What is it like to be one of Reagan’s kids? Get a glimpse this President’s Day. Chicago Opera Vanguard presents the world concert premiere of “Reagan’s Children: An Opera-Oratorio”by Chicago composer Eric Reda. The piece sets to music the eulogies presented at Ronald Reagan’s June 10, 2004 interment ceremony by his three surviving children, along with sections of the requiem text, patriotic standards and Tennyson’s poem “Crossing the Bar,”creating a requiem for the man who was, in many ways, the father of our modern political climate. Relatively small by operatic standards, “Reagan’s Children” is scored for four soloists, a treble, a sixteen-voice male choir, three pianos and a string quartet. Hosted by Martyrs’ Pub, usually a home for live music, Reda’s alternative opera is a perfect event for those looking to satisfy an intellectual curiosity on a national holiday while satisfying a thirsty belly on a day off from work. (William Scott)
