, percussion                                                                                                        and Elena Doubovitskaya, piano.