Making music come alive
Unsupervised Chicago developed out of a belief that every performance, whether by a soloist, a small ensemble, or a 100-piece orchestra, comes alive through the relationships of those behind it. We know that the best, most meaningful performances happen when everyone involved is closely connected to each other and intimately involved with the music, and we want to build an ensemble that enables that to happen.
Unsupervised is a member-organized large ensemble connecting musicians and audiences through shared experiences of music. With a horizontal structure rooted in collaboration, we are building a community beyond the music. Through the relationships we build with each other and collective investment in what we are creating, we can present performances that go beyond great playing. We provide profoundly meaningful experiences for musicians and audience alike.
What we are about.
PEOPLE
Musicians are more than technicians, and audience members are more than consumers. We all bring our lives, our relationships and experiences, to the concert hall. When we bring these to bear with music, it allows for extraordinarily meaningful experiences.
ENSEMBLE
Crucial to Unsupervised is the development of a true sense of ensemble. This happens beyond rehearsal, in sectionals, in artistic meetings, and in purely social gatherings. We are more than an ensemble; we are a community.
MUSIC
Music is one of the most special and powerful artistic expressions we have. It reflects and inform our experience of the world. In music, we can experience the full variety of life, and when experienced together in community, it can impact us in indescribable ways.
COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION
Unsupervised is a conductorless orchestra. Instead of one person in charge, every member of the ensemble has an active voice. We draw from everyone's resources and experience to choose repertoire, to develop a musical concept, and to produce a meaningful performance.
BEYOND
We think Unsupervised is unique, but we don't want it to be. We believe every ensemble should play with the same ideal as Unsupervised, so we will be sharing not just our performances but everything that goes into them through photos, videos, and interviews along the way.
“Music is the great uniter, an incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.”