True Colors Baroque | Aaron Wooten at Artifact Events – Chicago, IL

Step into the moment when chamber music was just beginning to find its voice. This program traces the rise of the string quartet, from playful Renaissance echoes to the fiery brilliance of Vivaldi.

We open with Clèment Janequin’s Birdsong motet, a witty Renaissance gem that feels alive with fluttering wings and bright calls. From there, the music deepens into the elegant architecture of baroque and classical four-part harmony. Haydn takes center stage as the undeniable Father of the String Quartet with one of his early Op. 20 works, a daring and emotionally charged piece that stretches every instrument to its edge. Soon after, Joseph Bologne—composer, virtuoso, and trailblazer—brings his French flair with a hauntingly beautiful Concertante Quartet in G minor.

And then comes Vivaldi, the master of drama and color. His music grounds the evening in both tenderness and fire: the meditative Largo for mandolin and strings, followed by the electrifying “Winter” from The Four Seasons. It’s music that shimmers, surprises, and leaves you buzzing long after the final note.

Sharing the stage is painter Aaron Wooten, whose art finds joy in whimsy and the absurd. His cityscapes, portraits, and figures—painted on reclaimed wood—carry the same spirit of reinvention that lives in the music. Instruments are born from wood, his paintings reclaim it, and together they spark a conversation of sound and color you won’t forget.