Celebrating Chicago’s Musical Community at Soirée Cedille

Soirée Cedille was an evening filled with inspiration, artistry, and gratitude. Together with friends and supporters, we celebrated those who make music and those who elevate it — and we are thrilled that, thanks to your generosity, the Soirée raised a record over-$450,000 to sustain Cedille’s work on behalf of Chicago’s finest musicians.

Cedille’s artist-driven model is at the heart of everything we do. Artists propose projects featuring the music they most desire to share with the world. Cedille then offers them the artistic freedom to chart their own musical and promotional paths, while fully supporting them by covering the costs associated with recording, production, distribution, and promotion. This unique partnership empowers artists to pursue innovative passion projects resulting in albums that garner attention from listeners and industry professionals worldwide.

This year’s Soirée concert reflected that spirit of creative freedom and community support. The evening featured oboist Oliver Talukder, winner of Cedille’s second Emerging Artist Competition, and celebrated baritone Will Liverman.

Will Liverman reflected on the impact of recording with Cedille:

“I can’t think of another city that . . . provides a platform [like this] for locally based artists and gives us a voice. It’s such a meaningful thing, and I’m so grateful to be a part of the Cedille family.”

We were also honored to present the Martin D. Ginsburg Award to Helen Zell and the Musical Partnership Award to the Ravinia Festival, recognizing our awardees’ extraordinary commitment to Chicago’s music community.

We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership. Together, we are ensuring that Chicago’s vibrant musical voices continue to be heard around the world. To learn more about upcoming projects or ways to get involved, please contact Julie Polanski at 773.989.2518 or julie@cedillerecords.org.

Videos from the Soirée concert can be viewed here.