Carlo Aonzo & Don Stiernberg Trio: An Italian History

Tickets | Constellation Chicago. 3111 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL

Italian mandolin player and composer Carlo Aonzo meets the america sounds of Don Strienbers Trio, in a live concert at Constellation Chicago. 

The Italian Mandolin rediscovers its overseas descendent. The American Mandolin rediscovers its origins. From the purest folk tradition, through baroque and classical music, 100 years ago the instrument emigrates toward new frontiers, it meets cultures, it changes, it creates new musical genres. Jethro Burns, legendary jazz player, becomes a tv star (Homer & Jethro) and passes the baton to his young spiritual heir Don Stiernberg, here with us today. Carlo Aonzo depicts his instrument, the Story of an Italian. 

Proof of Covid vaccination is required upon entry.

Carlo Aonzo is a worldwide known Italian mandolin performer. He has played for several prestigious institutions like the Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala in Milan (Italy), The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra (USA), the McGill Chamber Orchestra in Montreal (Canada), the Philharmonia of San Petersburg (Russia), the Minsk Chamber Soloist (Belarus), Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany). Carlo’s deep interest in outreach activities focused on his instrument is witnessed by his countless collaborations with mandolin orchestras around the world, namely New York, Seattle, Portland, Providence, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Denver, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Montreal, Milan, Genoa, Lugano, Kochi, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Wuppertal, Berlin, London, San Petersburg, Saigon. With his “Orchestra a Pizzico Ligure” he performed in Vatican city for the Pope Johannes Paul II.

He has given presentations on the iconography of the mandolin, in renowned institutions, including Dartmouth College, St. John’s University in New York, Boston University, New England Conservatory, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Vanderbilt College of Nashville, Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre. He performs at Carnegie Hall in New York and he tours Japan, USA, Australia, India, Switzerland, France and Norway.

Don Stiernberg has been a professional musician for nearly 50 years. Along the way he has been involved in performing, writing, recording, producing, and teaching, but is best known for his mandolin playing. Things got serious when an ad played on the radio: “Study Mandolin with the great Jethro Burns”… At his first lesson he discovered what he wanted to do: play the mandolin, be a musician, and try to be as cool as Jethro Burns! Within a few short years he was playing professionally standing right next to his hero in The Jethro Burns Quartet. Don is regarded as a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style. In June of 2020 his tenth recording project ,”Straight Ahead” by The Don Stiernberg Quartet, was released and quickly garnered praise in The Chicago Tribune as one of the “Best Jazz Recordings of 2020”. In person, Don teaches at mandolin-focused camps and events from coast to coast and abroad, and covers the same territory performing at clubs, festivals, and concert halls with his own group.