Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited – to Host Community Celebration on April 15

Chicago Sinfonietta Ensemble, Others to Perform at Chicago Cultural Center

CHICAGO (March 20, 2023) — “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited” will host a community celebration featuring Chicago Sinfonietta members, storytelling, quilting and DJ Geno from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 15 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. in Chicago. The event is free and open to the public.

The event will include:

• 11 a.m. – Community quilting bee with Needles and Threads Quilters Guild
• Noon – Storytelling by SOL Storytelling Collective
• 1 p.m. – Chicago Sinfonietta quartet performance by Sylvia de la Cerna (violin), Carmen Kassinger (violin), Seth Pae (viola, leader), Lindsey Sharpe (FF cello) 
• 2 p.m. – DJ Geno with Chicago Sinfonietta members Edith Yokley (violin) and Karla Galva (violin)

“Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited,” hosted by Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy (CAAIP), explores the African American philanthropy experience and giving traditions grounded in faith, mutuality, responsibility and social justice. The exhibition illustrates Black philanthropy through innovative and interactive presentations, including luminous photographic prints on metal, iPad kiosks with digital apps featuring music, poetry, photography, narratives and more. The free exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center will close April 30.

About the April 15 community celebration’s participants:

Chicago Sinfonietta’s community and public programs utilize CS personnel alongside South Side and West Side community partners to create unique opportunities for engagement and support. An ensemble performance will be led by orchestra member Seth Pae, and DJ Geno will lead a DJ set with orchestra members Edith Yokley (violin) and Karla Galva (violin).

Seth Pae is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in the Chicago area. As a violist, he performs with high-level professional orchestras and chamber ensembles. He frequently collaborates with composers and artists of various genres.

Edith Yokley is a violinist from Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta and Soulful Symphony in Baltimore. She has performed with such artists as CeeLo Green, J.Lo, Common, Barry White, Mos Def, Nancy Wilson, Andrea Bocelli, Sheila E, Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin. 

Karla Galva was born and raised in Chicago. Daughter of a Dominican father and East-Indian Trinidadian mother, she studied at the DePaul University Community Music Division, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland.

Eugene “DJ Geno” L. Cohill IV has been one of the thriving forces in Chicago hip hop. He started as a club DJ and intern at Universal Music Group through his love of music and pursuit of the music business. Universal Music provided a platform for him to grow his brand and develop business relations. DJ Geno became the tour DJ and eventually management for Ludacris D.T.P. multi-platinum artist Shawnna with former business partner John Monopoly. He also managed Grammy winning G.O.O.D. music artist GLC and was A&R of his last album “Love Life & Loyalty.” With over 20 years in the business, DJ Geno continues cultivating talent through production and management.

Needles and Threads Quilters Guild promotes the love of quilting as well as the growth and development of it in the arts and crafts. The group supports the community by making baby blankets and cancer blankets for Stroger Hospital and pillowcases for LaRabida Children’s Hospital.

Founded in 2020, the SOL Collective was formed to support and elevate women of color’s voices in the storytelling community and arts scene in Chicago. SOL members craft and perform authentic personal stories, voicing the complexity of intergenerational experiences. Through humor, empathy, community and joy, they create healing connections in transformative narratives that reclaim and amplify their lineage and heritage of storytelling while defying racial and gender barriers. SOL Collective is an artistic response to the continued inequities of how women of color are seen, heard and interpreted.

Register for the free April 15 community celebration here.

A full schedule of The Soul of Philanthropy Chicago activities can be found here. See the exhibit’s Gallery Guide here.

About The Soul of Philanthropy Chicago

About Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy

About Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)

About the Chicago Cultural Center

#TSOP #TheSoulofPhilanthrophy #CAAIP #RootedinChicago #rethinkclassical

@caaip @chi_sinfonietta @sethpae @djviolin @karlagalva @papeon

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